Friday, April 5
Boulder, CO
9:00 am MT
Air Force Academy
at
Colorado Invitational
Photo by: Tyler Schank, NCAA Photos
Texas Tanner Dominates Throwing Circle at Colorado
4/5/2024 9:53:00 PM | Track and Field
BOULDER, Colo. -- Air Force sophomore Texas Tanner decimated his own Academy Record in the hammer throw – and broke long-standing conference and service academy records for that event – during a stellar day in the throwing circle at the Colorado Invitational in Boulder on Friday, April 5.
Tanner, who initially reset his program record with a 69.78-meter (228'11") throw on his opening attempt, shattered that record four throws later, when he sent the hammer 72.36 meters (237'5") out. With that mark, which won the meet against many conference and local foes by more than 16 feet, Tanner recorded the farthest hammer throw distance in Mountain West history – adding more than one meter to a mark that had stood since 2003 – and posted the best distance of any hammer thrower in the history of the three service academies – improving a record that had stood since 1996 by more than two meters. Tanner's throw of 72.36 also surpasses the A standard for the upcoming U.S. Olympic Trials.
Overall, the Falcons' trio of hammer throwers combined for three of the four-best throws in program history on Friday, with senior Gerrit Tamminga and junior Cooper Stroka also having career days. Tamminga released a throw of 64.54 meters (211'9") to finish fourth in the meet and move into No. 3 on the Academy standings, while Stroka recorded a distance of 64.02 meters (210'0") to move up to No. 4 on the all-time list, reset the program's 13-year-old Junior Class Record and round out the Falcons' trio of top-five finishers.
In addition to his record-breaking throw in the hammer, Tanner also impacted the program's Top 6 during winning performances in the shot put and discus. He started the day by becoming just the second Falcon to break the 60-foot barrier in the outdoor shot put, as he recorded a winning throw of 60'5¼" (18.42m) to improve his distance by nearly four inches and move into No. 2 on the Academy's all-time standings. The success of the trip to Boulder continued into his final event, as he unleashed a career-best 55.19-meter (181'1") throw to win the discus by nearly four meters, break the three-year-old Sophomore Class Record and vault 14 spots to No. 6 in the Academy Record Book.
Air Force accounted for three of the top-five finishes in the discus throw, as sophomore Massimo Grisotto and Tamminga finished fourth (51.86m, 170'2") and fifth (49.35m, 161'11"), respectively. Freshman Mitchell Blakeslee also earned a top-five placement in the throws, as he placed fifth in the shot put with a 15.11-meter (49'7") throw – a mark just quarter inch off her career best.
Elsewhere, freshman Josh Razo won the 3000-meter run in 8:47.25, while sophomore Tanner Lindahl added a top-five finish (8:54.66, fifth). Junior Cameron Breier finished second in the 400-meter hurdles (season-best 51.75), while freshman Jonah Hochstetler earned the same placement in the 800-meter run (1:55.88). The freshmen duo of Roman Thomas and Patrick Lawson finished third (4:00.54) and fifth (4:01.35), respectively, in the 1500-meter run, the Falcons placed two in the top-five of the 110-meter hurdles (senior Brian Hubbard – fourth in 15.02; freshman Ben Sklodowski – fifth in 15.08) and freshman Zach King added a fourth-place finish in the 200-meter dash (22.36).
On the women's side, freshman Liliane Aittama earned the top collegiate finish (second overall) in the 800-meter run after crossing the finish line in 2:15.81 – a time that, when converted for altitude, is the No. 19 time in Air Force history. Junior Halle Hamilton also impacted the Academy Record Book on Friday, as she debuted at No. 24 in the 1500-meter run following an altitude-adjusted mark of 4:33.41 (4:40.09 raw).
The vertical jumps were held inside Colorado's Indoor Practice Facility due to concerns for the wind, which was forecasted to increase throughout the day. Junior Robert Postell cleared 4.88 meters (16'0") to tie for second in the men's pole vault, while freshman Tanner Woodring cleared 4.73m (15'6¼") to tie for fourth. Senior Philip Hundl rounded out the list of top-five finishers for Air Force on Friday, with a fifth-place leap of 1.86 meters (6'1¼") in the high jump.
The Falcons head to Southern California next weekend (April 11-13) for the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, and the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate and Beach Invitational in Long Beach.
Tanner, who initially reset his program record with a 69.78-meter (228'11") throw on his opening attempt, shattered that record four throws later, when he sent the hammer 72.36 meters (237'5") out. With that mark, which won the meet against many conference and local foes by more than 16 feet, Tanner recorded the farthest hammer throw distance in Mountain West history – adding more than one meter to a mark that had stood since 2003 – and posted the best distance of any hammer thrower in the history of the three service academies – improving a record that had stood since 1996 by more than two meters. Tanner's throw of 72.36 also surpasses the A standard for the upcoming U.S. Olympic Trials.
| ACADEMY RECORD |
| Texas Tanner, Men's Hammer Throw (72.36m, 237'5") |
Overall, the Falcons' trio of hammer throwers combined for three of the four-best throws in program history on Friday, with senior Gerrit Tamminga and junior Cooper Stroka also having career days. Tamminga released a throw of 64.54 meters (211'9") to finish fourth in the meet and move into No. 3 on the Academy standings, while Stroka recorded a distance of 64.02 meters (210'0") to move up to No. 4 on the all-time list, reset the program's 13-year-old Junior Class Record and round out the Falcons' trio of top-five finishers.
| AIR FORCE TOP 10 MARKS |
| No. 2 – Texas Tanner, Men's Shot Put (18.42m, 60'5¼") |
| No. 3 – Gerrit Tamminga, Men's Hammer Throw (64.54m, 211'9") |
| No. 4 – Cooper Stroka, Men's Hammer Throw (64.02m, 210'0") |
| No. 6 – Texas Tanner, Men's Discus Throw (55.19m, 181'1") |
In addition to his record-breaking throw in the hammer, Tanner also impacted the program's Top 6 during winning performances in the shot put and discus. He started the day by becoming just the second Falcon to break the 60-foot barrier in the outdoor shot put, as he recorded a winning throw of 60'5¼" (18.42m) to improve his distance by nearly four inches and move into No. 2 on the Academy's all-time standings. The success of the trip to Boulder continued into his final event, as he unleashed a career-best 55.19-meter (181'1") throw to win the discus by nearly four meters, break the three-year-old Sophomore Class Record and vault 14 spots to No. 6 in the Academy Record Book.
Air Force accounted for three of the top-five finishes in the discus throw, as sophomore Massimo Grisotto and Tamminga finished fourth (51.86m, 170'2") and fifth (49.35m, 161'11"), respectively. Freshman Mitchell Blakeslee also earned a top-five placement in the throws, as he placed fifth in the shot put with a 15.11-meter (49'7") throw – a mark just quarter inch off her career best.
Elsewhere, freshman Josh Razo won the 3000-meter run in 8:47.25, while sophomore Tanner Lindahl added a top-five finish (8:54.66, fifth). Junior Cameron Breier finished second in the 400-meter hurdles (season-best 51.75), while freshman Jonah Hochstetler earned the same placement in the 800-meter run (1:55.88). The freshmen duo of Roman Thomas and Patrick Lawson finished third (4:00.54) and fifth (4:01.35), respectively, in the 1500-meter run, the Falcons placed two in the top-five of the 110-meter hurdles (senior Brian Hubbard – fourth in 15.02; freshman Ben Sklodowski – fifth in 15.08) and freshman Zach King added a fourth-place finish in the 200-meter dash (22.36).
On the women's side, freshman Liliane Aittama earned the top collegiate finish (second overall) in the 800-meter run after crossing the finish line in 2:15.81 – a time that, when converted for altitude, is the No. 19 time in Air Force history. Junior Halle Hamilton also impacted the Academy Record Book on Friday, as she debuted at No. 24 in the 1500-meter run following an altitude-adjusted mark of 4:33.41 (4:40.09 raw).
The vertical jumps were held inside Colorado's Indoor Practice Facility due to concerns for the wind, which was forecasted to increase throughout the day. Junior Robert Postell cleared 4.88 meters (16'0") to tie for second in the men's pole vault, while freshman Tanner Woodring cleared 4.73m (15'6¼") to tie for fourth. Senior Philip Hundl rounded out the list of top-five finishers for Air Force on Friday, with a fifth-place leap of 1.86 meters (6'1¼") in the high jump.
The Falcons head to Southern California next weekend (April 11-13) for the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, and the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate and Beach Invitational in Long Beach.
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