Photo by: Josh Armstrong
Track and Field Seniors Honored at Final Banquet
5/27/2019 11:26:00 PM | Track and Field
Sam Hinegardner was honored with the Tad Oelstrom Award for Overall Excellence.
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – The Air Force track and field team's Class of 2019 was recognized this afternoon (May 27), during the program's annual Senior Award Ceremony at the Academy. During the final team gathering of the season, head coach Ralph Lindeman and his staff honored its 27 seniors and handed out 12 awards.
Sam Hinegardner was honored with the Gen Tad Oelstrom Award for Overall Excellence, which goes to the one member of the senior class that excels militarily, academically and athletically, while Liz Jarvis was presented with the sixth-annual David Lyon Leadership Award, which was created in honor of Capt David Lyon, a 2008 Academy graduate and member of the Falcons' track and field team, who was killed in action in December of 2013.
Hinegardner, a three-time all-MW honoree who qualified to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in both the pole vault and high jump, concluded his collegiate career ranked among the program's top 10 in both the indoor (6'11½", eighth) and outdoor (6'11", outdoor) high jump, while surpassing the 17-foot bar in the pole vault with a 17'1½" clearance at the Air Force Twilight Open. Jarvis capped her career ranked 10th on the program's all-time standings in the javelin after posting a distance of 143'8" last year. The senior also scored for the Falcons at the MW Outdoor Championships, earning a fourth-place finish.
Sedacy Walden and Jaci Smith earned MVP awards for their respective teams, while Kathryn Tomczak was honored with the women's Outstanding Competitor award.
Walden claimed four Mountain West titles in 2019, including his second 400-meter outdoor title in three years. In addition to his individual championship, the senior ran on the 4x400-meter relays that swept the indoor and outdoor titles and competed on the winning 4x100-meter relay at the MW Outdoor Championships. Walden, who clocked a season-best 400-meter time of 46.35 to qualify to the opening round of the NCAA Outdoor Championships, impacted the Academy record book in seven events. Claiming five all-MW honors, Walden broke the Academy's 500-meter record (1:03.28), ran the sixth-fastest 400-meter dash (47.49) and 10th-fastest 200-meter dash (21.54) during the indoor season, while also running on the record-setting sprint medley relay that won the Drake Relays (3:19.33), the third-fastest 4x100-meter relay (40.47), the fourth-fastest indoor 4x400-meter relay and the 10th-fastest outdoor 4x400-meter relay (3:10.69).
Following an All-American cross country campaign, Smith claimed another pair of All-America awards during the indoor season. The senior tallied a pair of indoor Academy records, crushing the 5000-meter standard at the Colyear-Danville Season Opener (15:28.07) and breaking the 3000-meter record twice (final time of 9:01.12a). She became the program's first female to capture All-America honors in multiple events at the same championship after earning first-team honors in the 5000-meter run (sixth) and second-team status in the 3000-meter run (14th) at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Smith, who made her outdoor debut at the conference championships, posted a time of 16:02.24 – a mark just shy of her own program record – to finish third at the MW Outdoor Championships and qualify to the opening round of the NCAA Outdoor Championships. During the West Prelim, Smith shattered her own Academy record by nearly 21 seconds (15:38.44) to advance to next week's national final.
Smith was also honored with the Gail Conway Outstanding Performance award for her Academy record-setting 15:28.07 performance in the 5000-meter run during the indoor season.
Tomczak recently capped another strong season for Air Force, having qualified to the opening round of the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the third-straight year. During the indoor season, Tomczak reached the 14-foot bar for the second-straight year, clearing a Senior Class Record of 14'0" to win the Texas Tech Shootout. That victory was one of five first-place finishes for Tomczak during the indoor season, as she swept the regular season with wins at the Air Force Holiday Open, Air Force Team Challenge, Air Force Invitational (Elite Section) and the Air Force Open. The senior captured her fourth all-conference award after finishing second out of 21 vaulters at the Mountain West Indoor Championships. She added two more event titles during the outdoor season, winning the Jerry Quiller Classic and Colonial Relays. Tomczak qualified to the NCAA West Preliminary after clearing a season-best 13'9¾" during a seventh-place finish in the Elite section of the Beach Invitational.
Jacob Bilvado, the Mountain West Indoor champion at 5000 meters, received the Laura Piper Ironman Award after contributing to the program in the two four longest distances of the year. Bilvado, who missed the end of the cross country season with illness, came back in the indoor season to win the 5000-meter title at the conference's indoor meet, before coming back less than 24 hours later to place second in the 3000-meter event. During the outdoor season, Bilvado again competed in the two longest distances at the conference meet, finishing second in the 5000-meter run and fourth in the 10,000-meter run. Backed by the third-fastest 5000-meter time in Academy history (13:47.65 at the Stanford Invitational), Bilvado advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in that event.
Nathan Thomas was honored with the Most Improved Male Athlete award, while Reece Pontious earned the Paul Gensic Resiliency Award and Logan Feasline claimed the Bret Hyde Award for Drive and Determination. Thomas, who competed in just one race as a junior, qualified to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in two events this season. After posting the seventh-fastest 10,000-meter time in program history at the Mt SAC Relays (29:29.59), Thomas claimed top-five finishes in the two longest races of the MW Outdoor Championships and advanced to the NCAA West Prelim in both events. After being plagued by injuries during his first three season, Pontious had a stellar senior season that ended with three scoring finishes at the MW Outdoor Championships, including the anchor leg of the winning 4x100-meter relay. Feasline, who accounted for the fourth-best discus distance in Academy history at the Mt SAC Relays (182'6"), fought through injuries at the conference meet to score in both the discus and javelin, while also competing in the discus at the NCAA West Prelim.
Aryn Maxwell and Gordon Kowalkowski shared the Falcon Award for Spirit and Enthusiasm, while Mickey Davey and Jerni Self were the co-recipients of the Arne Arneson Award for Dedication. Maxwell, who set the program's 400-meter hurdles record as a junior, has also been a valuable member of the women's relay, leading off the 4x400-meter squads that clocked the program's fourth-fastest indoor time (3:50.31) and the seventh-fastest outdoor time (3:49.23). Kowalkowski had a strong senior season in the 800-meter run, scoring for the Falcons at the both the indoor and outdoor conference championship meets. Davey, an All-American in cross country, returned from an indoor season hampered by injury to represent the Falcons in the 5000-meter and 10,000-meter events at the conference championships and the nationally-recognized Mt SAC Relays and Drake Relays. Self, who has scored for the Falcons in the pole vault at multiple Mountain West meets, cleared 13'1½" at the Air Force Invitational to become just the fourth female to break the 13-foot bar during both the indoor and outdoor seasons.
The coaching staff also took time to recognize his strong group of team captains, including Garrett Coalson, Hinegardner, Jarvis, Maxwell, Noah Riley, Smith, Tomczak and Walden.
The Class of 2019 will graduate from the Academy, commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Air Force, on Thursday, May 30, while the collegiate season comes to a close next week (June 5-8) at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
2019 Senior Awards
Outstanding Competitor | Women: Kathryn Tomczak
Most Valuable Athlete | Women: Jaci Smith
Most Valuable Athlete | Men: Sedacy Walden
Falcon Award for Spirit and Enthusiasm: Gordon Kowalkowski, Aryn Maxwell
Most Improved | Men: Nathan Thomas
Bret Hyde Award for Drive and Determination: Logan Feasline
Paul Gensic Resiliency Award: Reece Pontious
Gail Conway Outstanding Performance Award: Jaci Smith
Arne Arneson Award for Dedication: Mickey Davey, Jerni Self
Laura Piper Ironman Award: Jacob Bilvado
Gen Tad Oelstrom Excellence Award: Sam Hinegardner
David Lyon Leadership Award: Liz Jarvis
Sam Hinegardner was honored with the Gen Tad Oelstrom Award for Overall Excellence, which goes to the one member of the senior class that excels militarily, academically and athletically, while Liz Jarvis was presented with the sixth-annual David Lyon Leadership Award, which was created in honor of Capt David Lyon, a 2008 Academy graduate and member of the Falcons' track and field team, who was killed in action in December of 2013.
Hinegardner, a three-time all-MW honoree who qualified to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in both the pole vault and high jump, concluded his collegiate career ranked among the program's top 10 in both the indoor (6'11½", eighth) and outdoor (6'11", outdoor) high jump, while surpassing the 17-foot bar in the pole vault with a 17'1½" clearance at the Air Force Twilight Open. Jarvis capped her career ranked 10th on the program's all-time standings in the javelin after posting a distance of 143'8" last year. The senior also scored for the Falcons at the MW Outdoor Championships, earning a fourth-place finish.
Sedacy Walden and Jaci Smith earned MVP awards for their respective teams, while Kathryn Tomczak was honored with the women's Outstanding Competitor award.
Walden claimed four Mountain West titles in 2019, including his second 400-meter outdoor title in three years. In addition to his individual championship, the senior ran on the 4x400-meter relays that swept the indoor and outdoor titles and competed on the winning 4x100-meter relay at the MW Outdoor Championships. Walden, who clocked a season-best 400-meter time of 46.35 to qualify to the opening round of the NCAA Outdoor Championships, impacted the Academy record book in seven events. Claiming five all-MW honors, Walden broke the Academy's 500-meter record (1:03.28), ran the sixth-fastest 400-meter dash (47.49) and 10th-fastest 200-meter dash (21.54) during the indoor season, while also running on the record-setting sprint medley relay that won the Drake Relays (3:19.33), the third-fastest 4x100-meter relay (40.47), the fourth-fastest indoor 4x400-meter relay and the 10th-fastest outdoor 4x400-meter relay (3:10.69).
Following an All-American cross country campaign, Smith claimed another pair of All-America awards during the indoor season. The senior tallied a pair of indoor Academy records, crushing the 5000-meter standard at the Colyear-Danville Season Opener (15:28.07) and breaking the 3000-meter record twice (final time of 9:01.12a). She became the program's first female to capture All-America honors in multiple events at the same championship after earning first-team honors in the 5000-meter run (sixth) and second-team status in the 3000-meter run (14th) at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Smith, who made her outdoor debut at the conference championships, posted a time of 16:02.24 – a mark just shy of her own program record – to finish third at the MW Outdoor Championships and qualify to the opening round of the NCAA Outdoor Championships. During the West Prelim, Smith shattered her own Academy record by nearly 21 seconds (15:38.44) to advance to next week's national final.
Smith was also honored with the Gail Conway Outstanding Performance award for her Academy record-setting 15:28.07 performance in the 5000-meter run during the indoor season.
Tomczak recently capped another strong season for Air Force, having qualified to the opening round of the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the third-straight year. During the indoor season, Tomczak reached the 14-foot bar for the second-straight year, clearing a Senior Class Record of 14'0" to win the Texas Tech Shootout. That victory was one of five first-place finishes for Tomczak during the indoor season, as she swept the regular season with wins at the Air Force Holiday Open, Air Force Team Challenge, Air Force Invitational (Elite Section) and the Air Force Open. The senior captured her fourth all-conference award after finishing second out of 21 vaulters at the Mountain West Indoor Championships. She added two more event titles during the outdoor season, winning the Jerry Quiller Classic and Colonial Relays. Tomczak qualified to the NCAA West Preliminary after clearing a season-best 13'9¾" during a seventh-place finish in the Elite section of the Beach Invitational.
Jacob Bilvado, the Mountain West Indoor champion at 5000 meters, received the Laura Piper Ironman Award after contributing to the program in the two four longest distances of the year. Bilvado, who missed the end of the cross country season with illness, came back in the indoor season to win the 5000-meter title at the conference's indoor meet, before coming back less than 24 hours later to place second in the 3000-meter event. During the outdoor season, Bilvado again competed in the two longest distances at the conference meet, finishing second in the 5000-meter run and fourth in the 10,000-meter run. Backed by the third-fastest 5000-meter time in Academy history (13:47.65 at the Stanford Invitational), Bilvado advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in that event.
Nathan Thomas was honored with the Most Improved Male Athlete award, while Reece Pontious earned the Paul Gensic Resiliency Award and Logan Feasline claimed the Bret Hyde Award for Drive and Determination. Thomas, who competed in just one race as a junior, qualified to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in two events this season. After posting the seventh-fastest 10,000-meter time in program history at the Mt SAC Relays (29:29.59), Thomas claimed top-five finishes in the two longest races of the MW Outdoor Championships and advanced to the NCAA West Prelim in both events. After being plagued by injuries during his first three season, Pontious had a stellar senior season that ended with three scoring finishes at the MW Outdoor Championships, including the anchor leg of the winning 4x100-meter relay. Feasline, who accounted for the fourth-best discus distance in Academy history at the Mt SAC Relays (182'6"), fought through injuries at the conference meet to score in both the discus and javelin, while also competing in the discus at the NCAA West Prelim.
Aryn Maxwell and Gordon Kowalkowski shared the Falcon Award for Spirit and Enthusiasm, while Mickey Davey and Jerni Self were the co-recipients of the Arne Arneson Award for Dedication. Maxwell, who set the program's 400-meter hurdles record as a junior, has also been a valuable member of the women's relay, leading off the 4x400-meter squads that clocked the program's fourth-fastest indoor time (3:50.31) and the seventh-fastest outdoor time (3:49.23). Kowalkowski had a strong senior season in the 800-meter run, scoring for the Falcons at the both the indoor and outdoor conference championship meets. Davey, an All-American in cross country, returned from an indoor season hampered by injury to represent the Falcons in the 5000-meter and 10,000-meter events at the conference championships and the nationally-recognized Mt SAC Relays and Drake Relays. Self, who has scored for the Falcons in the pole vault at multiple Mountain West meets, cleared 13'1½" at the Air Force Invitational to become just the fourth female to break the 13-foot bar during both the indoor and outdoor seasons.
The coaching staff also took time to recognize his strong group of team captains, including Garrett Coalson, Hinegardner, Jarvis, Maxwell, Noah Riley, Smith, Tomczak and Walden.
The Class of 2019 will graduate from the Academy, commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Air Force, on Thursday, May 30, while the collegiate season comes to a close next week (June 5-8) at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
2019 Senior Awards
Outstanding Competitor | Women: Kathryn Tomczak
Most Valuable Athlete | Women: Jaci Smith
Most Valuable Athlete | Men: Sedacy Walden
Falcon Award for Spirit and Enthusiasm: Gordon Kowalkowski, Aryn Maxwell
Most Improved | Men: Nathan Thomas
Bret Hyde Award for Drive and Determination: Logan Feasline
Paul Gensic Resiliency Award: Reece Pontious
Gail Conway Outstanding Performance Award: Jaci Smith
Arne Arneson Award for Dedication: Mickey Davey, Jerni Self
Laura Piper Ironman Award: Jacob Bilvado
Gen Tad Oelstrom Excellence Award: Sam Hinegardner
David Lyon Leadership Award: Liz Jarvis
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Shot Put / Discus
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5000m / 10,000m
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Discus / Javelin
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High Jump / Pole Vault
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Javelin
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800m
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400m Hurdles / 400m
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100m / 200m
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1500m
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Pole Vault
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5000m / 10,000m
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3000m Steeplechase / 5000m
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Pole Vault
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400m / 200m
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