Men Sweep Weekly Mountain West Awards
4/9/2024 1:00:00 PM | Track and Field
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The Air Force men swept the weekly Mountain West track and field awards this afternoon (April 9), as the conference office announced its athletes of the week. Sophomore Texas Tanner repeated as the MW Men's Field Athlete of the Week, while junior Cameron Breier was honored as the MW Men's Track Athlete of the Week and Jonah Hochstetler was selected as the MW Men's Freshman of the Week.
Tanner easily repeated as the league's top field athlete following a record-breaking day in the throwing circle at the Colorado Invitational. He shattered his own Academy Record in the hammer throw twice on Friday – finishing with a personal-best 72.36-meter (237'5") throw that broke the 21-year-old Mountain West Record and the 28-year-old Service Academy Record, while also surpassing the "A" standard to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials this summer. Winning the meet by nearly five meters – the same distance that he leads the conference by, Tanner is currently ranked seventh in the NCAA in his signature event. His performance in the hammer was bookended by victories in the shot put (career-best 18.42m, 60'5½" – No. 2 in Air Force history) and discus throw (career-best 55.19m, 181'1" – No. 6 in Air Force history) – marks that rank among the top two in the conference and top 50 in the NCAA.
With his first weekly Mountain West award, Breier marked the second-straight week that a member of the Falcons' intermediate hurdle squad has been recognized by the conference office. The junior recorded a season-best time of 51.75 to take second at the Colorado Invitational – a finish just shy of his own PR and a time that would've been in the Air Force Top 10 if he didn't already hold the No. 6 mark. With that finish, Breier moved into second in the conference, while holding a No. 20 placement in the West Region and a No. 45 ranking in the NCAA.
Hochstetler captured his first conference honor after recording the top 800-meter performance by a freshman this season at the Colorado Invitational. With an outdoor debut of 1:55.88, Hochstetler finished second out of 30 runners in Boulder. His altitude-adjusted time of 1:55.16 is the top performance by a first-year collegiate in the conference – and 14th overall.
The Falcons head to California this weekend for competitions in Azusa (Bryan Clay Invitational – April 11-13) and Long Beach (Pacific Coast Intercollegiate – April 11, Beach Invitational – April 12-13).
Tanner easily repeated as the league's top field athlete following a record-breaking day in the throwing circle at the Colorado Invitational. He shattered his own Academy Record in the hammer throw twice on Friday – finishing with a personal-best 72.36-meter (237'5") throw that broke the 21-year-old Mountain West Record and the 28-year-old Service Academy Record, while also surpassing the "A" standard to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials this summer. Winning the meet by nearly five meters – the same distance that he leads the conference by, Tanner is currently ranked seventh in the NCAA in his signature event. His performance in the hammer was bookended by victories in the shot put (career-best 18.42m, 60'5½" – No. 2 in Air Force history) and discus throw (career-best 55.19m, 181'1" – No. 6 in Air Force history) – marks that rank among the top two in the conference and top 50 in the NCAA.
With his first weekly Mountain West award, Breier marked the second-straight week that a member of the Falcons' intermediate hurdle squad has been recognized by the conference office. The junior recorded a season-best time of 51.75 to take second at the Colorado Invitational – a finish just shy of his own PR and a time that would've been in the Air Force Top 10 if he didn't already hold the No. 6 mark. With that finish, Breier moved into second in the conference, while holding a No. 20 placement in the West Region and a No. 45 ranking in the NCAA.
Hochstetler captured his first conference honor after recording the top 800-meter performance by a freshman this season at the Colorado Invitational. With an outdoor debut of 1:55.88, Hochstetler finished second out of 30 runners in Boulder. His altitude-adjusted time of 1:55.16 is the top performance by a first-year collegiate in the conference – and 14th overall.
The Falcons head to California this weekend for competitions in Azusa (Bryan Clay Invitational – April 11-13) and Long Beach (Pacific Coast Intercollegiate – April 11, Beach Invitational – April 12-13).
Players Mentioned
400m Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and FieldRyan Cole Interview - August 26th, 2025
Tuesday, August 26
Ryan Cole Interview March 11, 2025
Tuesday, March 11
Ryan Cole Interview May 20, 2024
Monday, May 20
Ryan Cole Interview - May 20, 2024
Monday, May 20
