Friday, December 8
USAFA
1:00 pm MT
Air Force Academy
vs
Air Force Holiday Opener
Freshmen Shine in Air Force Debut at Holiday Opener
12/8/2023 9:23:00 PM | Track and Field
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. -- Highlighted by Air Force Top 10 debuts from a trio of freshmen, the track and field team had an impressive return to the Cadet Field House this evening (Dec. 8) during the Holiday Opener. Despite only gaining access to the facility less than a week ago due to ongoing construction, the Falcons accounted for five Top 10 marks and two Class Records during their first full meet of the 2023-24 season.
Two all-time top-10 performances from Kori Leverenz headlined the impressive Academy starts for three female freshmen. The first-year sprinter clocked the sixth-fastest 200-meter (25.01) and seventh-fastest 400-meter (56.50) times in Academy history during her first collegiate meet – and was one of three freshman to produce No. 7 marks on the program's all-time standings. Classmate Kayla Beach debuted at No. 7 in the long jump with a leap of 18'1¾", while fellow freshman Brooke Coleman posted a career-opening time of 7.75 to debut in the same placement on the program's 60-meter standings.
| AIR FORCE TOP 10 MARKS |
| No. 4 – Gerrit Tamminga, Weight Throw (19.18m, 62'11¼") |
| No. 6 – Kori Leverenz, 200-Meter Dash (25.01) |
| No. 7 – Kayla Beach, Long Jump (5.53m, 18'1¾") |
| No. 7 – Brooke Coleman, 60-Meter Dash (7.75) |
| No. 7 – Kori Leverenz, 400-Meter Dash (56.50) |
Two all-time top-10 performances from Kori Leverenz headlined the impressive Academy starts for three female freshmen. The first-year sprinter clocked the sixth-fastest 200-meter (25.01) and seventh-fastest 400-meter (56.50) times in Academy history during her first collegiate meet – and was one of three freshman to produce No. 7 marks on the program's all-time standings. Classmate Kayla Beach debuted at No. 7 in the long jump with a leap of 18'1¾", while fellow freshman Brooke Coleman posted a career-opening time of 7.75 to debut in the same placement on the program's 60-meter standings.
Beach, who became just the eighth Falcon to surpass the 18-foot mark in the long jump, also debuted at No. 19 on the program's 60-meter standings, while Coleman also added her name to the Academy's 200-meter dash rankings after posting a finish of 26.13 (No. 23 all-time).
Katie Thompson recorded an Air Force Senior Class Record of 18'9" in her first meet of the year, bettering the previous record of 18'5" that Mona Wheeler had held since 1991 and becoming just the sixth Air Force athlete to hold all four class records in one event. Thompson was one of two Falcons to set Class Records on Friday, as Taylor Rious clocked a 200-meter time of 24.79 to win the 17-runner event and break a Junior Class Record that was first set in 1983 – a 24.81 mark from Gail Conway that Aubrey Ridgeway matched in 2020. The 200-meter race was one of two first-place finishes for Rioux, who added a victorious 56.10 performance in the 400-meter dash.
On the pole vault runway, sophomores Chloe Kinlaw and Nathalia Veal both recorded career-best clearances of 11'11¾" to tie for 18th on the program's all-time standings, while finishing third and fourth, respectively, based on attempts.
On the men's side, Gerrit Tamminga kicked off his senior season with the fourth-best weight throw distance in program history, as he unleashed a throw of 62'11¼" to finish third in the meet and improve his personal distance by more than a foot.
Classmate Caiden Macktinger posted a career-best clearance of 17'7" to win the pole vault and lead Air Force to the top four finishes, as junior Robert Postell and the freshmen duo of Tanner Woodring and Wyatt Curl all posted heights of 15'7" to finish second and tie for third, based on attempts. Senior Brandon Lindner added a second event title from the field, as he recorded a distance of 24'0¾" to finish first in the long jump.
Junior Javin Bostic swept the 60-meter and 200-meter titles in his first meet of the year, finishing just 0.01 behind his own Academy Record to win the 30-sprinter 60-meter dash (6.68) and clocking a time of 21.41 to finish first out of 32 runners in the 200-meter event. The junior paced the Falcons to a 1-2 finish in the shortest sprint, as sophomore Jettason Rose recorded the 15th-fastest time in program history (6.81) to take second. Rose also debuted on the program's Top 25 in the 200-meter dash, as he (21.77, No. 21 all-time) and freshman Jace Martin (21.75, No. 20 all-time) helped Air Force claim three of the top four times.
Freshmen James Warmbrod IV (48.63) and Zachary King (50.12) went 1-2 in the 400-meter dash, while seniors Philip Hundl (8.16) and Braeden Holcombe (8.25) went 1-3 in the 60-meter hurdles.
The Falcons return to action on Jan. 12-13 when they head to Boulder for the Potts Indoor Invitational.
Players Mentioned
Heptathlon
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Sprints
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Decathlon
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Decathlon
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Hurdles, High Jump
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Sprints
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Pole Vault
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Sprints
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Long Jump, Triple Jump
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Pole Vault
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Sprints
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Pole Vault
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Sprints
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Throws
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Long Jump, Hurdles
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Pole Vault
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Sprints
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Pole Vault
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