Thursday, January 24
USAFA
1:00 p.m. MT
Air Force Academy
vs
Air Force Invitational
Photo by: Josh Armstrong
Quartet Opens Action at Air Force Invitational
1/24/2019 7:10:00 PM | Track and Field
Connor Stevens leads the Falcons' multi-event athlete after the first day of heptathlon action.
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – Four first-time members of the Air Force multi-event crew kicked off the 2019 Air Force Invitational this evening (Jan. 24) with the opening day of action in the heptathlon. With 2635 points, junior Connor Stevens leads the quartet after the first four events at the Academy's Cadet Field House.
Stevens, who made his collegiate debut in three of the four events, is currently ranked seventh in the 16-athlete event with those 2635 points. The junior collected his best finish of the day in the shot put after finishing fifth with a distance of 39'3¾", while adding a seventh-place score in the long jump (career-best 21'0¾"), a ninth-place mark in the 60-meter dash (7.29) and a 10th-place mark in the high jump (5'8").
Freshman Wyatt Murphy is just one spot behind Stevens with 2540 points. The freshman opened his inaugural heptathlon with a victory in the 60-meter dash (career-best 7.04) and added a top-five mark in the long jump following a career-best distance of 21'8". He also made his debut in the shot put (15th, 27'2") and capped the day with a 5'8" clearance in the high jump (11th).
Fellow freshman Matthew Walters and sophomore Tyler Gurchiek are ranked 12th (2440) and 13th (2412), respectively, after the first day of competition. Walters tallied a pair of eighth-place marks in the shot put (career-best 36'2¼") and high jump (5'9¼"), while making his debut in the long jump (11th, 19'9½") and clocking a personal-best time of 7.52 in the 60-meter dash (12th). Gurchiek tallied career-best marks in three events – 60-meter dash (11th, 7.38), shot put (13th, 30'9"), high jump (seventh, 5'9¼") – and made his collegiate debut in the long jump with a 10th-place mark of 20'2¼".
The quartet returns to action tomorrow (Jan. 25) morning, when they begin at the final three heptathlon events at 9:00 a.m. (MT). The field events of the Air Force Invitational get underway at 1:00 p.m., while the qualifying round of several running events will begin 45 minutes later.
Stevens, who made his collegiate debut in three of the four events, is currently ranked seventh in the 16-athlete event with those 2635 points. The junior collected his best finish of the day in the shot put after finishing fifth with a distance of 39'3¾", while adding a seventh-place score in the long jump (career-best 21'0¾"), a ninth-place mark in the 60-meter dash (7.29) and a 10th-place mark in the high jump (5'8").
Freshman Wyatt Murphy is just one spot behind Stevens with 2540 points. The freshman opened his inaugural heptathlon with a victory in the 60-meter dash (career-best 7.04) and added a top-five mark in the long jump following a career-best distance of 21'8". He also made his debut in the shot put (15th, 27'2") and capped the day with a 5'8" clearance in the high jump (11th).
Fellow freshman Matthew Walters and sophomore Tyler Gurchiek are ranked 12th (2440) and 13th (2412), respectively, after the first day of competition. Walters tallied a pair of eighth-place marks in the shot put (career-best 36'2¼") and high jump (5'9¼"), while making his debut in the long jump (11th, 19'9½") and clocking a personal-best time of 7.52 in the 60-meter dash (12th). Gurchiek tallied career-best marks in three events – 60-meter dash (11th, 7.38), shot put (13th, 30'9"), high jump (seventh, 5'9¼") – and made his collegiate debut in the long jump with a 10th-place mark of 20'2¼".
The quartet returns to action tomorrow (Jan. 25) morning, when they begin at the final three heptathlon events at 9:00 a.m. (MT). The field events of the Air Force Invitational get underway at 1:00 p.m., while the qualifying round of several running events will begin 45 minutes later.
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