Thursday, April 27
Des Moines, IA
4:00 pm MT
Air Force Academy
at
Drake Relays
Photo by: Robert Dunlap
Falcons Head to Drake Relays, Doug Max Invitational
4/26/2023 9:35:00 AM | Track and Field
The Air Force track and field team returns to action this week, as it splits for a pair of meets. A portion of the team will head to Des Moines, Iowa, for the 113th running of the prestigious Drake Relays on April 27-29, while the rest will stay in Colorado for the Doug Max Invitational in Fort Collins on April 29.
DRAKE RELAYS INFORMATION
The Drake Relays, presented by Xtream and powered by Mediacom, will take place at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. The meet, which is in its 113th year, will begin with the Distance Carnival on Thursday, April 27, and continue through Saturday, April 29. Live results and a complete schedule of events are located on the Drake Relays' website, while the meet will be broadcast on Runnerspace.com and USATF.tv.
HISTORY 101
Since 1963, Air Force has captured 16 championships at the Drake Relays. The sprint medley squad of Miguel Molas, Terrell Bradford, Sedacy Walden and Michael Rhoads are the program's most recent winners at the Drake Relays, as the quartet ran an Academy Record time of 3:19.33 during their winning performance. The men have finished fourth in two of the last three Relay Cup events (2019, 2021) – a program-best finish they also achieved in 2016, while the women claimed their highest finish (11th) in 2017 and 2022.
AIR FORCE PAIR TO BE INDUCTED INTO DRAKE RELAYS' HALLS OF FAME
Coaching legend Ralph Lindeman will be inducted into the Drake Relays Coaches Hall of Fame on April 27. Lindeman, who guided the Falcons to 11 Drake Relays titles and made sure the meet was a staple on the team's calendar, will become the 91st inductee into the meet's Coaches Hall of Fame. In addition, former javelin star Dana (Pounds) Lyon – the only athlete to win three-straight Drake Relays titles in the javelin – will be inducted into the Athlete Hall of Fame.
DOUG MAX INVITATIONAL INFORMATION
The Doug Max Invitational will be held at Jack Christiansen Track in Fort Collins on April 29. Admission is free, while live results are scheduled to be provided (a link will be posted to the Falcons' schedule page).
AIR FORCE IN THE RANKINGS
Three record-setting Air Force seniors are listed among the nation's Top 20 in the latest edition of the TFRRS National Standings (April 24). Sam Gilman is tied for 11th in the 5000-meter run after clocking a season-debut of 13:30.36 at the Payton Jordan Invitational last weekend, while Ryan Johnson is ranked 17th following his 28:20.70 performance in the 10,000-meter run at the Stanford Invitational and Hayden Bullock is listed 19th in the discus after recording a throw of 194'9".
SQUAD GOALS
With a combined time of 54:49.9, the men's 5000-meter quartet of Sam Gilman, Eli Bennett, Sean Maison and Ethan Marshall moved up two places to No. 6 in the latest 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. In all, the men have five event groups ranked among the NCAA Top 20, including the hammer throw (No. 10), 10,000-meter run (No. 15), discus throw (No. 17) and 110-meter hurdles (No. 18).
COMING UP
The Falcons return to the Academy for their first – and last – home meet of the 2023 outdoor season on Friday, May 5, when they host the annual Air Force Twilight Open at the Cadet Outdoor Track and Field Complex. Action is slated to begin at 1:00 p.m. (MT) and the Falcons will honor their successful senior class at the conclusion of the competition.
DRAKE RELAYS INFORMATION
The Drake Relays, presented by Xtream and powered by Mediacom, will take place at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. The meet, which is in its 113th year, will begin with the Distance Carnival on Thursday, April 27, and continue through Saturday, April 29. Live results and a complete schedule of events are located on the Drake Relays' website, while the meet will be broadcast on Runnerspace.com and USATF.tv.
HISTORY 101
Since 1963, Air Force has captured 16 championships at the Drake Relays. The sprint medley squad of Miguel Molas, Terrell Bradford, Sedacy Walden and Michael Rhoads are the program's most recent winners at the Drake Relays, as the quartet ran an Academy Record time of 3:19.33 during their winning performance. The men have finished fourth in two of the last three Relay Cup events (2019, 2021) – a program-best finish they also achieved in 2016, while the women claimed their highest finish (11th) in 2017 and 2022.
AIR FORCE PAIR TO BE INDUCTED INTO DRAKE RELAYS' HALLS OF FAME
Coaching legend Ralph Lindeman will be inducted into the Drake Relays Coaches Hall of Fame on April 27. Lindeman, who guided the Falcons to 11 Drake Relays titles and made sure the meet was a staple on the team's calendar, will become the 91st inductee into the meet's Coaches Hall of Fame. In addition, former javelin star Dana (Pounds) Lyon – the only athlete to win three-straight Drake Relays titles in the javelin – will be inducted into the Athlete Hall of Fame.
DOUG MAX INVITATIONAL INFORMATION
The Doug Max Invitational will be held at Jack Christiansen Track in Fort Collins on April 29. Admission is free, while live results are scheduled to be provided (a link will be posted to the Falcons' schedule page).
AIR FORCE IN THE RANKINGS
Three record-setting Air Force seniors are listed among the nation's Top 20 in the latest edition of the TFRRS National Standings (April 24). Sam Gilman is tied for 11th in the 5000-meter run after clocking a season-debut of 13:30.36 at the Payton Jordan Invitational last weekend, while Ryan Johnson is ranked 17th following his 28:20.70 performance in the 10,000-meter run at the Stanford Invitational and Hayden Bullock is listed 19th in the discus after recording a throw of 194'9".
SQUAD GOALS
With a combined time of 54:49.9, the men's 5000-meter quartet of Sam Gilman, Eli Bennett, Sean Maison and Ethan Marshall moved up two places to No. 6 in the latest 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. In all, the men have five event groups ranked among the NCAA Top 20, including the hammer throw (No. 10), 10,000-meter run (No. 15), discus throw (No. 17) and 110-meter hurdles (No. 18).
COMING UP
The Falcons return to the Academy for their first – and last – home meet of the 2023 outdoor season on Friday, May 5, when they host the annual Air Force Twilight Open at the Cadet Outdoor Track and Field Complex. Action is slated to begin at 1:00 p.m. (MT) and the Falcons will honor their successful senior class at the conclusion of the competition.
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