Photo by: Sierra Lyon
Mahala Norris Headlines MW Meet Awards
5/18/2021 5:33:00 PM | Track and Field
Norris was named the Performer of the Meet after winning two titles in Meet Record times.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Following a strong, record-breaking weekend at the Mountain West Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Mahala Norris was named the MW Most Outstanding Female Performer of the Meet. The Air Force senior was one of 13 individuals and two relays to be recognized by the conference this afternoon (May 18), as the league officially announced its all-MW performers and award winners.
Norris clocked Championship Meet Record times to win Mountain West titles in the 3000-meter steeplechase and 5000-meter run on back-to-back nights at the outdoor meet – becoming the first female Falcon to capture either of those conference titles. In just the second steeplechase of her career, Norris ran to a 9:44.10 victory – crushing her own two-week-old Academy Record by nearly 20 seconds, taking more than three ticks off the Championship Meet Record and posting the fourth-fastest time in conference history. She returned to the track the next night to win the 33-runner 5000-meter title in Championship Meet Record time of 15:39.13. Using a blazing 1:04.81 on the last lap, Norris clocked the second-fastest time in Academy history and deleted five seconds from the previous Meet Record.
With her victory in the steeplechase, Norris became just the second Falcon to earn all-conference accolades in that event. Overall, the senior was one of four Falcons to capture gold medals at the conference meet, as sophomore Zac Larrier (200-meter dash), sophomore Sam Gilman (1500-meter run) and senior Greg Skage (pole vault) won their respective events on the men's side.
Skage, who successfully defended his conference title and marked the ninth-straight year that Air Force has won an outdoor title in the pole vault, paced Air Force to a sweep of the conference medals in the that event – marking the program's fifth 1-2-3 finish in eight years, as classmate Mitch Lipe and junior Ethan Gardner finished second and third, respectively.
Air Force also earned two of the three all-conference honors in the decathlon, as freshman Braeden Holcombe and junior Wyatt Murphy both surpassed the 7000-point tally to finish second and third, respectively. The men added all-conference selections in the throws from sophomore Hayden Bullock (discus), junior Nick Oesterling (javelin) and sophomore Jaret Prete (hammer), who all accounted for third-place finishes in their events, while junior La'akea Aiu took third in the 400-meter hurdles and sophomore Aidan Boyle earned the same placement in the 3000-meter steeplechase.
In addition to his gold medal at 200 meters, Larrier also ran on both all-conference relay teams, as he, senior Zachary Dicken, junior Sean Geither and senior Luke Zuluaga teamed up to win the 4x400-meter relay and place second in the 4x100-meter relay. It was the third-straight conference title for the 4x400-meter relay and the 11th time in 20 conference meets that the two relays have garnered all-MW status.
To earn all-MW status, athletes and relays must place within the top three at the championship meet.
Norris clocked Championship Meet Record times to win Mountain West titles in the 3000-meter steeplechase and 5000-meter run on back-to-back nights at the outdoor meet – becoming the first female Falcon to capture either of those conference titles. In just the second steeplechase of her career, Norris ran to a 9:44.10 victory – crushing her own two-week-old Academy Record by nearly 20 seconds, taking more than three ticks off the Championship Meet Record and posting the fourth-fastest time in conference history. She returned to the track the next night to win the 33-runner 5000-meter title in Championship Meet Record time of 15:39.13. Using a blazing 1:04.81 on the last lap, Norris clocked the second-fastest time in Academy history and deleted five seconds from the previous Meet Record.
With her victory in the steeplechase, Norris became just the second Falcon to earn all-conference accolades in that event. Overall, the senior was one of four Falcons to capture gold medals at the conference meet, as sophomore Zac Larrier (200-meter dash), sophomore Sam Gilman (1500-meter run) and senior Greg Skage (pole vault) won their respective events on the men's side.
Skage, who successfully defended his conference title and marked the ninth-straight year that Air Force has won an outdoor title in the pole vault, paced Air Force to a sweep of the conference medals in the that event – marking the program's fifth 1-2-3 finish in eight years, as classmate Mitch Lipe and junior Ethan Gardner finished second and third, respectively.
Air Force also earned two of the three all-conference honors in the decathlon, as freshman Braeden Holcombe and junior Wyatt Murphy both surpassed the 7000-point tally to finish second and third, respectively. The men added all-conference selections in the throws from sophomore Hayden Bullock (discus), junior Nick Oesterling (javelin) and sophomore Jaret Prete (hammer), who all accounted for third-place finishes in their events, while junior La'akea Aiu took third in the 400-meter hurdles and sophomore Aidan Boyle earned the same placement in the 3000-meter steeplechase.
In addition to his gold medal at 200 meters, Larrier also ran on both all-conference relay teams, as he, senior Zachary Dicken, junior Sean Geither and senior Luke Zuluaga teamed up to win the 4x400-meter relay and place second in the 4x100-meter relay. It was the third-straight conference title for the 4x400-meter relay and the 11th time in 20 conference meets that the two relays have garnered all-MW status.
To earn all-MW status, athletes and relays must place within the top three at the championship meet.
Players Mentioned
110m Hurdles / 400m Hurdles
/ Track and Field
800m / 1500m
/ Track and Field
Discus / Shot Put
/ Track and Field
400m
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
400m
/ Track and Field
800m / 1500m / 5000m
/ Track and Field
Long Jump / Decathlon
/ Track and Field
200m, 400m
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Decathlon
/ Track and Field
800m / 1500m
/ Track and Field
Javelin
/ Track and Field
Hammer / Discus / Shot Put
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
400m / 200m
/ Track and FieldRyan Cole Interview - August 26th, 2025
Tuesday, August 26
Ryan Cole Interview - August 26, 2025
Tuesday, August 26
Ryan Cole Interview March 11, 2025
Tuesday, March 11
Ryan Cole Interview - March 11, 2025
Tuesday, March 11
