Friday, February 7
USAFA
3:00 pm MT
Air Force Academy
vs
Air Force Team Challenge
Photo by: Josh Armstrong
Men Take First, Women Second at Air Force Team Challenge
2/7/2020 11:05:00 PM | Track and Field
The Falcons combined for nine first-place finishes and made three additions to the record book.
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – Backed by one team title, three additions to the Academy record book and nine first-place finishes, the Air Force track and field team wrapped up an impressive evening of competition at the Air Force Team Challenge on Friday, Feb. 7. In a quadrangular meet that featured conference championship teams from Long Beach State, Utah Valley and Wichita State, the men claimed their first team title in four years and the women placed second for their best team finish since 2013.
The men collected four first-place finishes on the track, including a trio of top-two sweeps in the night's three longest races. Sam Gilman impacted the record book during his first collegiate mile, as he registered a Freshman Class Record time of 4:08.02 (adjusted for altitude; 4:17.76 raw) to edge junior Konrad Steck (4:18.12 raw) for the victory in the 13-runner mile event. Freshmen Aden Baughman and Jonah Powell finished first (1:56.31) and second (1:58.06), respectively, in the 800-meter run, while Ryan Johnson (8:51.32) and sophomore Matt Zacharias (9:06.12) accounted for a one-two finish the 3000-meter run.
Senior Terrell Bradford rounded out the men's list of event winners, as he clocked a time of time of 6.84 to take first in the 60-meter dash by 0.002 seconds (6.838-6.840). Air Force, which advanced two to the final of that race, finished with a pair of top-five scorers, as freshman Luke Arkell placed fifth with a mark of 7.02. Arkell, who paced the Falcons in the 200-meter dash (third, 22.09), was one of two Falcons to earn multiple scoring finishes in the individual sprint events. Junior Zachary Dicken, who finished fourth in the 200-meter dash (22.13), led Air Force to two of the top-three spots in the 400-meter event, as he and classmate Luke Zuluaga finished second (48.39) and third (49.08), respectively. Dicken and Zuluaga also ran on the mile relay that finished second in 3:17.47 (junior Terrell Davis, sophomore Sean Geither).
Freshman Cameron Harris rounded out the Falcons' scoring finishers on the track, as he placed fifth in the 60-meter hurdles behind a time of 8.37.
Junior Mitch Lipe and sophomore LaShawn Taylor earned runner-up honors from the field, as Lipe cleared 17'0¾" to finish second in the pole vault and Taylor registered a career-best distance of 47'11¾" to earn that same placement in the triple jump. Sophomore Ethan Gardner cleared 16'0¾" to finish sixth out of 20 jumpers in the pole vault, while sophomore Jake Hall (third, 6'8¾") and junior Addison Brown (sixth, 6'4¾") placed within the top half of the field in the high jump. With a career-best throw of 55'5½", Jaret Prete broke the Academy's nine-year-old Freshman Class Record during a sixth-place finish, while classmate Kelby Bailey earned the same placement in the shot put (career-best 46'5¼").
On the women's side, junior Meghan Carbiener debuted in fifth on the Academy's all-time weight throw standings, as she posted a career-best distance of 54'10¾" to finish third. Sophomore Ari Martinez earned an event title in the high jump (5'7"), while junior Kathleen Medill tied for fourth with a season-best clearance of 5'5". Sophomore Erika Willis earned a runner-up finish in the pole vault (11'11¾"), while junior Addyson Smith placed within the top half of the field in the shot put (fifth, 41'8").
Air Force garnered a pair of one-two sweeps in the running events, as the team combined for four first-place finishes. Junior Mahala Norris (2:15.55) and sophomore Brid O'Connell (2:18.56) claimed the top-two spots in the 800-meter run, while sophomore Adrianna Wilder (11:16.67) edged classmate Andi Almodovar (11:16.69) for a one-two finish in the 3000-meter run. Like its counterparts on the men's team, Air Force swept first-place honors in the women's three longest races, as sophomore Sarah Deresky won the mile in a time of 5:26.03.
Senior Kelsey Owens won the 10-runner 400-meter dash in 57.49, while sophomore Grace Proesch finished fourth in a time of 57.94. Junior Aubrey Ridgeway was the Falcons' top scorer in both the 60-meter (fourth, 7.89) and 200-meter (fifth, 25.10) events, while she, Owens and Proesch joined sophomore Michelle Roca on the mile relay squad that finished second in a time of 4:02.77.
With only the team's top-two athletes in each event counting toward the overall team score, the men registered 138 points to win the quadrangular meet against Wichita State (129), Utah Valley (92) and Long Beach State (83). The Shockers won the women's title with 131.50 points, while the Falcons (106.50), Beach (58) and Wolverines (51) rounded out the field.
Air Force splits next week for a pair of competitions. The majority of the squad will head to Albuquerque, N.M., for the Don Kirby Invitational on Feb. 13-14, while additional athletes will travel to Ames, Iowa, for the Iowa State Classic on Feb. 14-15.
The men collected four first-place finishes on the track, including a trio of top-two sweeps in the night's three longest races. Sam Gilman impacted the record book during his first collegiate mile, as he registered a Freshman Class Record time of 4:08.02 (adjusted for altitude; 4:17.76 raw) to edge junior Konrad Steck (4:18.12 raw) for the victory in the 13-runner mile event. Freshmen Aden Baughman and Jonah Powell finished first (1:56.31) and second (1:58.06), respectively, in the 800-meter run, while Ryan Johnson (8:51.32) and sophomore Matt Zacharias (9:06.12) accounted for a one-two finish the 3000-meter run.
Senior Terrell Bradford rounded out the men's list of event winners, as he clocked a time of time of 6.84 to take first in the 60-meter dash by 0.002 seconds (6.838-6.840). Air Force, which advanced two to the final of that race, finished with a pair of top-five scorers, as freshman Luke Arkell placed fifth with a mark of 7.02. Arkell, who paced the Falcons in the 200-meter dash (third, 22.09), was one of two Falcons to earn multiple scoring finishes in the individual sprint events. Junior Zachary Dicken, who finished fourth in the 200-meter dash (22.13), led Air Force to two of the top-three spots in the 400-meter event, as he and classmate Luke Zuluaga finished second (48.39) and third (49.08), respectively. Dicken and Zuluaga also ran on the mile relay that finished second in 3:17.47 (junior Terrell Davis, sophomore Sean Geither).
Freshman Cameron Harris rounded out the Falcons' scoring finishers on the track, as he placed fifth in the 60-meter hurdles behind a time of 8.37.
Junior Mitch Lipe and sophomore LaShawn Taylor earned runner-up honors from the field, as Lipe cleared 17'0¾" to finish second in the pole vault and Taylor registered a career-best distance of 47'11¾" to earn that same placement in the triple jump. Sophomore Ethan Gardner cleared 16'0¾" to finish sixth out of 20 jumpers in the pole vault, while sophomore Jake Hall (third, 6'8¾") and junior Addison Brown (sixth, 6'4¾") placed within the top half of the field in the high jump. With a career-best throw of 55'5½", Jaret Prete broke the Academy's nine-year-old Freshman Class Record during a sixth-place finish, while classmate Kelby Bailey earned the same placement in the shot put (career-best 46'5¼").
On the women's side, junior Meghan Carbiener debuted in fifth on the Academy's all-time weight throw standings, as she posted a career-best distance of 54'10¾" to finish third. Sophomore Ari Martinez earned an event title in the high jump (5'7"), while junior Kathleen Medill tied for fourth with a season-best clearance of 5'5". Sophomore Erika Willis earned a runner-up finish in the pole vault (11'11¾"), while junior Addyson Smith placed within the top half of the field in the shot put (fifth, 41'8").
Air Force garnered a pair of one-two sweeps in the running events, as the team combined for four first-place finishes. Junior Mahala Norris (2:15.55) and sophomore Brid O'Connell (2:18.56) claimed the top-two spots in the 800-meter run, while sophomore Adrianna Wilder (11:16.67) edged classmate Andi Almodovar (11:16.69) for a one-two finish in the 3000-meter run. Like its counterparts on the men's team, Air Force swept first-place honors in the women's three longest races, as sophomore Sarah Deresky won the mile in a time of 5:26.03.
Senior Kelsey Owens won the 10-runner 400-meter dash in 57.49, while sophomore Grace Proesch finished fourth in a time of 57.94. Junior Aubrey Ridgeway was the Falcons' top scorer in both the 60-meter (fourth, 7.89) and 200-meter (fifth, 25.10) events, while she, Owens and Proesch joined sophomore Michelle Roca on the mile relay squad that finished second in a time of 4:02.77.
With only the team's top-two athletes in each event counting toward the overall team score, the men registered 138 points to win the quadrangular meet against Wichita State (129), Utah Valley (92) and Long Beach State (83). The Shockers won the women's title with 131.50 points, while the Falcons (106.50), Beach (58) and Wolverines (51) rounded out the field.
Air Force splits next week for a pair of competitions. The majority of the squad will head to Albuquerque, N.M., for the Don Kirby Invitational on Feb. 13-14, while additional athletes will travel to Ames, Iowa, for the Iowa State Classic on Feb. 14-15.
Players Mentioned
800m
/ Track and Field
100m / 200m
/ Track and Field
Shot Put / Discus
/ Track and Field
800m / 1500m
/ Track and Field
100m / 200m
/ Track and Field
High Jump
/ Track and Field
Hammer
/ Track and Field
400m / 200m
/ Track and Field
5000m
/ Track and Field
400m
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
400m
/ Track and Field
800m / 1500m / 5000m
/ Track and Field
High Jump
/ Track and Field
110m Hurdles / 400m Hurdles
/ Track and Field
1500m / 5000m
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
High Jump
/ Track and Field
High Jump
/ Track and Field
800m / 1500m
/ Track and Field
400m
/ Track and Field
400m
/ Track and Field
800m / 1500m
/ Track and Field
Hammer / Discus / Shot Put
/ Track and Field
100m / 200m
/ Track and Field
400m / 200m
/ Track and Field
400m Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Discus / Shot Put / Hammer
/ Track and Field
1500m
/ Track and Field
1500m / 5000m
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
3000m Steeplechase / 5000m
/ Track and Field
400m / 200m
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