Air Force Claims Two Victories at Drake Relays

DES MOINES, Iowa – Air Force won the men's sprint medley relay in Academy record-setting fashion this afternoon (April 27), as the track team wrapped up action at the 110th Drake Relays in Des Moines. Overall, the Falcons made three improvements to the program's all-time standings on the Blue Oval, while the men captured just their second top-five finish in the meet's Hy-Vee Cup standings.

The squad of senior Miguel Molas, junior Terrell Bradford, senior Sedacy Walden and junior Michael Rhoads combined for a program-record time of 3:19.33 to better the rest of the 12-team field by nearly 1.5 seconds. In addition to capturing the Academy's first-ever SMR championship at the Drake Relays, the quartet also marked the fourth time in as many years that Air Force has claimed a relay title at this meet.

Molas, Bradford and Walden returned to the track just over an hour later for the finals of the 4x100-meter relay and, with senior Reece Pontious on the anchor, finished fourth behind a time of 41.81. The men also finished sixth in the 4x400-meter relay (3:18.24, sophomore Zachary Dicken, sophomore Terrell Davis, sophomore Luke Zuluaga and freshman Sean Geither) and 10th in the distance medley relay (10:04.53, junior Patrick Sullivan, Dicken, senior Gordon Kowalkowski, senior Jacob Bilvado) on Saturday.

The men finished fourth in the Hy-Vee Cup standings, which recognizes performances in five relay events (4x100-meter relay, 4x400-meter relay, 4x800-meter relay, sprint medley relay, distance medley relay). Backed by their victory in the sprint medley, as well as their fourth-place finish in the 4x1 and their sixth-place finish in the 4x4, Air Force matched its highest team finish since the Cup began in 2013.

The women impacted the Academy record book during both of today's relays on the Blue Oval, using one of the marks to claim first-place honors in the unseeded section of the 4x400-meter relay.

Competing together for the first time this season, the quartet of senior Aryn Maxwell, junior Megan Irvine, classmate Kelsey Owens and freshman Grace Proesch combined for a time 3:51.05 to debut in 10th on the program's all-time standings and earn the women's first first-place finish in a relay event at Drake. Irvine also ran the 400-meter leg of the distance medley relay that produced the fourth-fastest time in program history (11:24.69), as she joined sophomore Mahala Norris, freshman Jenna Kill and sophomore Maria Mettler to finish fifth in the 15-runner field.

Backed by their finish in the DMR, the women finished 16th in the Hy-Vee Cup standings.

The Falcons close out the regular season next Friday (May 3), when they host the annual Air Force Twilight Open at the Cadet Outdoor Track and Field Complex. Action is slated to begin at 2:00 p.m. (MT).

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.