Track and Field Honors Underclassmen

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – Highlighted by junior Michael Rhoads being receiving the Men's Outstanding Competitor award, seven members of the Air Force track and field team were honored this evening (May 19) during the program's Underclassmen Awards BBQ at the Academy's Cadet Lodge. Head coach Ralph Lindeman and his staff recognized two juniors, three sophomores and a pair of freshmen for their impressive accomplishments during the current 2019 season.

Rhoads claimed the team's Outstanding Performer award following a junior campaign that included three Academy records, three Mountain West titles, first-team All-America honors at the NCAA Indoor Championships, a bid to the NCAA Outdoor Championships and the MW Indoor Athlete of the Year award. Rhoads, who broke the program's 35-year-old indoor record in the 800-meter run during a conference-winning performance at the MW Indoor Championships (1:47.22a – a new MW Championship Meet Record and the No. 2 time in conference indoor history), was selected by league coaches as the MW Indoor Athlete of the Year after claiming first-team All-America honors at the national championship meet. During the outdoor season, Rhoads crushed the program's 11-year-old record in that distance during a 1:47.10 performance in the Elite section of the Mt SAC Relays. Becoming the conference's fastest outdoor 800-meter runner since 2001 – and second-fastest all-time – the junior secured his bid into the NCAA Outdoor Championships as he finished the regular season ranked among the nation's top 10. He also completed the 800-meter conference sweep by easily finishing first at the MW Outdoor Championships, anchored the winning 4x400-meter relay and ran the final leg of the sprint medley relay that broke the Academy record at the Drake Relays. In addition, Rhoads was also honored with the team's Alonzo Babers Outstanding Performance Award for his 1:47.10 outing at the Mt SAC Relays.

After competing in just four races as a freshman, Maria Mettler earned the women's Most Improved Award after a sophomore season that saw her impact the Academy record book in seven different events, win a Mountain West title and qualify to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Mettler, who won the 5000-meter title at the MW Indoor Championships, debuted in the top-five of the program's all-time standings for the three longest races of the indoor season (third at 5000 meters: 16:14.92, fourth at 3000 meters: 9:30.98a, fifth in the mile: 4:53.47a). During the outdoor portion of the year, Mettler posted a 5000-meter time of 16:17.17 – the third-fastest time in Academy history – to qualifying into the opening round of the NCAA Outdoor Championships. In addition, she accounted for the 10th-fastest 1500-meter time in her only appearance at that distance (4:30.47) and anchored a pair of top-five relays (third-fastest 4x1600-meter relay: 19:53.08, fourth-fastest distance medley relay: 11:24.69) at the Drake Relays.

After a pair of strong freshmen campaigns, Mikayla Gallagher and Wyatt Murphy shared the program's Newcomer of the Year award. Gallagher impacted the Academy record book in three events during the outdoor season (fifth at 10,000 meters: 34:36.91, ninth at 3000 meters: 10:03.82a, 10th at 5000 meters: 16:55.33), while earning a runner-up finish in the 5000-meter run at the Mt. SAC Relays and using a Freshman Class Record to score for the Falcons in her 10,000-meter debut at the MW Outdoor Championships. Murphy, who posted a team-leading distance of 22'11" to score for the Falcons in the long jump at the MW Indoor Championships and won the Jim Click Decathlon during the outdoor season, accounted for the sixth-highest decathlon total in Academy history (6504 – a Freshman Class Record) to place sixth in that event at the MW Outdoor Championships.

Junior Lindsey Blanks, who reset the Academy record in the 3000-meter steeplechase twice this season and earned a berth into the NCAA Outdoor Championships, was honored with the Callie Calhoun Award for Drive and Determination. Blanks, who clocked the sixth-fastest 5000-meter time in program history during the indoor season (16:40.42), broke the six-year-old steeplechase standard at the Stanford Invitational (10:17.72) and improved the time to 10:14.77 in her next appearance at the Mt. SAC Relays.

Sophomore Greg Skage, who missed the majority of the indoor season while recovering from injury, earned the Paul Gensic Resiliency Award after returning to the pole vault runway for a strong outdoor campaign. Clearing a career-best height of 17'5½" to debut in 10th on the program's all-time standings and secure a bid into the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Skage picked up three first-places finishes during the second half of the season, including the Mountain West Outdoor title. Classmate Cat Sobus rounded out the Falcons' underclassmen awards, as she was selected as the program's Outstanding Manager.

Air Force will honor the Class of 2019 on Monday, May 27, during the track and field team's annual Senior Awards Social. During the celebration, the Falcons will hand out several additional accolades, including the MVP and women's Outstanding Competitor awards.

The competition season continues this week, when 18 Falcons – including Blanks, Mettler, Rhoads and Skage – travel to Sacramento, Calif., for the opening round of the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

2019 Awards for Underclassmen
Men's Outstanding Competitor: Michael Rhoads
Newcomer of the Year | Men: Wyatt Murphy
Newcomer of the Year | Women: Mikayla Gallagher
Most Improved | Women: Maria Mettler
Paul Gensic Resiliency Award: Greg Skage
Callie Calhoun Award for Drive and Determination: Lindsey Blanks
Alonzo Babers Outstanding Performance Award: Michael Rhoads
Outstanding Manager: Cat Sobus

Players Mentioned

Lindsey Blanks

Mikayla Gallagher

Maria Mettler

Wyatt Murphy

Michael Rhoads

Greg Skage

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