Ralph Lindeman, Jamiel Trimble Headline MW Meet Awards
5/15/2017 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
Official Mountain West Release 
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Head coach Ralph Lindeman and junior Jamiel Trimble were honored by the Mountain West after helping Air Force to the men's team title at the 2017 MW Outdoor Track and Field Championships last weekend in Logan, Utah, while the conference office announced this afternoon (May 15) that a program-record 27 all-conference accolades were awarded to the Falcons.
After guiding Air Force to its fourth outdoor title in six years -- and its sixth overall title during the same time span -- Lindeman was named the Mountain West Men's Outdoor Coach of the Year. It is the sixth time that he has been honored as the league's top outdoor coach (2001, 2003, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017) and the 12th overall award, as Lindeman has also received the annual coaching award at six indoor championship meets (2001, 2004, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2016).
Trimble was named the Outstanding Performer of the Meet for the third-straight championship meet (2016 outdoor, 2017 indoor, 2017 outdoor), while becoming the first athlete in Mountain West history to earn the award in back-to-back outdoor meets -- and only the second to capture the honor more than once. The junior collected individual titles in the 200-meter dash (20.33) and 110-meter hurdles (13.72), while anchoring the winning 4x100-meter relay and medaling in the 4x400-meter relay that finished second. Trimble clocked a MW Championship Meet Record time of 20.33 to successfully defend his conference title at 200 meters, while setting a Meet Record time of 13.66 (wind-aided) during the preliminary round of the 110-meter hurdles. He also helped Air Force to the second-fastest 4x400-meter relay (3:05.92) and the fifth-fastest 4x100-meter relay (39.70) times in MW Championship Meet history.
Air Force, which accumulated 218.50 points -- the most in a MW Outdoor meet since 2006 -- to edge the rest of the field by 53 points, captured its fourth outdoor title in six years on Saturday, May 13. Based on finishes within the top three of last weekend's conference championship meet in Logan, Utah, the men accounted for 22 all-conference honors -- a tally that matches the most in program history.
Backed by his gold medals in the 200-meter dash and 110-meter hurdles, Trimble was one of three Falcons to earn all-conference honors in multiple individual events. Junior John Reynolds claimed the program's most individual all-MW awards (three), after finishing second in the high jump and third in both the long jump and triple jump. Senior Darby Maier nabbed a pair of all-conference awards following a second-place performance in the shot put and a third-place performance in the hammer throw. Maier was one of two Falcons to finish within the top-three of the hammer, as senior Malachi Sparling finished second to claim his first all-MW Outdoor award.
Senior Kyle Pater and sophomore Sedacy Walden captured all-conference honors after earning Mountain West titles and pacing the Falcons to two of the top-three spots in their respective events. Pater earned his first title and third outdoor all-MW designation in the pole vault, while Walden won his first MW championship in the 400-meter dash. Junior Tyler Koss placed second in the 400-meter dash to earn his second-straight all-conference award in that event, while freshman Connor Stevens finished third in the pole vault to join Pater on the award podium in that event.
Sophomore Jacob Bilvado (5000-meter run), senior Taylor Hulslander (javelin throw) and classmate Zach Johnson (100-meter dash) claimed all-conference accolades after finishing second in their respective events, while junior Calvin Berstler (decathlon), senior Matt Dorsey (1500-meter run), sophomore Logan Feasline (discus throw), junior Andrew Johnston (10,000-meter run), classmate Andrew Milliron (3000-meter steeplechase) earned an all-MW selection following third-place performances.
The Falcons also collected top-three finishes in both relay events. Johnson and Trimble joined freshman Terrell Bradford and junior Robbie Anderson on the first-place 4x100-meter relay team, while Walden, Koss, Trimble and junior Chip White ran on the 4x400-meter relay that finished second.
On the women's side, Air Force collected five all-MW awards -- the most for the program since 2012 -- including the program's first-ever all-conference honor in an outdoor relay.
Senior Alexa Chacon, sophomore Kaliyah Gorman, freshman Megan Irvine and classmate Kelsey Owens combined to finish third in the 4x400-meter relay - a finish two spots higher than any other time in conference history -- and earn the women's first top-three finish in any outdoor relay at the MW meet.
Sophomore Jaci Smith became just the second Falcon to earn all-conference honors in the 10,000-meter run after placing second in that event, while junior Shelley Spires posted the same placement in the high jump for her second-straight all-MW honor at the outdoor championships. Sophomore Kathryn Tomczak earned her first all-MW honor in the pole vault - as well as the program's first such outdoor award since 2009 - after earning a third-place finish, while senior Cydnee Reese rounded out the Falcons' list of all-conference honorees, as she finished third in the discus throw and captured the women's first top-three finish in that event since the 2012 season.
The Falcons return to action next week (May 25-27), when select members travel to Austin, Texas, for the preliminary round of the 2017 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. A complete list of qualifiers will be announced later this week.
Players Mentioned
