Men’s DMR Wins Mountain West Title

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – In Air Force record-setting fashion, the men's distance medley relay captured the Mountain West title this evening (Feb. 24), as the track and field team opened competition at the MW Indoor Championships in Albuquerque.

The quartet of sophomore Luke Combs, senior La'akea Aiu, senior Garrett Blenkush and junior Sam Gilman combined for a time of 9:40.40 – the fourth-fastest time in MW Championship Meet history – during their championship-winning run. Making an impressive kick as he turned into the final lap to take down the last remaining competitor, Gilman cruised to an easy four-second victory and anchored the men to the program's first DMR title since 2012. When that time converted to the altitude of Albuquerque, the squad's 9:31.62a is the fastest time ever for an Air Force distance medley relay, bettering the previous 2011 record by more than a half second.

On the women's side, the DMR championship was embroiled in controversy, as incorrectly timed handoffs sent 400-meter sprinters into the race with 1200-meter runners correctly completing their required number of laps. Despite the chaos and confusion surrounding them in the race, the Falcons' squad of sophomore Rayna Fruchey, senior Michelle Roca, senior Brid O'Connell and freshman Lindsey Peters successfully (and correctly) completed their race in a raw time of 11:59.75 – the sixth-fastest time in program history following the altitude conversion to 11:48.86a. One of only three teams to finish the race with the correct number of laps – and in the correct order, the women claimed a third-place finish and a place on the DMR podium for the third time in four championship meets.

Prior to the first finals of the championship, senior Wyatt Murphy and sophomore Braeden Holcombe kicked off championship weekend with the opening day of the heptathlon. The pair currently sit in third (2976) and fourth (2884), respectively, after the first four events. Murphy posted the fastest 60-meter time in the full 10-athlete field, as he opened the meet with a 929-point time of 6.87. He also added distances of 22'2½" (long jump) and 35'8" (shot put), before closing out the day with a 6'4¼" clearance in the high jump. Holcombe tallied a pair of career-best marks during the first day, posting a time of 7.30 in the 60-meter dash and a clearance of 6'5½" in the high jump. Those marks bookended a distance of 22'8½" in the long jump and 35'5¾" in the shot put.

Murphy and Holcombe return to the ABQ Convention Center tomorrow (Feb. 25) morning, when they kick off the final day of the heptathlon at 10:00 a.m. (MT). Competition for the rest of the Air Force squad gets begins at 12:30 p.m., and all action will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network.

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Players Mentioned

La‘akea Aiu

Garrett Blenkush

Luke Combs

Rayna Fruchey

Sam Gilman

Braeden Holcombe

Wyatt Murphy

Brid O'Connell

Lindsey Peters

Michelle Roca

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