Mahala Norris Crushes Steeplechase Record

CLOVIS, Calif. – Air Force senior Mahala Norris shattered the Academy Record in the steeplechase late Friday (April 30) night, as the track and field team wrapped up a long day of action at the West Coast Relays in Clovis. In a meet that started at 7:30 a.m., and lasted until just before midnight due to a power outage that saw some of the late-night distance events held under portable lights, the Falcons accounted for three first-place finishes and made nine improvements to the program's all-time standings.

In her first-ever steeplechase event, Norris accounted for a time of 10:03.85 – making a 10.92-second improvement to the record former Falcon Lindsey Blanks had set in 2019. With that time, which also knocked 23 seconds off the Academy's eight-year-old Senior Class Record, Norris finished fifth out of 22 runners to cap the 16-hour track and field meet at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Norris was one of three Falcons to improve the program's all-time standings in the women's steeplechase, as freshmen Rachel Crytser and Rayna Fruchey both bettered their previous Top 10 times by more than 30 seconds apiece. Crytser moved into sixth all-time with a career-best mark of 10:51.35, while Fruchey added a personal-best time of 11:02.58 – the 10th-fastest mark in program history. The women were not the only ones to impact the steeplechase standings, as sophomore Aidan Boyle posted a career-best time of 8:54.64 – a personal improvement of over 13 seconds – to debut in eighth on the men's all-time list.

Making improvements to the Academy's all-time standings in the 10,000-meter run, junior Will Kitzhaber and freshman Ryan Child kicked off the day bright-and-early on Friday. Racing at 7:30 a.m., to avoid the impending heat, Kitzhaber clocked a career-best time of 29:31.02 to debut in 10th on the program's all-time list. In just his second race at the 10,000-meter distance, the junior knocked nearly 27 seconds from his previous best time and was one of 11 runners to better the 33-year-old Meet Record. In his first collegiate 10K, Child posted a time of 29:58.78 – the No. 20 mark in program history – to take more than a half-second from the Freshman Class Record that Nick Wilson had held since 2003.

Norris and the rest of Air Force's distance entries took to the track at the opposite end of the day's schedule – a span of time made even longer due to a lengthy delay after rolling blackouts in the area sent the facility crew scrambling for portable light towers. Senior Konrad Steck and freshman Nick Scheller, the Falcons' first competitors of the night session, had to race under limited lighting – aided only by portable towers and spectator cell phones. Steck tallied a career-best time of 14:09.38 to finish third in the 27-runner field, while Scheller added a time of 14:14.80 – a mark just shy of his personal best – to finish sixth.

In between the two sessions of distance events, three members of the women's team improved or matched their current placement on the program's Top 10, with freshman Katie Thompson accomplishing both during another stellar day of competition. Shortly before clocking a 14.56 in the 100-meter hurdles for the second-straight week and solidifying her No. 6 spot on Air Force's all-time standings, Thompson improved her No. 3 standing on the long jump list with a career-best distance of 18'9¼". Junior Frankie Porambo added a quarter-inch to her clearance in the pole vault (12'4¾") and bettered her No. 10 all-time mark, while senior Kathleen Medill matched her personal-best – and No. 6 all-time – height of 5'7¼" during a runner-up finish in the high jump.

The Falcons claimed a pair of individual first-place finishes during the afternoon session, as junior Sean Geither (400-meter dash) and senior Greg Skage (pole vault) won their respective events and led Air Force to three placements within the top five of each. Geither, in his first outdoor 400 in two years, registered a career-best mark of 47.65 – the 20th-fastest time in program history – to easily win the 15-runner event, while seniors Zachary Dicken and Luke Zuluaga finished third (48.12) and fourth (48.14), respectively. On the infield, Skage cleared a season-best 17'3" to claim his second pole vault title in as many trips to Veterans Memorial Stadium (2019 MW Championships) and lead the junior duo of Ethan Gardner (third, 16'5¼") and Ryan Brown (fifth, 15'11¼") to top-five finishes.

The Falcons' 400-meter trio had a strong day on the track, as they teamed up with sophomore newcomer Zac Larrier to bookend the afternoon session with a pair of impressive relay performances. The quartet opened the main portion of competition with a runner-up time of 41.16 in the 4x100-meter relay and capped it with a wire-to-wire victory (3:12.33) in the 4x400-meter relay.

Several Falcons also finished within the top half of their respective events. Junior Jake Hall and senior Addison Brown both placed within the top-eight of the 17-competitor high jump, as Hall tied for second with a height of 6'9" and Brown equaled his career high of 6'7" to finish eighth. Freshman John Colizzi recorded a distance of 48'0½" (+2.2 m/s) to finish fourth in the triple jump, while classmate Braeden Holcombe posted a career-best time of 14.89 to place sixth in the 110-meter hurdles. Junior LaShawn Taylor earned the same placement in the long jump (22'3½"), while classmate Nick Oesterling accounted for a seventh-place finish in the javelin throw with a toss of 193'9". The men also saw sophomore Hayden Bullock (seventh, 176'1") and junior Jarod Pankau (13th, career-best 158'2") place within the top half of the 27-thrower discus event.

On the women's side, junior Michelle Roca clocked a time of 1:00.40 – the second-fastest time in program history and a mark that only trails her own Academy Record – to finish fifth out of 19 runners in the 400-meter hurdles, while senior Addyson Smith earned the same placement in both the shot put (45'10¼") and discus throw (144'9").

The Falcons close out the regular season next Friday (May 7), when they host the Air Force Twilight Open at the Cadet Outdoor Track and Field Complex. The meet, slated to begin at 2:00 p.m. (MT), will serve as the team's final tune-up before the Mountain West Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which will be back in Clovis on May 13-15.

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Players Mentioned

Lindsey Blanks

Aidan Boyle

Addison Brown

Ryan Brown

Hayden Bullock

Ryan Child

John Colizzi

Rachel Crytser

Zachary Dicken

Rayna Fruchey

Ethan Gardner

Sean Geither

Jake Hall

Braeden Holcombe

Will Kitzhaber

Kathleen Medill

Mahala Norris

Nick Oesterling

Jarod Pankau

Frankie Porambo

Michelle Roca

Nick Scheller

Greg Skage

Addyson Smith

Konrad Steck

Katie Thompson

Luke Zuluaga

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