Air Force Earns 20 Bids to NCAA West Preliminary
5/17/2018 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The Air Force track and field team earned 20 bids into the West Preliminary of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the national office announced today (May 17) with the release of declared athletes. The Falcons, who qualified athletes in 16 different events, will travel to Sacramento, Calif., next week (May 24-26) for the opening round of the national meet.
Based on their placement as one of the West's top-48 accepted athletes in their respective events, a total of 13 men, four women and one relay earned a spot in 16 events at the NCAA West Prelim site. The Falcons will compete in 10 running events, five jumping events and one throwing event at Sacramento State's Hornet Stadium.
The men qualified multiple athletes in two events, including the javelin throw (sophomore Parker Spearman, senior Donny Crabill, senior Luke Piper) and 10,000-meter run (senior Andrew Johnston, junior Mickey Davey), while the women qualified a pair of runners in the 5000-meter run (junior Jaci Smith, senior Carina Gillespie).
Smith and Gillespie are two of the four Falcons that will compete in multiple events in the preliminary meet, as Smith will also run in the 10,000-meter event and Gillespie will participate in the 1500-meter race. On the men's side, seniors Tyler Koss and Chip White will compete in their signature 400-meter events (dash for Koss, hurdles for White) and join junior Sedacy Walden and freshman Zachary Dicken in the 4x400-meter relay.
In addition to the 10,000-meter run (Johnston, Davey, Smith), the Falcons will be represented in both the men's and women's high jump (junior Sam Hinegardner, senior Shelley Spires), pole vault (junior Kathryn Tomczak) and 5000-meter run (junior Jacob Bilvado, Smith, Gillespie). Senior John Reynolds (triple jump), classmate Andrew Milliron (3000-meter steeplechase) and junior Micah Fontaine (110-meter hurdles) round out the Falcons' list of qualifiers to the NCAA West Preliminary.
Gillespie is the Falcons' highest ranked qualifier, holding a No. 7 ranking in the 1500-meter run, while Spires and Johnston are ranked among the region's top 10 in their respective events. Gillespie, Koss, Reynolds and Spires will represent the Academy at the West Preliminary for the third-straight year, while Bilvado, Crabill, Fontaine, Johnston, Milliron, Smith, Tomczak, Walden and White are all making their second consecutive appearance in the opening round of the NCAA Championships.
The three-day West Preliminary will run simultaneously with the East meet in Tampa. The top 12 athletes in each event from both sites will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which will be held at Historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., on June 6-9.
Men's NCAA Qualifiers
400-Meter Dash: Tyler Koss (45.91a, 12th)
3000-Meter Steeplechase: Andrew Milliron (8:53.69, 23rd)
5000-Meter Run: Jacob Bilvado (13:51.74, 25th)
10,000-Meter Run: Andrew Johnston (28:56.60, ninth), Mickey Davey (29:15.24, 22nd)
110-Meter Hurdles: Micah Fontaine (14.16, 40th)
400-Meter Hurdles: Chip White (51.67, 38th)
4x400-Meter Relay: Sedacy Walden, Zachary Dicken, White, Koss (3:07.33, 16th)
High Jump: Sam Hinegardner (6'11", 37th)
Pole Vault: Connor Stevens (17'0¾", 31st)
Triple Jump: John Reynolds (51'2¼", 25th)
Javelin Throw: Parker Spearman (217'8", 27th), Donny Crabill (209'0", 38th), Luke Piper (205'6", 46th)
Women's NCAA Qualifiers
1500-Meter Run: Carina Gillespie (4:16.51, seventh)
5000-Meter Run: Jaci Smith (15:59.40, 20th), Gillespie (16:25.17, 44th)
10,000-Meter Run: Smith (33:36.92, 13th)
High Jump: Shelley Spires (6'0", eighth)
Pole Vault: Kathryn Tomczak (13'9¼", 17th)
Players Mentioned
