Friday, May 13
Clovis, CA
3:00 pm MT
Air Force Academy
at
MW Championships
Photo by: Ethan Mito, NCAA Photos
Bryce Lentz Wins MW Steeplechase Title
5/13/2022 11:56:00 PM | Track and Field
Lentz clocked a Championship Meet Record time of 8:40.45 to win his first conference title.
CLOVIS, Calif. – Air Force freshman Bryce Lentz clocked a Championship Meet Record time of 8:40.45 to win the 3000-meter steeplechase on Friday, May 13, as the Falcons capped another strong day of competition at the Mountain West Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Clovis.
Lentz deleted more than six seconds off the previous Championship Meet Record, as he raced to the 8:40.45 finish – a time that is also a new facility record at Veterans Memorial Stadium, a new Air Force Freshman Class Record – bettering the mark he set earlier this year by nine seconds – and the third-fastest time in Air Force history. He is the fourth member of the men's team to capture a MW title in the steeplechase, joining Shane Rogers (2000, 2001), David Romero (2002) and Jim Walmsley (2012).
Air Force opened the day with a runner-up finish in the hammer throw, as junior Jaret Prete launched the second-best throw of his career (201'8") to earn his second trip to the hammer podium in as many championship meets. Freshman Jalan Rivers also claimed a podium finish in the high jump, as he cleared 6'9" to finish third and lead Air Force to three of the top-five finishes, as classmate Collin Schulz and senior Jake Hall finished fourth and fifth, respectively, with matching heights of 6'7". Senior LaShawn Taylor rounded out the men's scoring finishers on Friday, as he recorded a career-best leap of 23'2½" – the 19th-best jump in Academy history – to finish fifth in the long jump.
The women accounted for a pair of scoring finishes in the pole vault, as senior Erika Willis and freshman Katie Schlather finished seventh and eighth, respectively, with matching clearances of 12'6¼". That height was a career-best for Schlather and moved the freshman into the program's Top 10.
With seven championship events finalized, the men lead the team standings with 66.50 points. Colorado State (54), Utah State (53) and Wyoming (51.50) are within two-and-a-half points of each other to round out a top four that has separated themselves from the rest of the field. On the women's side, Air Force is tied for eighth behind the pole vault's three points.
Several qualifying races were also contested, with the Falcons earning 17 spots in tomorrow's finals.
The Falcons claimed four of the nine finalist positions in the 110-meter hurdles, with junior Cameron Harris clocking the eighth-fastest time in Air Force history (14.12) to win his heat for the "Big Q" and the trio of sophomore Philip Hundl (career-best 14.13 – No. 9 all-time), classmate Braeden Holcombe (all-condition career-best 14.65) and freshman Darek Hackett (14.71) all advancing on time. Hackett also earned a spot in the finals of the 400-meter hurdles after winning his heat in 53.51 for an automatic qualifier, while classmate Cameron Breier posted a time of 52.15 in his heat to advance on time.
Seniors Charles Dimnwaobi and Sean Geither also advanced in multiple sprint events, as did sophomore Jackson Connelly. Dimnwaobi clocked the fastest qualifying time at 100 meters (10.49 – the fifth-fastest time in Academy history) for the Auto Q, while Connelly posted an all-condition PR of 10.56 to finish third in qualifying and advance to the finals on time. Dimnwaobi (21.27), Connelly (21.52) and Geither (21.61) all advanced on time in the 200-meter dash, while Geither (47.98) and junior Zac Larrier (48.88) accounted for qualifying times at 400 meter.
On the women's side, senior Jenna Kill and freshman Sydney Weaber advanced in the 1500-meter run, with Kill earning an automatic bid (4:28.90) and Weaber advancing on time (4:30.70). Senior Brid O'Connell qualified to the finals of the 800-meter run after finishing second in her heat (2:09.88), while classmate Michelle Roca advanced on time (60.96) to the finals of the 400-meter hurdles.
Several improvements to the women's record book were also made on Friday, with sophomore Rayna Fruchey and Rachel Crytser improving their top-10 placements in the steeplechase. Fruchey deleted more than 15 seconds off her previous best time, as she crossed the finish line in 10:34.57 to move into fifth on the all-time standings, while Crytser – racing in her first steeplechase of the season after missing the majority of the season – clocked a time of 10:50.66 to improve her No. 7 standing. Freshman Taylor Rioux equaled the program's 14th-best time at 400 meters (57.06), while sophomore Zoe Iwu moved up to No. 23 in the event standings after registering a personal-best time of 58.06. Classmate Rebecca Wusinich improved her No. 23 placement in the 1500-meter run, as she clocked a time of 4:35.38.
The Falcons return to Veterans Memorial Stadium tomorrow (May 14) for Championship Saturday at the 2022 Mountain West Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Action begins for the Falcons with the men's javelin at 3:00 p.m. (PT). All events are being streamed live on TheMW.com and the MW App.
Lentz deleted more than six seconds off the previous Championship Meet Record, as he raced to the 8:40.45 finish – a time that is also a new facility record at Veterans Memorial Stadium, a new Air Force Freshman Class Record – bettering the mark he set earlier this year by nine seconds – and the third-fastest time in Air Force history. He is the fourth member of the men's team to capture a MW title in the steeplechase, joining Shane Rogers (2000, 2001), David Romero (2002) and Jim Walmsley (2012).
Air Force opened the day with a runner-up finish in the hammer throw, as junior Jaret Prete launched the second-best throw of his career (201'8") to earn his second trip to the hammer podium in as many championship meets. Freshman Jalan Rivers also claimed a podium finish in the high jump, as he cleared 6'9" to finish third and lead Air Force to three of the top-five finishes, as classmate Collin Schulz and senior Jake Hall finished fourth and fifth, respectively, with matching heights of 6'7". Senior LaShawn Taylor rounded out the men's scoring finishers on Friday, as he recorded a career-best leap of 23'2½" – the 19th-best jump in Academy history – to finish fifth in the long jump.
The women accounted for a pair of scoring finishes in the pole vault, as senior Erika Willis and freshman Katie Schlather finished seventh and eighth, respectively, with matching clearances of 12'6¼". That height was a career-best for Schlather and moved the freshman into the program's Top 10.
With seven championship events finalized, the men lead the team standings with 66.50 points. Colorado State (54), Utah State (53) and Wyoming (51.50) are within two-and-a-half points of each other to round out a top four that has separated themselves from the rest of the field. On the women's side, Air Force is tied for eighth behind the pole vault's three points.
Several qualifying races were also contested, with the Falcons earning 17 spots in tomorrow's finals.
The Falcons claimed four of the nine finalist positions in the 110-meter hurdles, with junior Cameron Harris clocking the eighth-fastest time in Air Force history (14.12) to win his heat for the "Big Q" and the trio of sophomore Philip Hundl (career-best 14.13 – No. 9 all-time), classmate Braeden Holcombe (all-condition career-best 14.65) and freshman Darek Hackett (14.71) all advancing on time. Hackett also earned a spot in the finals of the 400-meter hurdles after winning his heat in 53.51 for an automatic qualifier, while classmate Cameron Breier posted a time of 52.15 in his heat to advance on time.
Seniors Charles Dimnwaobi and Sean Geither also advanced in multiple sprint events, as did sophomore Jackson Connelly. Dimnwaobi clocked the fastest qualifying time at 100 meters (10.49 – the fifth-fastest time in Academy history) for the Auto Q, while Connelly posted an all-condition PR of 10.56 to finish third in qualifying and advance to the finals on time. Dimnwaobi (21.27), Connelly (21.52) and Geither (21.61) all advanced on time in the 200-meter dash, while Geither (47.98) and junior Zac Larrier (48.88) accounted for qualifying times at 400 meter.
On the women's side, senior Jenna Kill and freshman Sydney Weaber advanced in the 1500-meter run, with Kill earning an automatic bid (4:28.90) and Weaber advancing on time (4:30.70). Senior Brid O'Connell qualified to the finals of the 800-meter run after finishing second in her heat (2:09.88), while classmate Michelle Roca advanced on time (60.96) to the finals of the 400-meter hurdles.
Several improvements to the women's record book were also made on Friday, with sophomore Rayna Fruchey and Rachel Crytser improving their top-10 placements in the steeplechase. Fruchey deleted more than 15 seconds off her previous best time, as she crossed the finish line in 10:34.57 to move into fifth on the all-time standings, while Crytser – racing in her first steeplechase of the season after missing the majority of the season – clocked a time of 10:50.66 to improve her No. 7 standing. Freshman Taylor Rioux equaled the program's 14th-best time at 400 meters (57.06), while sophomore Zoe Iwu moved up to No. 23 in the event standings after registering a personal-best time of 58.06. Classmate Rebecca Wusinich improved her No. 23 placement in the 1500-meter run, as she clocked a time of 4:35.38.
The Falcons return to Veterans Memorial Stadium tomorrow (May 14) for Championship Saturday at the 2022 Mountain West Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Action begins for the Falcons with the men's javelin at 3:00 p.m. (PT). All events are being streamed live on TheMW.com and the MW App.
Players Mentioned
400m / 400m Hurdles
/ Track and Field
100m / 200m
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1500m / 5000m
/ Track and Field
100m / 200m
/ Track and Field
1500m / 5000m
/ Track and Field
400m / 200m
/ Track and Field
110m Hurdles / 400m Hurdles
/ Track and Field
High Jump
/ Track and Field
110m Hurdles / 400m Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Decathlon / Long Jump
/ Track and Field
110m Hurdles / High Jump
/ Track and Field
400m
/ Track and Field
800m / 1500m
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200m / 400m
/ Track and Field
1500m / 5000m
/ Track and Field
800m / 400m
/ Track and Field
Hammer / Discus / Shot Put
/ Track and Field
400m
/ Track and Field
High Jump
/ Track and Field
400m Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
High Jump
/ Track and Field
Triple Jump / Long Jump
/ Track and Field
1500m / 5000m
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
1500m / 5000m
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