Friday, December 2
USAFA
1:00 pm MT
Air Force Academy
vs
Air Force Holiday Open
Photo by: Trevor Cokley
Academy Record Highlights Season Opener
12/2/2022 10:37:00 PM | Track and Field
Taylor Rioux broke the program's five-year-old record in the 300-meter dash during Friday's opener.
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – Highlighted by an Academy Record from sophomore Taylor Rioux, the Air Force track and field team kicked off the 2022-23 season with aa strong performance at its annual Holiday Open on Friday, Dec. 2. Rioux was one of two Falcons to impact the program's top 10 in the season opener, while several others accounted for top-25 marks on the program's all-time list.
ACADEMY TOP 10 MARKS
Air Force Record – Taylor Rioux, 300-Meter Dash (39.70)
No. 3 – Javin Bostic, 60-Meter Dash (6.73)
Air Force Record – Taylor Rioux, 300-Meter Dash (39.70)
No. 3 – Javin Bostic, 60-Meter Dash (6.73)
Crossing the finish line of the 300-meter dash in a program-best time of 39.70, the sophomore reset the Academy's five-year-old standard and finished second in the 26-runner event. Rioux, one of two Falcons to finish within the top 10 of that event (junior Amanda Fraga: 43.17, 10th), wasn't done rewriting the program record books on Friday, as she also raced to the 11th-fastest 60-meter time in Academy history after crossing the finish line in a time of 7.84.
Junior Kasarah Hernandez debuted on the program's top 25 in her return to the pole vault runway, as she matched the 21st-best clearance in Air Force history with an eighth-place jump of 11'5¾". Freshman Shayla Padilla etched her name in the Academy Record Book in her collegiate debut, as she recorded a high jump clearance of 5'3" – a height that equaled the program's No. 24 mark – to finish fourth in the 21-jumper event.
On the men's side, sophomore Javin Bostic matched the third-fastest 60-meter time in Academy history, as he crossed the finish line in 6.73 to place second out of 47 runners and debut in third on the program's all-time standings.
The men picked up three first-place finishes during their first meet of the season, including two that accounted for personal improvements on the program's top 25. Junior Caiden Macktinger cleared 17'6½" – a personal improvement of nearly one foot – to win the 16-vaulter event by more than a foot and move into 11th on the program's all-time standings. Like Macktinger, senior Cameron Harris also moved into a No. 11 spot in the Academy Record Book during a winning performance, as he clocked a career-best time of 8.02 to easily win the 60-meter hurdles. Junior Alex Patton rounded out the Falcons' event winners, as he took first in the 600-meter run with a time of 1:22.35.
Freshman Connor Munson joined Macktinger among the top three of the pole vault with a debut clearance of 16'0¾" (third), while sophomore Darek Hackett and junior Seth Meador finished fourth and fifth, respectively, behind Harris in the hurdles with matching times of 8.22.
Senior Jaret Prete registered a season-opening heave of 61'9¾" to finish second in the weight throw – one of three other events that placed multiple Falcons in the top five, as junior Gerrit Tamminga added a fourth-place throw of 57'7" – a personal improvement of more than five feet. Senior Hayden Bullock opened his season just shy of his career-best, as he posted a throw of 55'2¾" to finish third in the shot put, while freshman Texas Tanner recorded a fifth-place distance of 51'4¼" in his collegiate debut. Bostic (35.47, third) and Hackett (35.63, fifth) added top-five marks in the 300-meter dash, while sophomore Jalan Rivers cleared 6'8¾" to finish second in the high jump and round out the Falcons' list of top-three finishers.
The Falcons' season-opening weekend continues tomorrow (Dec. 3), when several of the team's distance runners compete against the nation's elite at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Opener in Boston.
Junior Kasarah Hernandez debuted on the program's top 25 in her return to the pole vault runway, as she matched the 21st-best clearance in Air Force history with an eighth-place jump of 11'5¾". Freshman Shayla Padilla etched her name in the Academy Record Book in her collegiate debut, as she recorded a high jump clearance of 5'3" – a height that equaled the program's No. 24 mark – to finish fourth in the 21-jumper event.
On the men's side, sophomore Javin Bostic matched the third-fastest 60-meter time in Academy history, as he crossed the finish line in 6.73 to place second out of 47 runners and debut in third on the program's all-time standings.
The men picked up three first-place finishes during their first meet of the season, including two that accounted for personal improvements on the program's top 25. Junior Caiden Macktinger cleared 17'6½" – a personal improvement of nearly one foot – to win the 16-vaulter event by more than a foot and move into 11th on the program's all-time standings. Like Macktinger, senior Cameron Harris also moved into a No. 11 spot in the Academy Record Book during a winning performance, as he clocked a career-best time of 8.02 to easily win the 60-meter hurdles. Junior Alex Patton rounded out the Falcons' event winners, as he took first in the 600-meter run with a time of 1:22.35.
Freshman Connor Munson joined Macktinger among the top three of the pole vault with a debut clearance of 16'0¾" (third), while sophomore Darek Hackett and junior Seth Meador finished fourth and fifth, respectively, behind Harris in the hurdles with matching times of 8.22.
Senior Jaret Prete registered a season-opening heave of 61'9¾" to finish second in the weight throw – one of three other events that placed multiple Falcons in the top five, as junior Gerrit Tamminga added a fourth-place throw of 57'7" – a personal improvement of more than five feet. Senior Hayden Bullock opened his season just shy of his career-best, as he posted a throw of 55'2¾" to finish third in the shot put, while freshman Texas Tanner recorded a fifth-place distance of 51'4¼" in his collegiate debut. Bostic (35.47, third) and Hackett (35.63, fifth) added top-five marks in the 300-meter dash, while sophomore Jalan Rivers cleared 6'8¾" to finish second in the high jump and round out the Falcons' list of top-three finishers.
The Falcons' season-opening weekend continues tomorrow (Dec. 3), when several of the team's distance runners compete against the nation's elite at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Opener in Boston.
Players Mentioned
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Decathlon
/ Track and Field
High Jump
/ Track and Field
Mid-Distance
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
High Jump
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Throws
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