Thursday, March 24
San Diego, CA
12:00 pm MT
Air Force Academy
at
Aztec Invitational
Air Force Set for Aztec Invitational
3/23/2022 7:30:00 AM | Track and Field
The three-day meet begins on Thursday, March 24, at the Aztec Sports Deck in San Diego.
The Air Force track and field team wraps up its spring break training trip this weekend, as the majority of the squad competes at the 43rd-annual Aztec Invitational in San Diego on March 24-26.
MEET INFORMATION | AZTEC INVITATIONAL
The 43rd-annual Aztec Invitational will be held primarily at The Sports Deck on the San Diego State campus, although the hammer throw will take place at UC San Diego. Saturday's action will be streamed through the RunnerSpace +Plus subscription service, while live results will be available all three days via FinishedResults.com. Admission is $5 for all spectators ages 12 and above.
WHO'S WHO
In addition to the women's team from meet host San Diego State, Air Force will face athletes from Alaska-Anchorage, Boise State, BYU, California, Nevada, New Mexico State, Oregon, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, and Western Washington.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
The decathlon and heptathlon will held at The Sports Deck on March 24-25, while the hammer throw will take place at UC San Diego on March 25. SATURDAY – 9:00 a.m.: Women's Javelin Throw, followed by Men's Javelin Throw; 10:00 a.m.: Women's Long Jump, followed by Men's Long Jump; 11:00 a.m.: Men's Pole Vault, followed by Women's Pole Vault; 12:00 p.m.: 3000-Meter Steeplechase, followed by 4x100-Meter Relay, 1500-Meter Run; 12:00 p.m.: Women's High Jump, followed by Men's High Jump; 12:00 p.m.: Men's Shot Put, followed by Women's Shot Put; 1:00 p.m.: Women's Discus Throw, followed by Men's Discus Throw; 1:30 p.m.: 100-/110-Meter Hurdles, followed by 400-Meter Dash, 100-Meter Dash; 2:00 p.m.: Men's Triple Jump, followed by Women's Triple Jump; 3:15 p.m.: 800-Meter Run, 400-Meter Hurdles, 200-Meter Dash, 5000-Meter Run, 4x400-Meter Relay (women compete first in all running events).
STARTING OFF STRONG: Backed by strong performances at the outdoor-opener on March 18-19, four Falcons were honored with Mountain West Athlete of the Week honors on March 22. Sean Geither and Hayden Bullock were selected as the men's top athletes in track and field, respectively, while Bryce Lentz and Katie Schlather swept the conference's Freshman of the Week awards.
Men's Track Athlete of the Week: Sean Geither
Men's Field Athlete of the Week: Hayden Bullock
Men's Freshman of the Week: Bryce Lentz
Women's Freshman of the Week: Katie Schlather
COLE NAMED INTERIM HEAD COACH: Distance coach Ryan Cole will serve as the interim head coach for the remainder of the track and field season, Director of Athletics Nathan Pine officially announced on March 22. Cole, who has headed the Falcons' successful distance program for the last eight years, is a four-time Mountain West Cross Country Coach of the Year.
GOING LONG
Hayden Bullock unleashed a throw of 178'0" to better the discus field by more than 12 feet at the Jerry Quiller Classic on March 19. Bullock, who opened the year just shy of his personal best, was one of nine first-place finishers for the Falcons in Boulder. Sean Geither led Air Force to a 1-2-3 sweep in the 400-meter dash, while Philip Hundl (110-meter hurdles), Jake Hall (6'9¾"), Ethan Gardner (pole vault), Katie Schlather (pole vault), Brandon Lindner (long jump), Teagun Glenn (javelin throw) and the men's 4x100-meter relay team also earned first-place finishes.
LINDEMAN NAMED USTFCCCA MOUNTAIN REGION COACH OF THE YEAR: After leading the Air Force men to the conference title during a successful indoor season, Ralph Lindeman was named the USTFCCCA Mountain Region Men's Indoor Head Coach of the Year on March 17. It is the seventh regional coaching award for Lindeman, who previously earned the award in 2012 (indoor, outdoor), 2013 (outdoor), 2016 (indoor, outdoor) and 2017 (outdoor).
LOOK WHO'S BACK: OUTDOOR EDITION: Air Force's current roster includes eight NCAA Outdoor qualifiers – Aidan Boyle (3000-meter steeplechase), Ryan Brown (pole vault), Hayden Bullock (discus throw), Ethan Gardner (pole vault), Sam Gilman (1500-meter run), Jake Hall (high jump), Nick Oesterling (javelin throw), Michelle Roca (400-meter hurdles), two Mountain West Outdoor champions - Gilman (1500-meter run), Zac Larrier (200-meter dash), 10 all-conference performers – La'akea Aiu (400-meter hurdles), Boyle (3000-meter steeplechase), Bullock (discus throw), Gardner (pole vault), Gilman (1500-meter run), Braeden Holcombe (decathlon), Larrier (200-meter dash), Wyatt Murphy (decathlon), Oesterling (javelin throw), Jaret Prete (hammer throw), and two Air Force Outdoor Record Holders - Gilman (1500-meter run), Roca (400-meter hurdles).
REMEMBERING COACH LINDEMAN: Head coach Ralph Lindeman passed away unexpectedly on March 6, 2022, during his 33rd season with the Falcons. From the moment he stepped onto the Academy track in 1989, Air Force benefitted from his leadership and love of coaching. He coached 10 conference championship teams during his distinguished tenure, while Lindeman-coached athletes accounted for eight NCAA titles, more than 200 conference titles and nearly 700 academic all-conference honors.
MEET INFORMATION | AZTEC INVITATIONAL
The 43rd-annual Aztec Invitational will be held primarily at The Sports Deck on the San Diego State campus, although the hammer throw will take place at UC San Diego. Saturday's action will be streamed through the RunnerSpace +Plus subscription service, while live results will be available all three days via FinishedResults.com. Admission is $5 for all spectators ages 12 and above.
WHO'S WHO
In addition to the women's team from meet host San Diego State, Air Force will face athletes from Alaska-Anchorage, Boise State, BYU, California, Nevada, New Mexico State, Oregon, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, and Western Washington.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
The decathlon and heptathlon will held at The Sports Deck on March 24-25, while the hammer throw will take place at UC San Diego on March 25. SATURDAY – 9:00 a.m.: Women's Javelin Throw, followed by Men's Javelin Throw; 10:00 a.m.: Women's Long Jump, followed by Men's Long Jump; 11:00 a.m.: Men's Pole Vault, followed by Women's Pole Vault; 12:00 p.m.: 3000-Meter Steeplechase, followed by 4x100-Meter Relay, 1500-Meter Run; 12:00 p.m.: Women's High Jump, followed by Men's High Jump; 12:00 p.m.: Men's Shot Put, followed by Women's Shot Put; 1:00 p.m.: Women's Discus Throw, followed by Men's Discus Throw; 1:30 p.m.: 100-/110-Meter Hurdles, followed by 400-Meter Dash, 100-Meter Dash; 2:00 p.m.: Men's Triple Jump, followed by Women's Triple Jump; 3:15 p.m.: 800-Meter Run, 400-Meter Hurdles, 200-Meter Dash, 5000-Meter Run, 4x400-Meter Relay (women compete first in all running events).
STARTING OFF STRONG: Backed by strong performances at the outdoor-opener on March 18-19, four Falcons were honored with Mountain West Athlete of the Week honors on March 22. Sean Geither and Hayden Bullock were selected as the men's top athletes in track and field, respectively, while Bryce Lentz and Katie Schlather swept the conference's Freshman of the Week awards.
Men's Track Athlete of the Week: Sean Geither
Men's Field Athlete of the Week: Hayden Bullock
Men's Freshman of the Week: Bryce Lentz
Women's Freshman of the Week: Katie Schlather
COLE NAMED INTERIM HEAD COACH: Distance coach Ryan Cole will serve as the interim head coach for the remainder of the track and field season, Director of Athletics Nathan Pine officially announced on March 22. Cole, who has headed the Falcons' successful distance program for the last eight years, is a four-time Mountain West Cross Country Coach of the Year.
GOING LONG
Hayden Bullock unleashed a throw of 178'0" to better the discus field by more than 12 feet at the Jerry Quiller Classic on March 19. Bullock, who opened the year just shy of his personal best, was one of nine first-place finishers for the Falcons in Boulder. Sean Geither led Air Force to a 1-2-3 sweep in the 400-meter dash, while Philip Hundl (110-meter hurdles), Jake Hall (6'9¾"), Ethan Gardner (pole vault), Katie Schlather (pole vault), Brandon Lindner (long jump), Teagun Glenn (javelin throw) and the men's 4x100-meter relay team also earned first-place finishes.
LINDEMAN NAMED USTFCCCA MOUNTAIN REGION COACH OF THE YEAR: After leading the Air Force men to the conference title during a successful indoor season, Ralph Lindeman was named the USTFCCCA Mountain Region Men's Indoor Head Coach of the Year on March 17. It is the seventh regional coaching award for Lindeman, who previously earned the award in 2012 (indoor, outdoor), 2013 (outdoor), 2016 (indoor, outdoor) and 2017 (outdoor).
LOOK WHO'S BACK: OUTDOOR EDITION: Air Force's current roster includes eight NCAA Outdoor qualifiers – Aidan Boyle (3000-meter steeplechase), Ryan Brown (pole vault), Hayden Bullock (discus throw), Ethan Gardner (pole vault), Sam Gilman (1500-meter run), Jake Hall (high jump), Nick Oesterling (javelin throw), Michelle Roca (400-meter hurdles), two Mountain West Outdoor champions - Gilman (1500-meter run), Zac Larrier (200-meter dash), 10 all-conference performers – La'akea Aiu (400-meter hurdles), Boyle (3000-meter steeplechase), Bullock (discus throw), Gardner (pole vault), Gilman (1500-meter run), Braeden Holcombe (decathlon), Larrier (200-meter dash), Wyatt Murphy (decathlon), Oesterling (javelin throw), Jaret Prete (hammer throw), and two Air Force Outdoor Record Holders - Gilman (1500-meter run), Roca (400-meter hurdles).
REMEMBERING COACH LINDEMAN: Head coach Ralph Lindeman passed away unexpectedly on March 6, 2022, during his 33rd season with the Falcons. From the moment he stepped onto the Academy track in 1989, Air Force benefitted from his leadership and love of coaching. He coached 10 conference championship teams during his distinguished tenure, while Lindeman-coached athletes accounted for eight NCAA titles, more than 200 conference titles and nearly 700 academic all-conference honors.
Players Mentioned
110m Hurdles / 400m Hurdles
/ Track and Field
3000m Steeplechase
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Shot Put / Discus
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
400m / 200m
/ Track and Field
1500m / 800m
/ Track and Field
Javelin / Discus / Shot Put
/ Track and Field
High Jump
/ Track and Field
Decathlon / Long Jump
/ Track and Field
110m Hurdles / High Jump
/ Track and Field
200m / 400m
/ Track and Field
1500m / 5000m
/ Track and Field
Long Jump / Triple Jump
/ Track and Field
Decathlon / 100m / Long Jump
/ Track and Field
Javelin
/ Track and Field
Hammer / Discus / Shot Put
/ Track and Field
400m Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
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