Taylor Rioux Breaks Academy’s 200-Meter Record

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- An Academy Record lap around the track from junior Taylor Rioux headlined the opening day of competition for the track and field team this evening (Jan. 27), as Air Force kicked off action at the New Mexico Team Open in Albuquerque.

AIR FORCE RECORDS

Taylor Rioux, Women's 200-Meter Dash (24.57)

With a time of 24.57, Rioux reset Aubrey Ridgeway's 2021 standard by 0.07 seconds – and took two-tenths of a second off the Junior Class Record she originally set in the season-opener. With that finish, Rioux easily won her heat and placed 13th out of 97 total sprinters in the event. The junior followed up her record-breaking performance with another heat-winning outing in the 400-meter dash. Posting a time of 55.76, Rioux won her heat and placed eighth in the full 67-runner field.

Junior Halle Hamilton, competing in her first 3000-meter event of the year, clocked a time of 9:56.08 (9:41.40, adjusted for altitude) to finish eighth in a field of 52, while seniors Rachel Crytser and Katie Thompson collected ninth-place marks in the mile (5:02.25, season-best 4:55.68a) and long jump (18'10¾"), respectively.

A pole vault victory from junior Robert Postell and the 15th-fastest 200-meter time in Academy history from freshman James Warmbrod IV highlighted the men's lineup during the first night of action at the Team Open. Postell recorded a season-best clearance of 15'7¼" to win Friday's pole vault and lead the Falcons to a pair of top-five finishes in the event, as freshman Tanner Woodring placed fifth with a height of 15'1½". On the track, Warmbrod used a personal-best time of 21.56 to win his 200-meter heat, finish 18th in a field of 99 runners, and move up 10 spots to No. 15 on the Academy's all-time standings.

Elsewhere in the Convention Center, Air Force claimed three of the top-eight distances in the weight throw. Sophomore Texas Tanner and senior Gerrit Tamminga finished third (66'5") and fourth (63'5"), respectively, in the 31-thrower event, while junior Cooper Stroka added an eighth-place distance of 58'1". Senior Brandon Lindner recorded a leap of 23'2" to finish eighth in the long jump, while junior Cameron Breier, competing in his first individual race since rejoining the team after football, clocked a 400-meter time of 48.30 to round out the Falcons' list of top-10 finishers (10th).

The Falcons return to action tomorrow (Jan. 27) morning to wrap up the New Mexico Team Open. Action is slated to begin with the women's pole vault at 8:30 a.m. (MT), while running events will get underway two hours later.

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