Men Second, Women Fourth at Team Challenge

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – Backed by five first-place finishes and the sixth-fastest mile in Academy history, the Air Force track and field team wrapped up competition at the Air Force Team Challenge on Friday, Jan. 18. The men finished second in their annual quadrangular meet, while the women placed fourth.

Sophomore Maria Mettler highlighted the night, as she accounted for the sixth-fastest mile in program history. The Colorado Springs native, who finished second in the 10-runner event with a raw time of 5:05.00, entered the program's all-time standings with an altitude-adjusted mark of 4:53.47.

The men collected four first-place finishes on Friday, with a member of each class earning a title. Freshman Lashawn Taylor recorded a clearance of 46'1¼" to win his second triple jump title in as many home meets, while sophomore Zachary Dicken and junior Michael Rhoads won their season debuts in the 400-meter dash (48.00) and 800-meter run (1:51.47), respectively. Senior Sam Hinegardner rounded out the men's list of event winners, as he cleared 6'9¾" to win his second high jump title of the season.

The victories by Rhoads and Hinegardner paced the Falcons to a pair of top-five finishes in those events, as senior Gordon Kowalkowski finished fifth in the 800-meter run (1:54.65) and freshman Jake Hall earned the same placement in the high jump (career-best 6'6¾").

The men also accounted for multiple top-five marks in the mile and 60-meter dash. Senior Jacob Bilvado, in his first race of the 2018-19 campaign, clocked a time of 4:21.17 to finish third in the mile, while classmate Noah Riley and sophomore Scott Johnson finished fourth (4:22.13) and fifth (4:26.45), respectively. Senior Miguel Molas earned runner-up honors in the 60-meter dash (6.77), while junior Terrell Bradford posted a time of 6.84 to finish fourth.

Taylor and Hinegardner also added fourth-place marks in the long jump (career-best 22'5¾") and pole vault (16'0¾"), while Dicken helped senior Sedacy Walden, classmate David Collins and sophomore Terrell Bradford to a runner-up finish in the mile relay (3:15.80).

Collins collected a third-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles (8.19), while classmate Garrett Coalson and junior Victor Osinloye earned the same placements in the shot put (51'5") and weight throw (career-best 56'1¾"), respectively. Senior Reece Pontious rounded out the men's list of top-five finishers, as he posted a season-debut of 21.75 to finish fourth in the 200-meter dash.

Senior Kathryn Tomczak picked up a first-place finish for the women, as she cleared a season-best mark of 13'7¼" to win the pole vault. Capturing her second win in as many meets, Tomczak paced the Falcons to three of the top-four finishes in that event, as classmate Jerni Self and freshman Corey Friedenbach finished third (season-best 12'11½") and fourth (season-best 12'5½"), respectively.

Air Force also accounted for multiple top-five finishes in the high jump, while senior Shanna Burns joined Mettler among the top-five of the mile. In her season debut, sophomore Kathleen Medill posted a personal-best clearance of 5'5" to place third in the high jump, while freshman Kendra Middleton recorded a clearance of 5'3" to finish fifth. Burns, making her season debut on the track, accounted for a time of 5:14.54 to finish fifth in the mile.

Senior Andrea Abel captured a third-place finish in the triple jump (36'10¼"), while the mile relay of senior Aryn Maxwell, freshman Brid O'Connell, junior Kelsey Owens and classmate Megan Irvine rounded out the squad's top-five finishers by posting a fourth-place time of 3:57.53.

With 125.50 points, the men only trailed 10th-ranked BYU in a meet that was delayed for over an hour due to the winter storm that raced through the state Friday morning and made travel treacherous. Grand Canyon (93.50) and Colorado State (69) rounded out the men's standings, while the Rams (127.50), Cougars (111), Lopes (108.50) and Falcons (65) completed the women's field.

The Falcons remain at the Academy next week, when they host the Air Force Combined Events Meet on Jan. 24-25 and the Air Force Invitational on Jan. 25-26.

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Players Mentioned

Andrea Abel

Jacob Bilvado

Terrell Bradford

Shanna Burns

Garrett Coalson

David Collins

Zachary Dicken

Corey Friedenbach

Jake Hall

Sam Hinegardner

Megan Irvine

Scott Johnson

Gordon Kowalkowski

Aryn Maxwell

Kathleen Medill

Maria Mettler

Kendra Middleton

Miguel Molas

Brid O'Connell

Victor Osinloye

Kelsey Owens

Reece Pontious

Michael Rhoads

Noah Riley

Jerni Self

LaShawn Taylor

Kathryn Tomczak

Sedacy Walden

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