Friday, May 10
Clovis, CA
10:30 am MT
Air Force Academy
at
Mountain West Championships
Photo by: Alysa Rubin/NCAA Photos
Braeden Holcombe, Jalan Rivers Add to Falcons’ MW Title Haul
5/10/2024 11:34:00 PM | Track and Field
CLOVIS, Calif. -- Two conference titles and an Academy Record in the long jump headlined the second day of action for Air Force at the Mountain West Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Clovis, California. The Falcons made five trips to the awards podium on Friday (May 10) night, while rounding out its list of finalists during several preliminary races.
Registering the fourth-highest point total in Academy history – and an Olympic Trials qualifying mark, senior Braeden Holcombe became just the fourth athlete in Mountain West history to win the decathlon more than once in a career. After opening the day with an event-leading 863-point time of 14.89 in the 110-meter hurdles, Holcombe added 624 points in the discus throw (38.02m, 124'9"), 760 points in the pole vault (4.50m, 14'9") and 575 points in the javelin throw (49.06m, 160'11") to enter the final event – a winner-take-all 1500-meter run – with a narrow 21-point lead over Colorado State's Mauricio Galindo Vega. Knocking more than four seconds off his previous best time, Holcombe got to the finish line in a 713-point time of 4:34.80 – nearly two seconds ahead of his challenger – to win the race and secure the decathlon title by 33 points.
Holcombe led the Falcons to 18 total points in the decathlon, as senior Brian Hubbard and freshman Wyatt Curl finished fourth (6527) and sixth (6323), respectively. Hubbard collected 810 points in the 110-meter hurdles (15.33), 494 points in the discus throw (31.49m, 103'3"), 673 points in the pole vault (4.20m, 13'9¼"), 506 points in the javelin throw (44.35m, 145'7") and 551 points in the 1500-meter run (5:01.44), while Curl tallied 697 points in the 110-meter hurdles (16.32), 384 points in the discus throw (24.09m, 84'11"), 819 points in the pole vault (4.70m, 15'5"), 389 points in the javelin throw (26.41m, 119'3") and 670 points in the 1500-meter run (4:41.72).
Not long after Holcombe departed the awards podium, junior Jalan Rivers made his way to the top step – marking the fifth time in as many events that Air Force had captured a conference title during the first two days of competition. With a season-high clearance of 2.12 meters (6'11½"), Rivers successfully defended his Mountain West Outdoor title in the high jump – becoming the first conference athlete to go back-to-back since Air Force's Taylor Smith in 2014-15 – and just the third MW athlete overall.
Backed by podium finishes from Rivers and freshman Devin Jordan, the high jump added 23 points to the Falcons' total following four scoring performances. Jordan cleared 2.05 meters (6'8¾") to help Air Force to the 1-2 finish, while senior Philip Hundl tied for fourth and Curl placed eighth with matching clearances of 1.95 meter (6'4¾").
The men claimed two more trips to the podium on Friday, with senior Brandon Lindner doing so in record-setting fashion. On his final attempt of the night, the senior recorded a leap of 7.56 meters – a 24'9¾" mark that broke an Academy Record that had stood since 2015 (Blue Kearney, 24'7¾"). In addition to also improving the Senior Class Record that he set during the indoor season, that distance moved Lindner into second in the event standings for a trip to the podium.
Junior Jason Renze closed out the night with a bronze medal performance in the 3000-meter steeplechase (8:47.14), while sophomore Texas Tanner – yesterday's winner in the hammer throw – added a fifth-place distance of 17.17 meters (56'4") in the shot put.
On the women's side, Air Force earned multiple scoring finishes in the pole vault, as well as a top-five finish in the 3000-meter steeplechase. Senior Kasarah Hernandez recorded a career-best clearance of 3.88 meters (12'8¾") to finish fourth in the pole vault and move into No. 9 on the Academy's all-time standings, while freshman Alex Brooks cleared 3.73 meters (12'2¾") to tie for seventh. Senior Rachel Crytser rounded out the scoring with a season-best, fifth-place time of 10:16.65 in the steeplechase.
The remaining four qualifying races were contested tonight, with nine more Falcons advancing out of the preliminary round. Backed by a 4-5-6 finish from junior Darek Hackett (14.06), senior Seth Meador (14.17) and Hundl (14.20), the men qualified three into the finals of the 110-meter hurdles. The men also earned multiple finalists in the 100-meter dash (junior Javin Bostic, 10.46; senior Jackson Connelly, 10.61) and 1500-meter run (senior Sean Maison, 3:47.11; sophomore Ben Scheller, 3:47.94), while freshman James Warmbrod IV advanced on time into the finals of the 400-meter dash following a 47.56 finish.
On the women's side, junior Taylor Rioux improved her own No. 3 mark on the Academy's all-time standings, as she clocked a 54.52 to qualify in the 400-meter dash.
Entering the final day of competition, the men hold a 47-point lead over the rest of the field, having amassed 112 points in the first eight events, while the women are in seventh with 16 points.
Freshman Kayla Beach concluded her conference heptathlon debut with 4279 points – a 12th-place tally that moved her into No. 10 on the Academy's all-time standings. Headlining the day was a fifth-place leap of 5.31 meters (17'5½") in the long jump (648 points), while she also tallied 651 points in the 800-meter run (2:33.39) and 500 points in the javelin throw (career-best 21.34 meters, 102'6").
The Falcons return to Veterans Memorial Stadium tomorrow (May 11) for Championship Saturday at the Mountain West Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Air Force will get underway at 3:15 p.m. (PT).
| MOUNTAIN WEST CHAMPION |
| Braeden Holcombe, Decathlon |
| Jalan Rivers, High Jump |
Registering the fourth-highest point total in Academy history – and an Olympic Trials qualifying mark, senior Braeden Holcombe became just the fourth athlete in Mountain West history to win the decathlon more than once in a career. After opening the day with an event-leading 863-point time of 14.89 in the 110-meter hurdles, Holcombe added 624 points in the discus throw (38.02m, 124'9"), 760 points in the pole vault (4.50m, 14'9") and 575 points in the javelin throw (49.06m, 160'11") to enter the final event – a winner-take-all 1500-meter run – with a narrow 21-point lead over Colorado State's Mauricio Galindo Vega. Knocking more than four seconds off his previous best time, Holcombe got to the finish line in a 713-point time of 4:34.80 – nearly two seconds ahead of his challenger – to win the race and secure the decathlon title by 33 points.
Holcombe led the Falcons to 18 total points in the decathlon, as senior Brian Hubbard and freshman Wyatt Curl finished fourth (6527) and sixth (6323), respectively. Hubbard collected 810 points in the 110-meter hurdles (15.33), 494 points in the discus throw (31.49m, 103'3"), 673 points in the pole vault (4.20m, 13'9¼"), 506 points in the javelin throw (44.35m, 145'7") and 551 points in the 1500-meter run (5:01.44), while Curl tallied 697 points in the 110-meter hurdles (16.32), 384 points in the discus throw (24.09m, 84'11"), 819 points in the pole vault (4.70m, 15'5"), 389 points in the javelin throw (26.41m, 119'3") and 670 points in the 1500-meter run (4:41.72).
Not long after Holcombe departed the awards podium, junior Jalan Rivers made his way to the top step – marking the fifth time in as many events that Air Force had captured a conference title during the first two days of competition. With a season-high clearance of 2.12 meters (6'11½"), Rivers successfully defended his Mountain West Outdoor title in the high jump – becoming the first conference athlete to go back-to-back since Air Force's Taylor Smith in 2014-15 – and just the third MW athlete overall.
Backed by podium finishes from Rivers and freshman Devin Jordan, the high jump added 23 points to the Falcons' total following four scoring performances. Jordan cleared 2.05 meters (6'8¾") to help Air Force to the 1-2 finish, while senior Philip Hundl tied for fourth and Curl placed eighth with matching clearances of 1.95 meter (6'4¾").
| ACADEMY RECORD |
| Brandon Lindner, Men's Long Jump (7.56m, 24'9¾") |
The men claimed two more trips to the podium on Friday, with senior Brandon Lindner doing so in record-setting fashion. On his final attempt of the night, the senior recorded a leap of 7.56 meters – a 24'9¾" mark that broke an Academy Record that had stood since 2015 (Blue Kearney, 24'7¾"). In addition to also improving the Senior Class Record that he set during the indoor season, that distance moved Lindner into second in the event standings for a trip to the podium.
Junior Jason Renze closed out the night with a bronze medal performance in the 3000-meter steeplechase (8:47.14), while sophomore Texas Tanner – yesterday's winner in the hammer throw – added a fifth-place distance of 17.17 meters (56'4") in the shot put.
On the women's side, Air Force earned multiple scoring finishes in the pole vault, as well as a top-five finish in the 3000-meter steeplechase. Senior Kasarah Hernandez recorded a career-best clearance of 3.88 meters (12'8¾") to finish fourth in the pole vault and move into No. 9 on the Academy's all-time standings, while freshman Alex Brooks cleared 3.73 meters (12'2¾") to tie for seventh. Senior Rachel Crytser rounded out the scoring with a season-best, fifth-place time of 10:16.65 in the steeplechase.
The remaining four qualifying races were contested tonight, with nine more Falcons advancing out of the preliminary round. Backed by a 4-5-6 finish from junior Darek Hackett (14.06), senior Seth Meador (14.17) and Hundl (14.20), the men qualified three into the finals of the 110-meter hurdles. The men also earned multiple finalists in the 100-meter dash (junior Javin Bostic, 10.46; senior Jackson Connelly, 10.61) and 1500-meter run (senior Sean Maison, 3:47.11; sophomore Ben Scheller, 3:47.94), while freshman James Warmbrod IV advanced on time into the finals of the 400-meter dash following a 47.56 finish.
On the women's side, junior Taylor Rioux improved her own No. 3 mark on the Academy's all-time standings, as she clocked a 54.52 to qualify in the 400-meter dash.
Entering the final day of competition, the men hold a 47-point lead over the rest of the field, having amassed 112 points in the first eight events, while the women are in seventh with 16 points.
Freshman Kayla Beach concluded her conference heptathlon debut with 4279 points – a 12th-place tally that moved her into No. 10 on the Academy's all-time standings. Headlining the day was a fifth-place leap of 5.31 meters (17'5½") in the long jump (648 points), while she also tallied 651 points in the 800-meter run (2:33.39) and 500 points in the javelin throw (career-best 21.34 meters, 102'6").
The Falcons return to Veterans Memorial Stadium tomorrow (May 11) for Championship Saturday at the Mountain West Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Air Force will get underway at 3:15 p.m. (PT).
Players Mentioned
Heptathlon
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Decathlon
/ Track and Field
Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Decathlon
/ Track and Field
Decathlon
/ Track and Field
Hurdles, High Jump
/ Track and Field
Long Jump, Triple Jump
/ Track and Field
Long Jump, Triple Jump
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
High Jump
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Sprints
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