Falcons Kick Off Season with Air Force Holiday Open
12/7/2016 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
The Air Force track and field team kicks off the 2016-17 season this week, when it hosts the sixth-annual Air Force Holiday Open on Friday, Dec. 9, at the Cadet Field House Indoor Track. The non-scoring meet is slated to begin at 3:00 p.m., with the women's weight throw.
Meet Notes 01: Air Force Holiday Open 
MEET INFORMATION
Admission is free to the Air Force Holiday Open, which begins at 3:00 p.m., with the first of four throwing events. The long jump, pole vault and high jump are all scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m., while the running events are slated to start at 5:00 p.m. (a complete order of events is listed below). Live results are scheduled to be available via GoAirForceFalcons.com, while in-meet updates will be posted on the Falcons' official Twitter account (@af_trackfield).
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
3:00 p.m.: Women's Weight Throw, Men's Weight Throw, Women's Shot Put, Men's Shot Put; 4:00 p.m.: Men's Pole Vault, Women's Pole Vault; 4:00 p.m.: Women's Long Jump, Women's Triple Jump; 4:00 p.m.: Men's Long Jump, Men's Triple Jump; 4:00 p.m.: Women's High Jump, Men's High Jump; 5:00 p.m.: Mile Run, 60-Meter Hurdles, 500-Meter Dash, 60-Meter Dash, 1000-Meter Run, 300-Meter Dash, Mile Relay (the women will compete first in all running events)
LOOK WHO'S BACK
Air Force's indoor roster includes one All-American (Jamiel Trimble: 200-meter dash), one Mountain West champion (Trimble: 60-meter hurdles) and four Academy record holders (Tyler Koss: 500-meter dash; Carina Gillespie: mile run; Shelley Spires: high jump; Trimble: 200-meter dash). The Falcons' 2016-17 lineup also includes three All-Americans (Matt Dorsey: 1500-meter run; Kyle Pater: pole vault; Trimble: 110-meter hurdles), five MW champions (Robbie Anderson: 4x100-meter relay; Zach Johnson: 4x100-meter relay: Koss, 400-meter dash; John Reynolds: high jump; Trimble: 200, meter dash, 110-meter hurdles, 4x100-meter relay) and four Academy record holders (Dorsey: 1500-meter run; Johnson: 100-meter dash; Spires: high jump; Trimble: 200-meter dash, 110-meter hurdles) from the outdoor season.
HOME SWEET HOME
A total of 15 Falcons hail from the state of Colorado, including six from Colorado Springs – Terrell Bradford (Palmer HS), Alexa Chacon (The Classical Academy), Miguel Molas (James Irwin Charter), John Quinn (Liberty), Jackson Spalding (Discovery Canyon) and Conner Wilburn (The Classical Academy). The squad's Centennial State roster also includes three runners from Arvada – Nicole Hahn, Zac Petrie and Giulianna Vessa – and individuals from Denver (John Reynolds), Eaton (Garrett Coalson), Evergreen (Samantha Skold), Fort Collins (Preston Roche), Littleton (Noah Riley) and Loveland (Megan Irvine).
WE'LL BE SEEING YOU
The Air Force Holiday Open is the first of four home meets for the Falcons during the indoor season. In addition to the December meet, Air Force will host the Air Force Invitational (Jan. 19-21), the Air Force Team Challenge (Feb. 3) and the Air Force Collegiate Open (Feb. 17).
ON THE SIDELINES
Ralph Lindeman, a 14-time conference coach of the year and six-time regional coach of the year, returns for his 28th season as the head coach of the Air Force track and field program. Lindeman is joined by associate head coach and vertical jumps coach Scott Steffan, middle distance and distance coach Ryan Cole, sprints and hurdles coach Beau Houston and throws coach Keith Vance. The Falcons' staff also includes volunteer coaches Bob Graf (horizontal jumps) and Mark Stanforth (distance), while Lexi Bailey is in her first year as the program's director of operations.
OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
Four seniors – Alexa Chacon, Matt Dorsey, Zach Johnson, Cydnee Reese – will serve as captains for Air Force track and field.
WHAT'S ON DECK
The Falcons return to action on Saturday, Jan. 14, when they travel to Boulder, Colo., for the Potts Invitational.
Players Mentioned
