Falcons Nab Seven First-Place Finishes in Season-Opening Meet

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – Backed by seven first-place finishes and one major improvement to the program's all-time standings, the Air Force track and field team kicked off the indoor season this evening (Dec. 6), as it hosted the ninth-annual Holiday Open at the Cadet Field House.

Sophomore newcomer Charles Dimnwaobi had a stellar debut for the Falcons this evening, as he registered the second-fastest time in Academy history to easily win the 60-meter dash. Posting a time of 6.72 – a mark just 0.02 seconds off of the Academy record – Dimnwaobi bettered the 46-sprinter field by 0.12 seconds. The 60-meter win was one of two victories for the sophomore, as he clocked a time of 34.51 to better the 34 other runners by 0.51 seconds.

Wyatt Murphy also had a strong night, as he collected a win in the long jump and tied for the top collegiate finish in the high jump. The sophomore matched his career-long of 22'11" to finish first in the long jump, while recording a huge PR of 6'6¾" to tie for second with junior Addison Brown in the overall standings of the high jump. Murphy and Brown, who also accounted for a career-best clearance, were joined among the top five by sophomore Jake Hall, who equaled his personal best with a matching clearance of 6'6¾". A pair of newcomers also joined Murphy in the top-five of the long jump, as freshman Devin Broxton and junior Landon Moore finished third (20'10¾") and fifth (20'0¼"), respectively, in their first collegiate meet.

Freshman Aden Baughman led the Air Force to four of the top-five spots in the 800-meter run, as he posted a raw time of 1:55.28 in the victory. Sophomore Frank Rossi (1:57.01), junior Aric Kedge (1:58.67) and sophomore Garrett Blenkush (1:59.92) joined Baughman in the top half of the overall field, as they finished third, fourth and fifth, respectively.

With a career-best clearance of 17'0¾" and a season-opening win, Mitch Lipe paced an Air Force-heavy lineup in the pole vault. Sophomores Ethan Gardner and Calvin Ciganik posted career-best matching marks of 15'7" to finish second and third, respectively, while junior Tyler Gurchiek and sophomore Ryan Brown rounded out the top-five with matching clearances of 15'1" (career-best matching for Gurchiek).

Freshman Cameron Harris earned a third-place overall finish in his first collegiate meet, as he posted a time of 8.28 in the 13-runner event. Junior Terrell Davis picked up a top-five mark in the 500-meter dash (fifth, 1:06.51), while finishing fourth amongst collegiate competitors (sixth overall) in the 300-meter event. Senior Anthony Davis registered a distance of 44'10¼" to round out the Falcons' list of top-five finishers, as he placed fifth in the triple jump.

On the women's side, sophomore Brid O'Connell (2:24.84), freshman Cat Cavinder (2:26.91) and classmate Stephanie Gregersen (2:28.50) picked up a 1-2-3 finish in the 800-meter run

Senior Kelsey Owens posted a time of 1:16.69 to finish second in the 500-meter dash, while sophomore Kendra Middleton matched her career-high of 5'5" to earn the same placement in the high jump. The sophomore duo of Frankie Porambo and Erika Willis tied for second among collegiate athletes (third overall) in the pole vault, as the accounted for matching clearances of 11'5¾".

Freshman Aaliyah Ricketts and Sophia Chiaramonte rounded out the Falcons' list of top-five finishers in the season-opening meet, as they finished third (16'5¾") and fourth (16'4¼"), respectively, in their collegiate debuts of the long jump.

Junior Maria Mettler will represent the Falcons tomorrow (Dec. 7) at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener in Boston, while the rest of the squad is off until Jan. 10-11, when they travel to Boulder for the annual Potts Indoor Invitational.

Footer

The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the u.s air force of non-u.s. government sites or the information, products, or services contained therein. Although the u.s. air force may or may not use these sites as additional distribution channels for department of defense information, it does not exercise editorial control over all of the information that you may find at these locations. Such links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this website.