Saturday, January 27
Albuquerque, NM
10:00 am MT
Air Force Academy
at
New Mexico Team Open
Photo by: Rayna Schmidt
Falcons Impact Record Book in Albuquerque
1/27/2024 6:18:00 PM | Track and Field
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Highlighted by a strong showing at 800 meters, the Air Force track and field team wrapped up the final day of competition at the New Mexico Team Open on Saturday, Jan. 27, with one event win and three impacts to the program's Top 10.
Freshmen Liliane Aittama and Camryn Bodine shined at the Albuquerque Convention Center on Saturday, as they finished 1-2 in the 800-meter run. Aittama clocked a time of 2:12.00 to win the 34-runner event, while Bodine was hot on her heels with a runner-up time of 2:12.48. With adjustments for altitude, Aittama's 2:11.27a is the fifth-fastest time in Academy history, while Bodine's 2:11.74a is the program's sixth-fastest time. Bodine returned to the track two events later to anchor a 4x400-meter relay that combined for the third-fastest time in Air Force history. Joined by new junior Taylor Rioux, who set the Academy Record in the 200-meter dash last night, and the freshmen duo of Kori Leverenz and Allison Fernstrom, the quartet posted a time of 3:47.49 – the program's fastest relay in two years.
Freshman Emma Opalacz (11'7¾") and sophomore Nathalia Veal (11'1¾") finished second and third, respectively, in their section of the pole vault, while freshman Anna Harden (5:08.32) and senior Rebecca Wusinich (5:09.50) recorded career-best marks to place within the top 15 of the 55-runner mile event.
The all-time standings of the men's 800-meter run also received an update on Saturday, as senior Alex Patton recorded a career-best time of 1:51.24 (adjusted for altitude) to debut at No. 13 in the Academy Record Book. With his raw time of 1:51.86, Patton finished seventh in the full field of 48.
Elsewhere, sophomore Texas Tanner earned runner-up honors in the shot put with a distance of 59'10¼", while senior Gerrit Tamminga added a top-15 finish in the 34-thrower event behind a toss of 50'0½"). Senior Caiden Macktinger cleared the 17-foot bar for the third time this year, as he recorded a height 17'1" to finish sixth in the Invitational section of the pole vault, and classmate Brandon Lindner collected a top-15 finish in the triple jump (46'5½", 11th). Junior Javin Bostic finished 12th in the Invitational section of the 60-meter dash (6.80), while classmate Darek Hackett and senior Sean Meador placed within the top 15 of the 60-meter hurdles, finishing 13th (8.12) and 14th (8.17), respectively.
The Falcons split next weekend (Feb 2-3) for a pair of meets. Most of the team will return to Boulder for the Colorado Invitational, while the Falcons' multi-event athletes will head back to Albuquerque for the New Mexico Collegiate Classic.
| AIR FORCE TOP 10 MARKS |
| No. 3 – Women's 4x400-Meter Relay (3:47.49) |
| No. 5 – Liliane Aittama, Women's 800-Meter Run (2:11.27a) |
| No. 6 – Camryn Bodine, Women's 800-Meter Run (2:11.74a) |
Freshmen Liliane Aittama and Camryn Bodine shined at the Albuquerque Convention Center on Saturday, as they finished 1-2 in the 800-meter run. Aittama clocked a time of 2:12.00 to win the 34-runner event, while Bodine was hot on her heels with a runner-up time of 2:12.48. With adjustments for altitude, Aittama's 2:11.27a is the fifth-fastest time in Academy history, while Bodine's 2:11.74a is the program's sixth-fastest time. Bodine returned to the track two events later to anchor a 4x400-meter relay that combined for the third-fastest time in Air Force history. Joined by new junior Taylor Rioux, who set the Academy Record in the 200-meter dash last night, and the freshmen duo of Kori Leverenz and Allison Fernstrom, the quartet posted a time of 3:47.49 – the program's fastest relay in two years.
Freshman Emma Opalacz (11'7¾") and sophomore Nathalia Veal (11'1¾") finished second and third, respectively, in their section of the pole vault, while freshman Anna Harden (5:08.32) and senior Rebecca Wusinich (5:09.50) recorded career-best marks to place within the top 15 of the 55-runner mile event.
The all-time standings of the men's 800-meter run also received an update on Saturday, as senior Alex Patton recorded a career-best time of 1:51.24 (adjusted for altitude) to debut at No. 13 in the Academy Record Book. With his raw time of 1:51.86, Patton finished seventh in the full field of 48.
Elsewhere, sophomore Texas Tanner earned runner-up honors in the shot put with a distance of 59'10¼", while senior Gerrit Tamminga added a top-15 finish in the 34-thrower event behind a toss of 50'0½"). Senior Caiden Macktinger cleared the 17-foot bar for the third time this year, as he recorded a height 17'1" to finish sixth in the Invitational section of the pole vault, and classmate Brandon Lindner collected a top-15 finish in the triple jump (46'5½", 11th). Junior Javin Bostic finished 12th in the Invitational section of the 60-meter dash (6.80), while classmate Darek Hackett and senior Sean Meador placed within the top 15 of the 60-meter hurdles, finishing 13th (8.12) and 14th (8.17), respectively.
The Falcons split next weekend (Feb 2-3) for a pair of meets. Most of the team will return to Boulder for the Colorado Invitational, while the Falcons' multi-event athletes will head back to Albuquerque for the New Mexico Collegiate Classic.
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Track and Field
Distance
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Sprints
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Hurdles, Middle Distance
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Hurdles
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Distance
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Sprints
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Long Jump, Triple Jump
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Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Mid-Distance
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Distance
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