Track and Field Announces 2021 Award Winners
5/23/2021 5:33:00 PM | Track and Field
Scott Johnson received the team's prestigious Oelstrom Award for Overall Excellence.
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – The Air Force track and field team announced its award winners for the 2021 season this evening (May 23), as head coach Ralph Lindeman and his coaching staff recognized 11 seniors, eight underclassmen, and two managers for their success and contributions to the program during an end-of-the-year awards presentation in the Cadet Field House.
Senior Scott Johnson closed out his Academy career with the team's top honor – the Gen Tad Oelstrom Award of Overall Excellence, which goes to the one member of the senior class that excels militarily, academically and athletically. Johnson, a team captain for the 2020-21 season and member of the USTFCCCA Academic Team in cross country, clocked a team-leading, career-best 3000-meter time of 8:06.14 during a runner-up performance at the Iowa State Classic – his only race of the indoor season. He added two 1500-meter races outdoors, tallying a season-best time of 3:49.41 at the Stanford Invitational.
Classmates Greg Skage and Mahala Norris were named the Most Valuable Athletes of their respective teams, while Maria Mettler was named the Most Outstanding Competitor of the women's program.
Skage had another strong season on the pole vault runway, earning All-America honors during the indoor season and successfully defending his Mountain West title during the outdoor season. Skage, who cleared a career-best 17'9¾" on two separate occasions to post the eighth-best indoor clearance in Academy history, earned second-team All-America honors after a 12th-place finish at the national meet. Prior to winning the MW Outdoor title for the second time in as many meets and leading the Falcons to a 1-2-3 finish, Skage equaled his career-best outdoor clearance of 17'6½" at the Twilight Open to stand at 11th on the program's all-time outdoor standings and finish the regular season ranked in the nation's Top 30.
Norris is in the midst of a historic senior season that spans both track and cross country. Norris garnered first-team All-America honors during the indoor season after clocking the third-fastest indoor 5000-meter time in Academy history (15:51.73) to finish fourth at the NCAA Championships. That finish, which came just one week after winning the MW Cross Country title and three days before taking fourth at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, was Air Force's best NCAA Indoor placement in a running event since 2010. Her success has continued into the outdoor season, as Norris tallied Championship Meet Record times to win both the 3000-meter steeplechase (Academy Record 9:44.10 – an Olympic Trials Qualifying time and the fourth-fastest time in Mountain West history) and 5000-meter run (15:39.13 – the second-fastest time in Academy history) at the Mountain West Outdoor Championships. Norris, who was named the conference's Performer of the Meet for her two record-breaking victories, is ranked among the nation's Top 10 in the steeplechase and will contest that event at the upcoming NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Although Mettler's senior season was drastically shortened by injury, she still broke the Academy Record and qualified to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 10,000-meter run. Mettler crushed the program standard – and qualified to the Olympic Trials – during a winning performance at The Sound Running Track Meet in early December (32:09.37), before being sidelined by injury until mid-May. In her return to competition at the conference meet, sheplaced fifth with a time that served as a qualifying mark to the upcoming NCAA Championships. With her 32:09.37 performance – a time ranked among the collegiate all-time Top 20 – Mettler also claimed the team's Gail Conway Outstanding Performance Award.
The David Lyon Award for Leadership, which was created in 2014 to honor Capt David Lyon, a 2008 Academy graduate and former Air Force thrower, who was killed in action in 2013, was awarded to Mitch Lipe – one of the team captains for the 2020-21 season. Lipe, an all-conference selection for the sixth time in as many championship meets after finishing second at the MW Outdoor meet, impacted the Academy Record Book during both the indoor (17'9¾" at the Championships at the Peak, eighth all-time) and outdoor (17'8½" at the Colorado Invitational, ninth all-time) seasons. Lipe, who finished the outdoor season ranked among the nation's top 30, was also a participant at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
A pair of seniors collected the two awards that recognize Drive and Determination, as Luke Zuluaga claimed the Bret Hyde Award and Donna Borer received the Callie Calhoun Award. Zuluaga had a strong senior year, anchoring the conference-champion 4x400-meter relay and running on the 4x100-meter relay that posted the eighth-fastest time in program history (40.68) during a runner-up performance at the MW Championships. A conference scorer in the 400-meter dash (fourth), Zuluaga also led off the 4x400-meter relay that clocked the program's fourth-fastest time (3:09.66) at the Baylor Invitational and ran on non-traditional relays that posted the Academy's No. 2 time in the distance medley (9:42.70) and the No. 5 time in the 4x200-meter (1:26.12) at the Drake Relays. Borer, who competed in multiple events from the throwing circle, finished her collegiate career with a discus throw victory at the Air Force Twilight Open and a season-best distance of 149'8" at the Mountain West Championships.
A pair of senior captains shared the program's two awards for Dedication, as Aric Kedge claimed the Arne Arneseon Award and Aubrey Ridgeway earned the corresponding award for the women's team – honors that recognize the tireless devotion to the program during their career. Kedge, an 800-meter specialist, tallied a season-best, altitude-adjusted time of 1:53.31 to score for the Falcons at the Championships at the Peak and ran on the fourth-fastest 4x800-meter relay in Academy history (7:31.77) to help the men finish fourth at the Drake Relays. Although Ridgeway's final season was cut short after suffering an injury early in the indoor season, she continued to support her teammates, serving as a student coach, both at practice and during competition. Prior to the injury, Ridgeway was poised for a stellar senior year, breaking her own Academy record in the 200-meter dash (24.64) during a top-10 performance at the Texas Tech Invitational.
Kathleen Medill and Tyler Gurchiek rounded out the list of senior award winners, as Medill received the Paul Gensic Resiliency Award and Gurchiek claimed Falcon Award for Spirit and Enthusiasm. Medill kicked off her senior season with a career-best 5'8" clearance in the high jump – the fifth-best jump in Academy history – at the Air Force Holiday Instrasquad in December, but battled through a foot injury for the majority of the indoor season and missed the first month of the outdoor season. She returned to the lineup in mid-April, matching her personal-best height of 5'7¼" – the sixth-best outdoor mark in program history – at the West Coast Relays and scoring for the Falcons at the MW Outdoor Championships (5'7", sixth). Gurchiek, a leader of the Falcons' multi-event athletes, embodies the coaches' description of the Falcon Award, with his selfless and enthusiastic support of his teammates across all event groups. During his final season, Gurchiek accounted for career-best marks in 15 of his 17 events during the indoor and outdoor season, en route to personal-best totals in the heptathlon (4831) and decathlon (6488), with the latter earning him a fifth-place finish at the Mountain West Outdoor Championships.
Senior Scott Johnson closed out his Academy career with the team's top honor – the Gen Tad Oelstrom Award of Overall Excellence, which goes to the one member of the senior class that excels militarily, academically and athletically. Johnson, a team captain for the 2020-21 season and member of the USTFCCCA Academic Team in cross country, clocked a team-leading, career-best 3000-meter time of 8:06.14 during a runner-up performance at the Iowa State Classic – his only race of the indoor season. He added two 1500-meter races outdoors, tallying a season-best time of 3:49.41 at the Stanford Invitational.
Classmates Greg Skage and Mahala Norris were named the Most Valuable Athletes of their respective teams, while Maria Mettler was named the Most Outstanding Competitor of the women's program.
Skage had another strong season on the pole vault runway, earning All-America honors during the indoor season and successfully defending his Mountain West title during the outdoor season. Skage, who cleared a career-best 17'9¾" on two separate occasions to post the eighth-best indoor clearance in Academy history, earned second-team All-America honors after a 12th-place finish at the national meet. Prior to winning the MW Outdoor title for the second time in as many meets and leading the Falcons to a 1-2-3 finish, Skage equaled his career-best outdoor clearance of 17'6½" at the Twilight Open to stand at 11th on the program's all-time outdoor standings and finish the regular season ranked in the nation's Top 30.
Norris is in the midst of a historic senior season that spans both track and cross country. Norris garnered first-team All-America honors during the indoor season after clocking the third-fastest indoor 5000-meter time in Academy history (15:51.73) to finish fourth at the NCAA Championships. That finish, which came just one week after winning the MW Cross Country title and three days before taking fourth at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, was Air Force's best NCAA Indoor placement in a running event since 2010. Her success has continued into the outdoor season, as Norris tallied Championship Meet Record times to win both the 3000-meter steeplechase (Academy Record 9:44.10 – an Olympic Trials Qualifying time and the fourth-fastest time in Mountain West history) and 5000-meter run (15:39.13 – the second-fastest time in Academy history) at the Mountain West Outdoor Championships. Norris, who was named the conference's Performer of the Meet for her two record-breaking victories, is ranked among the nation's Top 10 in the steeplechase and will contest that event at the upcoming NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Although Mettler's senior season was drastically shortened by injury, she still broke the Academy Record and qualified to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 10,000-meter run. Mettler crushed the program standard – and qualified to the Olympic Trials – during a winning performance at The Sound Running Track Meet in early December (32:09.37), before being sidelined by injury until mid-May. In her return to competition at the conference meet, sheplaced fifth with a time that served as a qualifying mark to the upcoming NCAA Championships. With her 32:09.37 performance – a time ranked among the collegiate all-time Top 20 – Mettler also claimed the team's Gail Conway Outstanding Performance Award.
The David Lyon Award for Leadership, which was created in 2014 to honor Capt David Lyon, a 2008 Academy graduate and former Air Force thrower, who was killed in action in 2013, was awarded to Mitch Lipe – one of the team captains for the 2020-21 season. Lipe, an all-conference selection for the sixth time in as many championship meets after finishing second at the MW Outdoor meet, impacted the Academy Record Book during both the indoor (17'9¾" at the Championships at the Peak, eighth all-time) and outdoor (17'8½" at the Colorado Invitational, ninth all-time) seasons. Lipe, who finished the outdoor season ranked among the nation's top 30, was also a participant at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
A pair of seniors collected the two awards that recognize Drive and Determination, as Luke Zuluaga claimed the Bret Hyde Award and Donna Borer received the Callie Calhoun Award. Zuluaga had a strong senior year, anchoring the conference-champion 4x400-meter relay and running on the 4x100-meter relay that posted the eighth-fastest time in program history (40.68) during a runner-up performance at the MW Championships. A conference scorer in the 400-meter dash (fourth), Zuluaga also led off the 4x400-meter relay that clocked the program's fourth-fastest time (3:09.66) at the Baylor Invitational and ran on non-traditional relays that posted the Academy's No. 2 time in the distance medley (9:42.70) and the No. 5 time in the 4x200-meter (1:26.12) at the Drake Relays. Borer, who competed in multiple events from the throwing circle, finished her collegiate career with a discus throw victory at the Air Force Twilight Open and a season-best distance of 149'8" at the Mountain West Championships.
A pair of senior captains shared the program's two awards for Dedication, as Aric Kedge claimed the Arne Arneseon Award and Aubrey Ridgeway earned the corresponding award for the women's team – honors that recognize the tireless devotion to the program during their career. Kedge, an 800-meter specialist, tallied a season-best, altitude-adjusted time of 1:53.31 to score for the Falcons at the Championships at the Peak and ran on the fourth-fastest 4x800-meter relay in Academy history (7:31.77) to help the men finish fourth at the Drake Relays. Although Ridgeway's final season was cut short after suffering an injury early in the indoor season, she continued to support her teammates, serving as a student coach, both at practice and during competition. Prior to the injury, Ridgeway was poised for a stellar senior year, breaking her own Academy record in the 200-meter dash (24.64) during a top-10 performance at the Texas Tech Invitational.
Kathleen Medill and Tyler Gurchiek rounded out the list of senior award winners, as Medill received the Paul Gensic Resiliency Award and Gurchiek claimed Falcon Award for Spirit and Enthusiasm. Medill kicked off her senior season with a career-best 5'8" clearance in the high jump – the fifth-best jump in Academy history – at the Air Force Holiday Instrasquad in December, but battled through a foot injury for the majority of the indoor season and missed the first month of the outdoor season. She returned to the lineup in mid-April, matching her personal-best height of 5'7¼" – the sixth-best outdoor mark in program history – at the West Coast Relays and scoring for the Falcons at the MW Outdoor Championships (5'7", sixth). Gurchiek, a leader of the Falcons' multi-event athletes, embodies the coaches' description of the Falcon Award, with his selfless and enthusiastic support of his teammates across all event groups. During his final season, Gurchiek accounted for career-best marks in 15 of his 17 events during the indoor and outdoor season, en route to personal-best totals in the heptathlon (4831) and decathlon (6488), with the latter earning him a fifth-place finish at the Mountain West Outdoor Championships.
2021 Senior Class Awards
Falcon Award for Spirit and Enthusiasm: Tyler Gurchiek
Paul Gensic Resiliency Award: Kathleen Medill
Gail Conway Performance Award: Maria Mettler
Arne Arneson Award for Dedication: Aric Kedge
Women's Award for Dedication: Aubrey Ridgeway
Bret Hyde Award for Drive and Determination: Luke Zuluaga
Callie Calhoun Award for Drive and Determination: Donna Borer
David Lyon Leadership Award: Mitch Lipe
Most Outstanding Competitor | Women: Maria Mettler
Most Valuable Athlete | Men: Greg Skage
Most Valuable Athlete | Women: Mahala Norris
Gen Tad Oelstrom Award for Overall Excellence: Scott Johnson
Falcon Award for Spirit and Enthusiasm: Tyler Gurchiek
Paul Gensic Resiliency Award: Kathleen Medill
Gail Conway Performance Award: Maria Mettler
Arne Arneson Award for Dedication: Aric Kedge
Women's Award for Dedication: Aubrey Ridgeway
Bret Hyde Award for Drive and Determination: Luke Zuluaga
Callie Calhoun Award for Drive and Determination: Donna Borer
David Lyon Leadership Award: Mitch Lipe
Most Outstanding Competitor | Women: Maria Mettler
Most Valuable Athlete | Men: Greg Skage
Most Valuable Athlete | Women: Mahala Norris
Gen Tad Oelstrom Award for Overall Excellence: Scott Johnson
The underclassmen accounted for eight additional Team awards, with sophomore Sam Gilman being named the Most Outstanding Competitor of the men's program. Gilman is in the midst of a stellar sophomore campaign, rewriting Academy history in the 1500-meter run. During his first outdoor season, Gilman deleted nearly a second from the Academy Record after clocking a time of 3:40.39 at the Drake Relays. He also clocked a Meet Record time of 3:40.44 to win the Mountain West, finished first in two additional races (Stanford Invitational, West Coast Relays), claimed back-to-back MW Athlete of the Week honors and qualified to the NCAA Championships in his signature event. Gilman also accounted for the second-fastest 5000-meter run in program history (13:48.35) during the indoor season and scored for the Falcons in that event at the outdoor championships.
Junior Wyatt Murphy received the Laura Piper "Ironman" Award – an honor named after former Air Force track and field athlete Lt Laura Piper (Class of 1992), who was killed in action during Operation Provide Comfort in 1994. Murphy exemplified the "Ironman" mantle last week, as he represented the Falcons in 13 events (the decathlon, two qualifying races and one final) at the MW Outdoor Championships. Murphy, who tallied the ninth-highest decathlon total in program history (7026) to finish third and garner all-conference honors, kicked off the meet with the fourth-fastest 100-meter dash in Academy history (10.48 – a time that also set a Decathlon Event Record at the Academy and in the Mountain West. During the indoor season, Murphy posted team-leading marks in the 60-meter dash (6.81) and long jump (23'0¾") at the Championships at the Peak to finish with the fifth-highest heptathlon total (5343) in program history.
Freshman Cole Lindhorst captured the Alonzo Babers Outstanding Performance Award following an Academy Record-setting run in the mile at the Iowa State Classic in mid-February. In his collegiate debut at that distance, Lindhorst posted a time of 3:59.28 to finish second among collegiate runners (third overall) and as the only freshman in the top seven. Lindhorst, the first Falcon to record a raw sub-four time in the mile, deleted 0.49 seconds from the altitude-adjusted Academy standard that had stood for the last five years and subtracted six seconds from the program's one-year-old Freshman Class Record.
Sophomore Hayden Bullock and junior Michelle Roca were named the Most Improved Athletes for their respective sports. Over the course of his first outdoor season, Bullock improved his distance in the discus throw by nearly 15 feet, culminating with the fifth-best throw in Academy history (180'9") performance at the Drake Relays. An all-conference honoree in his signature event at the MW Championships (third), Bullock also produced a team-leading throw of 51'5" in the shot put and scored for the Falcons in that event at the conference meet (sixth). Highlighted by an Academy Record and NCAA qualifying performance of 60.01 in the 400-meter hurdles, Roca is in the midst of a stellar junior campaign. The junior, who had only competed in the 400-meter hurdles three times as a freshman, vaulted from sixth to second to first on the program's all-time standings during the outdoor season. Her impact on the program's all-time standings wasn't limited to the 400-meter hurdles, as she also registered the program's sixth-fastest 60-meter hurdles (8.87) and eighth-fastest 400-meter dash (57.14) during the indoor season.
Freshman Braeden Holcombe and sophomore Zac Larrier shared the men's Newcomer of the Year award, while freshman Katie Thompson was tabbed as the women's top newcomer. Holcombe became the first Air Force freshman to break the 7000-point total in the decathlon, as he posted the seventh-highest total in program history (7107) during a runner-up finish at the MW Championships. During the indoor season, he also accounted for a Freshman Class Record of 5168 points in the heptathlon – the eighth-highest total in Air Force history. Larrier had a remarkable – albeit short – debut season with the Falcons, claiming a Mountain West title in the 200-meter dash and running on a pair of all-conference relays, including the winning 4x400-meter relay, and posting the fifth-best 200-meter time in Academy history (21.02) – all in just four meets after spring football ended. Thompson kicked off her stellar freshman campaign with a bang last December, as she broke the program's 35-year-old long jump record during her first collegiate attempt – and improved it two more times in that series to become the Academy's first 19-foot jumper. Her indoor success, which included the program's fourth-fastest 60-meter hurdles (8.79) and fifth-highest pentathlon total (3336), continued into the outdoor season, where she impacted the Record Book in the 100-meter hurdles (14.56, sixth all-time), long jump (18'9¼", third) and heptathlon (4411, seventh).
2020 Underclassmen Awards
Newcomer of the Year | (co) Men: Braeden Holcombe
Newcomer of the Year | (co) Men: Zac Larrier
Newcomer of the Year | Women: Katie Thompson
Most Improved Athlete | Men: Hayden Bullock
Most Improved Athlete | Women: Michelle Roca
Alonzo Babers Performance Award: Cole Lindhorst
Laura Piper Ironman Award: Wyatt Murphy
Most Outstanding Competitor | Men: Sam Gilman
Newcomer of the Year | (co) Men: Braeden Holcombe
Newcomer of the Year | (co) Men: Zac Larrier
Newcomer of the Year | Women: Katie Thompson
Most Improved Athlete | Men: Hayden Bullock
Most Improved Athlete | Women: Michelle Roca
Alonzo Babers Performance Award: Cole Lindhorst
Laura Piper Ironman Award: Wyatt Murphy
Most Outstanding Competitor | Men: Sam Gilman
In addition to the athletes honored with Team awards, two managers were also recognized, as junior Sierra Lyon earned the Creative Service Award and freshman Ethan Dean was named Manager of the Year.
Although the Falcons handed out their annual awards this evening, the 2021 season is far from over. A total of 11 Falcons will travel to College Station, Texas, later this week for the opening round of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and a chance to advance to next month's finals at Hayward Field.
Players Mentioned
Discus / Shot Put / Hammer
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Discus / Shot Put
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800m / 1500m / 5000m
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Decathlon
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Long Jump / Decathlon
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1500m
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800m
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200m, 400m
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1500m
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Pole Vault
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High Jump
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1500m / 5000m
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Decathlon
/ Track and Field
800m / 1500m
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400m / 200m
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400m Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Long Jump / 100m Hurdles
/ Track and Field
400m / 200m
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