Friday, April 19
Long Beach, Calif.
9:30 a.m. MT
Air Force Academy
at
Beach Invitational
Lindsey Blanks Resets Steeplechase Record on Busy Friday in SoCal
4/20/2019 12:33:00 AM | Track and Field
The Falcons accounted for four improvements to the record book during Friday's three meets.
TORRANCE, Calif. – One Academy record and three additional improvements to the program's all-time standings highlighted a busy day of action for the Air Force track and field team, as it traversed between three meets in Southern California on Friday (April 19). While the field athletes opened action at the Beach Invitational this morning, the majority of runners took part in the Mt SAC Relays and the 1500-meter athletes competed in some late-night running at the Bryan Clay Invitational.
MT SAC RELAYS – Deleting nearly three seconds from her previous Academy record in the 3000-meter steeplechase, junior Lindsey Blanks paced a group of Academy runners at the prestigious Mt SAC Relays this evening in Torrance. Blanks, who improved the program standard to a time of 10:14.77, finished second amongst collegiate runners – and fifth overall in the 24-runner event.
The new steeplechase standard was one of three improvements to the Academy's record book this evening at Murdock Stadium, as the women's 5000-meter run and the men's 4x400-meter relay also saw additions to their all-time standings.
Clocking a time of 16:55.33 to finish second in the 5000-meter event, freshman Mikayla Gallagher knocked nearly 18 seconds off of her previous time to debut in 10th on the program's all-time standings – and become the fourth different Falcon to impact that top-10 list this year. Senior Sedacy Walden led a trio of sophomores – Zachary Dicken, Luke Zuluaga, Terrell Davis – to the 10th-fastest 4x400-meter relay in Academy history, as the quartet combined for a time of 3:10.69 during a runner-up performance that saw the top-two teams distance themselves from the rest of the field by nearly seven seconds.
In addition to leading off the 4x400-meter relay squad, Walden also captured a fourth-place finish in the open 400-meter event. Posting a time of 46.81, Walden was one of two Falcons to place within the top half of the 55-runner field, as Dicken clocked a career-best time of 48.17 to finish 21st.
In other action from the Mt. SAC Relays, junior Terrell Bradford posted a time of 22.03 to finish 25th out of 53 runners in the 200-meter dash, while senior Aryn Maxwell improved her season-best time in the 400-meter hurdles to 1:02.61 to claim a top-20 finish (16th).
BRYAN CLAY INVITATIONAL – Sophomore Maria Mettler added her name to the Academy record book in the 1500-meter run on Friday night, as 10 Falcons traveled to Azusa to compete in that event at the Bryan Clay Invitational. In the first 1500-meter race of her career, Mettler posted a time of 4:30.47 to debut in 10th on the program's all-time standings.
The sophomore, who finished 92nd out of 161 runners in the overall field, was one of two Falcons to finish within the top 100 of the Invitational race at Cougar Athletic Stadium. Classmate Mahala Norris, who finished one spot ahead of Mettler in the overall standings (91st), posted a season-best time of 4:30.40.
Junior Swathi Samuel, competing in the Open Division during her first 1500-meter event of the season, clocked a career-best time of 4:33.89 – a personal improvement of more than four seconds – to finish ninth out of 160 runners. Senior Shanna Burns, competing in her first outdoor race of the year, also finished within the top half of the field, as she posted a time of 4:41.13 to finish 65th.
On the men's side, sophomore Scott Johnson paced a trio of Falcons to finishes within the top-half of the 181-runner Invitational field of the 1500-meter run. Johnson clocked a season-best time of 3:47.80 to finish 65th in the overall standings, while senior Jacob Bilvado and junior Patrick Sullivan finished 70th (career-best 3:48.17) and 83rd (3:49.34), respectively, in their season debuts at that distance.
BEACH INVITATIONAL – A small handful of field athletes opened competition at the Beach Invitational this afternoon in Long Beach. Claiming a pair of top-three finishes in the pole vault, freshmen Erika Willis and Ethan Gardner led the contingent of Falcons at Jack Rose Track.
Willis registered a career-best clearance of 12'4" to tie for third in the 32-vaulter women's event, while Gardner posted a height of 15'5¾" to earn the same placement in the men's 20-vaulter event.
The Falcons also saw a pair of javelin throwers finish among the top-half of the event standings, as Parker Spearman recorded a throw of 206'5" to place 22nd in the 53-thrower men's event and senior Liz Jarvis posted a season-best distance of 136'9" to finish 34th out of 73 throwers in the women's event.
Air Force wraps up its busy weekend of action tomorrow (April 20), as it concludes competition at the Beach Invitational and Mt. SAC Relays. The majority of the travel squad will head to Long Beach, with action slated to begin at 9:00 a.m. (PT), while one relay and two field athletes will compete at Mt. SAC.
MT SAC RELAYS – Deleting nearly three seconds from her previous Academy record in the 3000-meter steeplechase, junior Lindsey Blanks paced a group of Academy runners at the prestigious Mt SAC Relays this evening in Torrance. Blanks, who improved the program standard to a time of 10:14.77, finished second amongst collegiate runners – and fifth overall in the 24-runner event.
The new steeplechase standard was one of three improvements to the Academy's record book this evening at Murdock Stadium, as the women's 5000-meter run and the men's 4x400-meter relay also saw additions to their all-time standings.
Clocking a time of 16:55.33 to finish second in the 5000-meter event, freshman Mikayla Gallagher knocked nearly 18 seconds off of her previous time to debut in 10th on the program's all-time standings – and become the fourth different Falcon to impact that top-10 list this year. Senior Sedacy Walden led a trio of sophomores – Zachary Dicken, Luke Zuluaga, Terrell Davis – to the 10th-fastest 4x400-meter relay in Academy history, as the quartet combined for a time of 3:10.69 during a runner-up performance that saw the top-two teams distance themselves from the rest of the field by nearly seven seconds.
In addition to leading off the 4x400-meter relay squad, Walden also captured a fourth-place finish in the open 400-meter event. Posting a time of 46.81, Walden was one of two Falcons to place within the top half of the 55-runner field, as Dicken clocked a career-best time of 48.17 to finish 21st.
In other action from the Mt. SAC Relays, junior Terrell Bradford posted a time of 22.03 to finish 25th out of 53 runners in the 200-meter dash, while senior Aryn Maxwell improved her season-best time in the 400-meter hurdles to 1:02.61 to claim a top-20 finish (16th).
BRYAN CLAY INVITATIONAL – Sophomore Maria Mettler added her name to the Academy record book in the 1500-meter run on Friday night, as 10 Falcons traveled to Azusa to compete in that event at the Bryan Clay Invitational. In the first 1500-meter race of her career, Mettler posted a time of 4:30.47 to debut in 10th on the program's all-time standings.
The sophomore, who finished 92nd out of 161 runners in the overall field, was one of two Falcons to finish within the top 100 of the Invitational race at Cougar Athletic Stadium. Classmate Mahala Norris, who finished one spot ahead of Mettler in the overall standings (91st), posted a season-best time of 4:30.40.
Junior Swathi Samuel, competing in the Open Division during her first 1500-meter event of the season, clocked a career-best time of 4:33.89 – a personal improvement of more than four seconds – to finish ninth out of 160 runners. Senior Shanna Burns, competing in her first outdoor race of the year, also finished within the top half of the field, as she posted a time of 4:41.13 to finish 65th.
On the men's side, sophomore Scott Johnson paced a trio of Falcons to finishes within the top-half of the 181-runner Invitational field of the 1500-meter run. Johnson clocked a season-best time of 3:47.80 to finish 65th in the overall standings, while senior Jacob Bilvado and junior Patrick Sullivan finished 70th (career-best 3:48.17) and 83rd (3:49.34), respectively, in their season debuts at that distance.
BEACH INVITATIONAL – A small handful of field athletes opened competition at the Beach Invitational this afternoon in Long Beach. Claiming a pair of top-three finishes in the pole vault, freshmen Erika Willis and Ethan Gardner led the contingent of Falcons at Jack Rose Track.
Willis registered a career-best clearance of 12'4" to tie for third in the 32-vaulter women's event, while Gardner posted a height of 15'5¾" to earn the same placement in the men's 20-vaulter event.
The Falcons also saw a pair of javelin throwers finish among the top-half of the event standings, as Parker Spearman recorded a throw of 206'5" to place 22nd in the 53-thrower men's event and senior Liz Jarvis posted a season-best distance of 136'9" to finish 34th out of 73 throwers in the women's event.
Air Force wraps up its busy weekend of action tomorrow (April 20), as it concludes competition at the Beach Invitational and Mt. SAC Relays. The majority of the travel squad will head to Long Beach, with action slated to begin at 9:00 a.m. (PT), while one relay and two field athletes will compete at Mt. SAC.
Players Mentioned
5000m / 10,000m
/ Track and Field
1500m / 3000m Steeplechase
/ Track and Field
100m / 200m
/ Track and Field
1500m / 3000m Steeplechase
/ Track and Field
400m / 200m
/ Track and Field
400m
/ Track and Field
5000m
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Javelin
/ Track and Field
1500m
/ Track and Field
400m Hurdles / 400m
/ Track and Field
1500m / 5000m
/ Track and Field
800m / 1500m
/ Track and Field
1500m / 5000m
/ Track and Field
Javelin
/ Track and Field
1500m / 5000m
/ Track and Field
400m / 200m
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
400m / 200m
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