
Falcons Split for Two Meets, Including the Drake Relays
4/24/2019 3:49:00 PM | Track and Field
Air Force will also send a contingent of athletes to the Jack Christiansen Invitational in Fort Collins.
The Air Force track and field team returns to action this weekend with a pair of competitions. Select Academy runners will travel to Des Moines, Iowa, for the 110th Drake Relays on April 25-27, while the remainder of the squad will return to Fort Collins, Colo., to compete at the Jack Christiansen Invitational on April 27.
MEET INFORMATION | DRAKE RELAYS
The prestigious Drake Relays, presented by Hy-Vee, which officially kicked off last night with the Grand Blue Mile, will take place throughout the week at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. The meet, which is in its 110th year, will begin in earnest with the Distance Carnival on Thursday, April 25. Live results and a complete schedule of events are available at DrakeRelays.org, while a video broadcast will be available through the USATF.tv subscription service (direct links to both can be found on the team's schedule page at GoAirForceFalcons.com).
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS | AIR FORCE ONLY
THURSDAY: 6:35 p.m.: Men's 10,000-Meter Run; 7:08 p.m.: Women's 3000-Meter Steeplechase; 7:53 p.m.: Women's 5000-Meter Run; 8:37 p.m.: Men's 5000-Meter Run (seeded); FRIDAY: 10:42 a.m.: Women's 4x1600-Meter Relay; 11:45 a.m.: Men's 4x1600-Meter Relay; 1:22 p.m.: Men's 4x100-Meter Relay (prelim); 1:33 p.m.: Women's 400-Meter Hurdles; 8:12 p.m.: Men's 4x800-Meter Relay; SATURDAY: 11:10 a.m.: Women's Distance Medley Relay; 12:51 p.m.: Men's Distance Medley Relay; 1:44 p.m.: Men's Sprint Medley; 3:16 p.m.: Men's 4x100-Meter Relay; 4:00 p.m.: Women's 4x400-Meter Relay; 4:10 p.m.: Men's 4x100-Meter Relay
AIR FORCE HISTORY AT THE DRAKE RELAYS
Since 1963, Air Force has captured 15 championships at the Drake Relays. The 4x1600-meter relay squad of Josh Wojciechowski, Patrick Sullivan, Scott Johnson and Jacob Bilvado are the program's most recent Drake winners, as the quartet combined to win the 2018 race by more than two seconds.
MEET INFORMATION | JACK CHRISTIANSEN INVITATIONAL
The Jack Christiansen Invitational will take place at Colorado State's stadium of the same name on Saturday, April 27. The hammer throw is scheduled to get underway at 10:00 a.m., while the remaining field events – and the start of the running events – begin one hour later (a schedule of events is listed below). Admission is free and live results are slated to be provided by Rapid Results (a direct link is available on the team's schedule page at GoAirForceFalcons.com).
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS | JACK CHRISTIANSEN INVITATIONAL
10:00 a.m.: Men's Hammer Throw, Women's Hammer Throw; 11:00 a.m.: Women's Shot Put, Men's Shot Put; 11:00 a.m.: Men's Discus Throw, Women's Discus Throw, Women's Javelin Throw, Men's Javelin Throw; 11:00 a.m.: Men's High Jump; 11:00 a.m.: Women's High Jump; 11:00 a.m.: Women's Pole Vault, Men's Pole Vault; 11:00 a.m.: Men's and Women's Long Jump, Men's and Women's Triple Jump; 11:00 a.m.: 5000-Meter Run, 4x100-Meter Relay, 1500-Meter Run, 100-/110-Meter Hurdles, 100-Meter Dash, 400-Meter Dash, 800-Meter Run, 400-Meter Hurdles, 200-Meter Dash, 3000-Meter Steeplechase, 4x400-Meter Relay (women compete first in all running events)
A LOOK AT THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Highlighted by Michael Rhoads holding the seventh-fastest 800-meter time in the NCAA at 1:47.10, Air Force athletes are currently listed among the nation's top 40 in top six events. Jacob Bilvado is ranked 23rd in the 5000-meter run (13:47.65), while Lindsey Blanks is listed 26th in the 3000-meter steeplechase (10:14.77) and Kathryn Tomczak is ranked 29th in the pole vault (13'9¾"). Parker Spearman and Logan Feasline round out the Falcons' list of national leaders with top-40 placements in the javelin throw (36th, 218'9") and discus throw (39th, 182'6"), respectively.
RHOADS SHATTERS AIR FORCE 800-METER RECORD
Clocking a time of 1:47.10 during a stellar run at the Mt SAC Relays on April 20, Michael Rhoads crushed the 11-year-old Academy record by more than one-and-a-half seconds and accounted for the second-fastest time in Mountain West history. Rhoads, who posted the fastest time by a conference runner in 18 years and is just shy of the all-time mark, is currently ranked seventh in the NCAA and 25th in the World this season.
COMING UP
The Falcons close out the regular season next Friday (May 3), when they host the Air Force Twilight Open. The meet, which is slated to begin at 2:00 p.m. (MT), will take place at the Cadet Outdoor Track and Field Complex and serve as the team's final tune-up before the Mountain West Outdoor Championships.
MEET INFORMATION | DRAKE RELAYS
The prestigious Drake Relays, presented by Hy-Vee, which officially kicked off last night with the Grand Blue Mile, will take place throughout the week at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. The meet, which is in its 110th year, will begin in earnest with the Distance Carnival on Thursday, April 25. Live results and a complete schedule of events are available at DrakeRelays.org, while a video broadcast will be available through the USATF.tv subscription service (direct links to both can be found on the team's schedule page at GoAirForceFalcons.com).
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS | AIR FORCE ONLY
THURSDAY: 6:35 p.m.: Men's 10,000-Meter Run; 7:08 p.m.: Women's 3000-Meter Steeplechase; 7:53 p.m.: Women's 5000-Meter Run; 8:37 p.m.: Men's 5000-Meter Run (seeded); FRIDAY: 10:42 a.m.: Women's 4x1600-Meter Relay; 11:45 a.m.: Men's 4x1600-Meter Relay; 1:22 p.m.: Men's 4x100-Meter Relay (prelim); 1:33 p.m.: Women's 400-Meter Hurdles; 8:12 p.m.: Men's 4x800-Meter Relay; SATURDAY: 11:10 a.m.: Women's Distance Medley Relay; 12:51 p.m.: Men's Distance Medley Relay; 1:44 p.m.: Men's Sprint Medley; 3:16 p.m.: Men's 4x100-Meter Relay; 4:00 p.m.: Women's 4x400-Meter Relay; 4:10 p.m.: Men's 4x100-Meter Relay
AIR FORCE HISTORY AT THE DRAKE RELAYS
Since 1963, Air Force has captured 15 championships at the Drake Relays. The 4x1600-meter relay squad of Josh Wojciechowski, Patrick Sullivan, Scott Johnson and Jacob Bilvado are the program's most recent Drake winners, as the quartet combined to win the 2018 race by more than two seconds.
MEET INFORMATION | JACK CHRISTIANSEN INVITATIONAL
The Jack Christiansen Invitational will take place at Colorado State's stadium of the same name on Saturday, April 27. The hammer throw is scheduled to get underway at 10:00 a.m., while the remaining field events – and the start of the running events – begin one hour later (a schedule of events is listed below). Admission is free and live results are slated to be provided by Rapid Results (a direct link is available on the team's schedule page at GoAirForceFalcons.com).
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS | JACK CHRISTIANSEN INVITATIONAL
10:00 a.m.: Men's Hammer Throw, Women's Hammer Throw; 11:00 a.m.: Women's Shot Put, Men's Shot Put; 11:00 a.m.: Men's Discus Throw, Women's Discus Throw, Women's Javelin Throw, Men's Javelin Throw; 11:00 a.m.: Men's High Jump; 11:00 a.m.: Women's High Jump; 11:00 a.m.: Women's Pole Vault, Men's Pole Vault; 11:00 a.m.: Men's and Women's Long Jump, Men's and Women's Triple Jump; 11:00 a.m.: 5000-Meter Run, 4x100-Meter Relay, 1500-Meter Run, 100-/110-Meter Hurdles, 100-Meter Dash, 400-Meter Dash, 800-Meter Run, 400-Meter Hurdles, 200-Meter Dash, 3000-Meter Steeplechase, 4x400-Meter Relay (women compete first in all running events)
A LOOK AT THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Highlighted by Michael Rhoads holding the seventh-fastest 800-meter time in the NCAA at 1:47.10, Air Force athletes are currently listed among the nation's top 40 in top six events. Jacob Bilvado is ranked 23rd in the 5000-meter run (13:47.65), while Lindsey Blanks is listed 26th in the 3000-meter steeplechase (10:14.77) and Kathryn Tomczak is ranked 29th in the pole vault (13'9¾"). Parker Spearman and Logan Feasline round out the Falcons' list of national leaders with top-40 placements in the javelin throw (36th, 218'9") and discus throw (39th, 182'6"), respectively.
RHOADS SHATTERS AIR FORCE 800-METER RECORD
Clocking a time of 1:47.10 during a stellar run at the Mt SAC Relays on April 20, Michael Rhoads crushed the 11-year-old Academy record by more than one-and-a-half seconds and accounted for the second-fastest time in Mountain West history. Rhoads, who posted the fastest time by a conference runner in 18 years and is just shy of the all-time mark, is currently ranked seventh in the NCAA and 25th in the World this season.
COMING UP
The Falcons close out the regular season next Friday (May 3), when they host the Air Force Twilight Open. The meet, which is slated to begin at 2:00 p.m. (MT), will take place at the Cadet Outdoor Track and Field Complex and serve as the team's final tune-up before the Mountain West Outdoor Championships.
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