Saturday, May 13
Clovis, CA
2:00 pm MT
Air Force Academy
at
Mountain West Championships
Air Force Men Claim Seventh MW Outdoor Title in Dominating Style
5/13/2023 11:59:00 PM | Track and Field
CLOVIS, Calif. – Backed by a dominating TEAM performance, the Air Force men's track and field squad easily captured their seventh outdoor title in 11 championship seasons this evening (May 13) during the final day of the 2023 Mountain West Outdoor Championships. Scoring 237.50 points, the men tallied the league's highest team score since 2006 and accounted for the largest margin of victory since 2009.
The Falcons, who claimed five conference titles and sent 15 to the awards podium on Championship Saturday for the program's second-straight outdoor title, finished the meet with a 67-point advantage over the second-place team (170.50).
MOUNTAIN WEST CHAMPIONS
Javin Bostic, 100-Meter Dash
Hayden Bullock, Discus Throw
Sam Gilman, 5000-Meter Run
Darek Hackett, 400-Meter Hurdles
Sean Maison, 1500-Meter Run
Senior Hayden Bullock got the day started for the Falcons, as he won the discus throw in the outer field of Veterans Memorial Stadium. Bullock, who captured the indoor title in the shot put this past February, recorded a throw of 184'11" to win the 16-thrower event and pace the Falcons to four of the eight scoring finishes with the team's first discus title since 2015. Junior Gerrit Tamminga finished fifth with a throw of 177'10", while senior Jace Pittman and freshman Texas Tanner recorded career-best marks to finish sixth (171'5", No. 17 all-time at Air Force) and seventh (167'11", No. 19 all-time at Air Force), respectively.
Junior Sean Maison, the reigning conference champion in cross country, became the program's 90th different Mountain West track and field champion in record-setting style on Saturday, as he set an Academy and Championship Meet Record time of 3:39.68 to win the 1500-meter run. Maison led the Falcons to a 1-2 finish, as well as three of the top five, in the event, as senior Sam Gilman, who won that title as a freshman and held the program standard, finished second in 3:40.93 and junior Eli Bennett clocked the eighth-fastest time in program history (3:43.78) to finish fifth. Gilman and Bennett returned to the track later in the night to join Maison's twin brother Scott Maison for a 1-2-3 sweep in the 5000-meter run. With a time of 13:58.00, Gilman captured his fourth individual conference championship (sixth overall, with relays), as he cruised to the men's first 5000-meter title in eight years, with Bennett, the indoor 3000-meter champion, and Maison finishing just 0.26 seconds apart (13:59.58, 13:59.84).
Like Maison, the conference title for sophomore Javin Bostic came with an Academy Record. Crossing the finish line in a blazing 10.25 finish, Bostic took 0.09 seconds off the program standard he set earlier this year at the Stanford Invitational. Setting a new Veterans Memorial Facility Record and improving his own Service Academy Record, Bostic became the program's first 100-meter champion since Travis Picou in 2005. The sophomore was one of two Falcons to score in the that event, as junior Jackson Connelly recorded the fourth-fastest time in Air Force history (10.46) to finish fifth.
Sophomore Darek Hackett rounded out the Falcons' lineup of champions, as he used the third-fastest time in Academy history (51.22) to win the 400-meter hurdles. Hackett, who became the third Air Force runner to win a conference title in that event, wasn't the only Falcon on the podium, as sophomore Cameron Breier recorded a time of 51.34 – the sixth-fastest time in program history – to finish second and account for the Falcons' second 1-2 finish of the day.
ACADEMY RECORDS
Cameron Harris, 110-Meter Hurdles (13.56)
Sean Maison, 1500-Meter Run (3:39.68)
Javin Bostic, 100-Meter Dash (10.25)
In addition to the Academy Records set by Bostic and Maison, Air Force also saw the 110-meter hurdles record fall, as senior Cameron Harris raced to a blazing 13.56 to take 0.06 seconds off the previous standard held by Jamiel Trimble. Harris, whose time also bettered the Meet and Facility records set during yesterday's preliminary round, paced the Falcons to a 2-3-4 finish, as junior Philip Hundl finished third in 14.17 and Hackett added the 16th-fastest time in program history (14.21) to take fourth.
AIR FORCE TOP-10 MARKS
No. 3 – Jacqui Spencer, 100-Meter Hurdles (14.42)
No. 3 – Darek Hackett, 400-Meter Hurdles (51.22)
No. 4 – Jackson Connelly, 100-Meter Dash (10.46)
No. 4 – Taylor Rioux, 400-Meter Dash (55.28)
No. 4 – Ava Gilliana, 800-Meter Run (2:06.94)
No. 4 – Men's 4x100-Meter Relay (40.13)
No. 5 – Javin Bostic, 200-Meter Dash (20.99)
No. 6 – Cameron Breier, 400-Meter Hurdles (51.34)
No. 6 – India Jones, 5000-Meter Run (16:19.46)
No. 7 – Women's 4x400-Meter Relay (3:47.93)
No. 8 – Eli Bennett, 1500-Meter Run (3:43.78)
Harris, Connelly, Bostic and senior Zac Larrier opened the running events with the fourth-fastest time in program history (40.13) and a runner-up finish in the 4x100-meter relay, while Larrier, Connelly, Hackett and Hundl closed the night with a third-place time of 3:13.05 in the 4x400-meter relay. In addition to his record in the 100-meter dash and leg of the 4x100-meter relay, Bostic also matched the fifth-fastest 200-meter time in Air Force history to finish fourth.
Junior Brandon Lindner earned a trip to the awards podium in the triple jump, as he recorded the 14th-best distance in Air Force history (48'7½") to finish third, while a runner-up finish from junior Caiden Macktinger paced the Falcons to half of the scoring finishes in that event. Macktinger cleared 16'10¾" to mark the 31st-straight championship (indoor or outdoor) that Air Force has sent a pole vaulter to the awards podium. Sophomore Ben Charlebois cleared 15'9" to finish fourth, while freshman Connor Munson and junior Braeden Holcombe – both coming back after two days of the decathlon – finished seventh (15'3") and eighth (14'9"), respectively.
On the women's side, Air Force finished 11th with 19 points. Junior Ava Gilliana and sophomore Taylor Rioux posted the fourth-fastest times in Academy history during scoring finishes for their respective events, as Gilliana recorded an 800-meter time of 2:06.95 to finish fifth and Rioux added a seventh-place time of 55.28 in the 400-meter dash. Freshman India Jones, the bronze medalist in the 10,000-meter run on Thursday, came back for a scoring finish in the 5000-meter run, clocking the sixth-fastest time in Air Force history with a 16:19.46 finish.
In addition, freshman Jacqui Spencer closed out her first outdoor championship meet by clocking the third-fastest 100-meter hurdles time in Academy history, as she raced to a 14.42 finish in the event final. Senior Maddie Edwards debuted at No. 20 on the all-time list for 5000 meters (17:02.35), while the 4x400-meter relay closed out the night with the Academy's seventh-fastest time at 3:47.93.
The Falcons return to action on May 24-27, when select athletes head return to California (Sacramento) for the opening round of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. A list of qualifiers to the West Preliminary will be available next week.
The Falcons, who claimed five conference titles and sent 15 to the awards podium on Championship Saturday for the program's second-straight outdoor title, finished the meet with a 67-point advantage over the second-place team (170.50).
MOUNTAIN WEST CHAMPIONS
Javin Bostic, 100-Meter Dash
Hayden Bullock, Discus Throw
Sam Gilman, 5000-Meter Run
Darek Hackett, 400-Meter Hurdles
Sean Maison, 1500-Meter Run
Senior Hayden Bullock got the day started for the Falcons, as he won the discus throw in the outer field of Veterans Memorial Stadium. Bullock, who captured the indoor title in the shot put this past February, recorded a throw of 184'11" to win the 16-thrower event and pace the Falcons to four of the eight scoring finishes with the team's first discus title since 2015. Junior Gerrit Tamminga finished fifth with a throw of 177'10", while senior Jace Pittman and freshman Texas Tanner recorded career-best marks to finish sixth (171'5", No. 17 all-time at Air Force) and seventh (167'11", No. 19 all-time at Air Force), respectively.
Junior Sean Maison, the reigning conference champion in cross country, became the program's 90th different Mountain West track and field champion in record-setting style on Saturday, as he set an Academy and Championship Meet Record time of 3:39.68 to win the 1500-meter run. Maison led the Falcons to a 1-2 finish, as well as three of the top five, in the event, as senior Sam Gilman, who won that title as a freshman and held the program standard, finished second in 3:40.93 and junior Eli Bennett clocked the eighth-fastest time in program history (3:43.78) to finish fifth. Gilman and Bennett returned to the track later in the night to join Maison's twin brother Scott Maison for a 1-2-3 sweep in the 5000-meter run. With a time of 13:58.00, Gilman captured his fourth individual conference championship (sixth overall, with relays), as he cruised to the men's first 5000-meter title in eight years, with Bennett, the indoor 3000-meter champion, and Maison finishing just 0.26 seconds apart (13:59.58, 13:59.84).
Like Maison, the conference title for sophomore Javin Bostic came with an Academy Record. Crossing the finish line in a blazing 10.25 finish, Bostic took 0.09 seconds off the program standard he set earlier this year at the Stanford Invitational. Setting a new Veterans Memorial Facility Record and improving his own Service Academy Record, Bostic became the program's first 100-meter champion since Travis Picou in 2005. The sophomore was one of two Falcons to score in the that event, as junior Jackson Connelly recorded the fourth-fastest time in Air Force history (10.46) to finish fifth.
Sophomore Darek Hackett rounded out the Falcons' lineup of champions, as he used the third-fastest time in Academy history (51.22) to win the 400-meter hurdles. Hackett, who became the third Air Force runner to win a conference title in that event, wasn't the only Falcon on the podium, as sophomore Cameron Breier recorded a time of 51.34 – the sixth-fastest time in program history – to finish second and account for the Falcons' second 1-2 finish of the day.
ACADEMY RECORDS
Cameron Harris, 110-Meter Hurdles (13.56)
Sean Maison, 1500-Meter Run (3:39.68)
Javin Bostic, 100-Meter Dash (10.25)
In addition to the Academy Records set by Bostic and Maison, Air Force also saw the 110-meter hurdles record fall, as senior Cameron Harris raced to a blazing 13.56 to take 0.06 seconds off the previous standard held by Jamiel Trimble. Harris, whose time also bettered the Meet and Facility records set during yesterday's preliminary round, paced the Falcons to a 2-3-4 finish, as junior Philip Hundl finished third in 14.17 and Hackett added the 16th-fastest time in program history (14.21) to take fourth.
AIR FORCE TOP-10 MARKS
No. 3 – Jacqui Spencer, 100-Meter Hurdles (14.42)
No. 3 – Darek Hackett, 400-Meter Hurdles (51.22)
No. 4 – Jackson Connelly, 100-Meter Dash (10.46)
No. 4 – Taylor Rioux, 400-Meter Dash (55.28)
No. 4 – Ava Gilliana, 800-Meter Run (2:06.94)
No. 4 – Men's 4x100-Meter Relay (40.13)
No. 5 – Javin Bostic, 200-Meter Dash (20.99)
No. 6 – Cameron Breier, 400-Meter Hurdles (51.34)
No. 6 – India Jones, 5000-Meter Run (16:19.46)
No. 7 – Women's 4x400-Meter Relay (3:47.93)
No. 8 – Eli Bennett, 1500-Meter Run (3:43.78)
Harris, Connelly, Bostic and senior Zac Larrier opened the running events with the fourth-fastest time in program history (40.13) and a runner-up finish in the 4x100-meter relay, while Larrier, Connelly, Hackett and Hundl closed the night with a third-place time of 3:13.05 in the 4x400-meter relay. In addition to his record in the 100-meter dash and leg of the 4x100-meter relay, Bostic also matched the fifth-fastest 200-meter time in Air Force history to finish fourth.
Junior Brandon Lindner earned a trip to the awards podium in the triple jump, as he recorded the 14th-best distance in Air Force history (48'7½") to finish third, while a runner-up finish from junior Caiden Macktinger paced the Falcons to half of the scoring finishes in that event. Macktinger cleared 16'10¾" to mark the 31st-straight championship (indoor or outdoor) that Air Force has sent a pole vaulter to the awards podium. Sophomore Ben Charlebois cleared 15'9" to finish fourth, while freshman Connor Munson and junior Braeden Holcombe – both coming back after two days of the decathlon – finished seventh (15'3") and eighth (14'9"), respectively.
On the women's side, Air Force finished 11th with 19 points. Junior Ava Gilliana and sophomore Taylor Rioux posted the fourth-fastest times in Academy history during scoring finishes for their respective events, as Gilliana recorded an 800-meter time of 2:06.95 to finish fifth and Rioux added a seventh-place time of 55.28 in the 400-meter dash. Freshman India Jones, the bronze medalist in the 10,000-meter run on Thursday, came back for a scoring finish in the 5000-meter run, clocking the sixth-fastest time in Air Force history with a 16:19.46 finish.
In addition, freshman Jacqui Spencer closed out her first outdoor championship meet by clocking the third-fastest 100-meter hurdles time in Academy history, as she raced to a 14.42 finish in the event final. Senior Maddie Edwards debuted at No. 20 on the all-time list for 5000 meters (17:02.35), while the 4x400-meter relay closed out the night with the Academy's seventh-fastest time at 3:47.93.
The Falcons return to action on May 24-27, when select athletes head return to California (Sacramento) for the opening round of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. A list of qualifiers to the West Preliminary will be available next week.
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
400m Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Decathlon
/ Track and Field
Hurdles, High Jump
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Long Jump, Triple Jump
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Decathlon
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
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