Thursday, February 23
Albuquerque, NM
10:00 am MT
Air Force Academy
vs
Mountain West Championships
Photo by: Max DeHerrera, New Mexico
Falcons Set for Mountain West Championships
2/21/2023 6:40:00 PM | Track and Field
The Air Force track and field team kicks off the championship portion of the indoor season this week, as it travels to Albuquerque, N.M., for the 2023 Mountain West Indoor Track and Field Championships. The three-day meet, which will be held at the ABQ Convention Center, begins on Thursday, Feb. 23, and continues through Saturday, Feb. 25.
MEET INFORMATION
The Mountain West Indoor Track and Field Championships will be held in downtown Albuquerque for the eighth-straight meet. Single day tickets for Friday and Saturday - $15 for adults, $11 for students – can be purchased online at am.ticketmaster.com/mountainwest/node/37 (there is no charge for Thursday). For fans unable to attend the meet, real-time results will be available via Record Timing and the meet will be broadcast through the Mountain West Network (direct links are available at GoAirForceFalcons.com). In addition, updates and highlights will be posted to Air Force's social media sites (@af_tfxc) throughout the week.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
The first four events of the men's heptathlon get underway for Air Force at 10:00 a.m. (MT) on Thursday, Feb. 23, while the 5000-meter championship is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m., that afternoon. Friday's competition begins with the conclusion of the heptathlon at 10:00 a.m., while the individual events start at 12:30 p.m. (field) and 1:30 p.m. (running). Championship Saturday starts at 9:30 a.m., with the track events beginning at 11:10 a.m. A complete schedule of events is located on Page 2 of the attached release.
PARTICIPATING TEAMS
The Mountain West Indoor Track and Field Championships will feature 11 women's teams (Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State, San Jose State, UNLV, Utah State and Wyoming), as well as the men's teams from Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, New Mexico, San Jose State, Utah State and Wyoming.
HISTORY 101
Since the formation of the Mountain West, Air Force has captured four men's team titles (2012, 2016, 2018, 2022), while its athletes have stood atop the indoor podium 84 times and collected 274 all-conference (top three) selections. Former standout Jamiel Trimble is the Academy's most decorated indoor champion, with five conference titles, eight individual all-MW awards, and the Meet Record in the 200-meter dash (20.67). Former Falcons Michael Rhoads (800-meter run: 1:47.82), Ryan Ioanidis (5000-meter run: 14:09.55), Taylor Smith (high jump: 7'2½") and Kyle Pater (pole vault: 18'6½") also hold MW Championship Meet Records.
LOOKING BACK … LOOKING AHEAD
Four Falcons look to defend their conference title this weekend, as Zac Larrier (200-meter dash), Sam Gilman (mile run), Collin Schulz (high jump) and Jaret Prete (weight throw) return to the ABQ Convention Center as the reigning conference champions. The quartet are four of six Falcons to hold all-MW Indoor honors following top-three finishes at the 2022 meet, joining Robert Postell (pole vault) and John Colizzi (long jump).
CONFERENCE SNAPSHOT
Entering Championship Weekend, Air Force holds the league's top marks in the men's 3000-meter run (Sam Gilman, 7:43.70), 5000-meter run (Sam Gilman, 13:25.64), 60-meter hurdles (Cameron Harris, 7.79), high jump (Jalan Rivers, 7'1"), pole vault (Caiden Macktinger, 17'6½") and weight throw (Jaret Prete, 66'11½"), while being listed among the Mountain West's top five an additional 16 times.
SQUAD GOALS
With a combined low of 54:58.99, the men's 5000-meter quartet of Sam Gilman, Eli Bennett, Ryan Johnson, and Ethan Marshall are ranked fifth in the Feb. 20 edition of the USTFCCCA #EventSquad rankings – which are determined by the cumulative season-best marks from a team's top-four athletes on the national descending order list. The men currently have five event groups listed among the nation's Top 20, including the high jump (13th), pole vault (15th), 60-meter hurdles (17th), and 3000-meter run (18th).
AIR FORCE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Highlighted by a pair of top-15 marks from Sam Gilman, two Falcons are listed among the nation's Top 25 in the latest TFRRS standings. Gilman is listed 10th in the 3000-meter run (7:43.70) and 13th in the 5000-meter run (13:25.64), while Jalan Rivers is ranked 21st in the high jump following his first collegiate seven-foot clearance (7'1").
BY THE NUMBERS
Air Force accounted for 14 of the conference's Athlete of the Week awards during the indoor season, with Jaret Prete (Jan. 24, Jan. 31, Feb. 14), Javin Bostic (Dec. 6, Feb. 21) and Sam Gilman (Jan. 31, Feb. 14) earning multiple honors and a member of the Falcons' throwing team (Prete, Texas Tanner, Nic Davis) receiving one of the weekly honors for five-straight weeks.
COMING UP
The indoor season officially comes to a close in Albuquerque at 2023 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships on March 10-11.
MEET INFORMATION
The Mountain West Indoor Track and Field Championships will be held in downtown Albuquerque for the eighth-straight meet. Single day tickets for Friday and Saturday - $15 for adults, $11 for students – can be purchased online at am.ticketmaster.com/mountainwest/node/37 (there is no charge for Thursday). For fans unable to attend the meet, real-time results will be available via Record Timing and the meet will be broadcast through the Mountain West Network (direct links are available at GoAirForceFalcons.com). In addition, updates and highlights will be posted to Air Force's social media sites (@af_tfxc) throughout the week.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
The first four events of the men's heptathlon get underway for Air Force at 10:00 a.m. (MT) on Thursday, Feb. 23, while the 5000-meter championship is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m., that afternoon. Friday's competition begins with the conclusion of the heptathlon at 10:00 a.m., while the individual events start at 12:30 p.m. (field) and 1:30 p.m. (running). Championship Saturday starts at 9:30 a.m., with the track events beginning at 11:10 a.m. A complete schedule of events is located on Page 2 of the attached release.
PARTICIPATING TEAMS
The Mountain West Indoor Track and Field Championships will feature 11 women's teams (Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State, San Jose State, UNLV, Utah State and Wyoming), as well as the men's teams from Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, New Mexico, San Jose State, Utah State and Wyoming.
HISTORY 101
Since the formation of the Mountain West, Air Force has captured four men's team titles (2012, 2016, 2018, 2022), while its athletes have stood atop the indoor podium 84 times and collected 274 all-conference (top three) selections. Former standout Jamiel Trimble is the Academy's most decorated indoor champion, with five conference titles, eight individual all-MW awards, and the Meet Record in the 200-meter dash (20.67). Former Falcons Michael Rhoads (800-meter run: 1:47.82), Ryan Ioanidis (5000-meter run: 14:09.55), Taylor Smith (high jump: 7'2½") and Kyle Pater (pole vault: 18'6½") also hold MW Championship Meet Records.
LOOKING BACK … LOOKING AHEAD
Four Falcons look to defend their conference title this weekend, as Zac Larrier (200-meter dash), Sam Gilman (mile run), Collin Schulz (high jump) and Jaret Prete (weight throw) return to the ABQ Convention Center as the reigning conference champions. The quartet are four of six Falcons to hold all-MW Indoor honors following top-three finishes at the 2022 meet, joining Robert Postell (pole vault) and John Colizzi (long jump).
CONFERENCE SNAPSHOT
Entering Championship Weekend, Air Force holds the league's top marks in the men's 3000-meter run (Sam Gilman, 7:43.70), 5000-meter run (Sam Gilman, 13:25.64), 60-meter hurdles (Cameron Harris, 7.79), high jump (Jalan Rivers, 7'1"), pole vault (Caiden Macktinger, 17'6½") and weight throw (Jaret Prete, 66'11½"), while being listed among the Mountain West's top five an additional 16 times.
SQUAD GOALS
With a combined low of 54:58.99, the men's 5000-meter quartet of Sam Gilman, Eli Bennett, Ryan Johnson, and Ethan Marshall are ranked fifth in the Feb. 20 edition of the USTFCCCA #EventSquad rankings – which are determined by the cumulative season-best marks from a team's top-four athletes on the national descending order list. The men currently have five event groups listed among the nation's Top 20, including the high jump (13th), pole vault (15th), 60-meter hurdles (17th), and 3000-meter run (18th).
AIR FORCE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Highlighted by a pair of top-15 marks from Sam Gilman, two Falcons are listed among the nation's Top 25 in the latest TFRRS standings. Gilman is listed 10th in the 3000-meter run (7:43.70) and 13th in the 5000-meter run (13:25.64), while Jalan Rivers is ranked 21st in the high jump following his first collegiate seven-foot clearance (7'1").
BY THE NUMBERS
Air Force accounted for 14 of the conference's Athlete of the Week awards during the indoor season, with Jaret Prete (Jan. 24, Jan. 31, Feb. 14), Javin Bostic (Dec. 6, Feb. 21) and Sam Gilman (Jan. 31, Feb. 14) earning multiple honors and a member of the Falcons' throwing team (Prete, Texas Tanner, Nic Davis) receiving one of the weekly honors for five-straight weeks.
COMING UP
The indoor season officially comes to a close in Albuquerque at 2023 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships on March 10-11.
Players Mentioned
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1500m / 5000m
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Sprints
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Pole Vault
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Throws
/ Track and Field
High Jump
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High Jump
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