Saturday, May 3
Fort Collins, CO
10:00 am MT
Air Force Academy
at
Doug Max Invitational
Photo by: Alysa Rubin/NCAA Photos
Kayla Beach Breaks Air Force Long Jump Record at CSU
5/3/2025 6:57:00 PM | Track and Field
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Sophomore Kayla Beach recorded her second Air Force Record of the season this afternoon (May 3), as the track and field team faced their Front Range counterparts at the annual Doug Max Invitational in Fort Collins. Beach, who tied – and then broke – the program's long jump record on Saturday, was one of six Falcons to account for an Air Force Top 10 performance on Saturday.
Beach, who broke the program's 40-year-old record in the heptathlon earlier this spring, moved her name up to the top of the Academy's long jump standings during a strong outing on the runway at the Jack Christiansen Track Complex. The sophomore opened the day by tying the program standard of 5.83 meters (19'1½") that Katie Thompson had set in 2023. Beach took outright control of the Air Force Record four jumps later, when she improved her distance to 5.84 meters (19'1¾"). She closed the series with a 5.88-meter (19'3¼") attempt under +2.6 m/s wind conditions – a mark that, although the wind was above the legal range, will go down as one of the best all-condition jumps in program history.
Air Force bookended the day with Meet Record performances from the field, as junior Texas Tanner opened the competition with a winning distance of 73.67 meters (241'9") in the hammer throw and sophomore Jonah Meyer closed out the afternoon with a first-place throw of 59.83 meters (196'4") in the javelin. The men produced a 1-2 finish in the discus throw (junior Massimo Grisotto, 50.96 meters/167'2"), while senior Cooper Stroka unleashed the second-best hammer throw in Air Force history (67.33 meters, 220'11") to place third in the meet and break the program's Senior Class Record.
The men made three improvements to the Academy's all-time standings in the 1500-meter run, while a trio of women did the same to the program's 800-meter standings. Using a raw time of 3:47.11 to finish fourth out of 31 athletes in the 1500-meter run, junior Ben Scheller moved up to No. 5 in the Air Force Record Book once that time was adjusted for altitude to 3:41.98. Freshman Saketh Rudraraju debuted at No. 10 behind a time of 3:43.90a and junior Ethan Ashley moved up to No. 15 following a 3:44.91a finish. On the women's side, sophomore Camryn Bodine was the top collegiate finisher (2:09.78, second overall) in the 800-meter run and led the Falcons to two of the top three finishes in the full 22-runner event, as classmate Rachel Fereday placed third in 2:10.04. In addition to their finishes in the meet, the pair moved up to seventh (2:09.02a) and eighth (2:09.28a), respectively, in the Air Force Top 10 following altitude conversions, while freshman Leilani Harris debuted at No. 18 behind a 2:13.08a finish.
The men saw three underclassmen collect event titles with Air Force Top 20 performances. Sophomore Ryan Hajek used a career-best time of 52.55 to win the 400-meter hurdles and account for the 19th-fastest time in program history, while freshman Junior Allen debuted in that same position on the program's steeplechase standings after recording an altitude-adjusted time of 9:10.16 in his event debut. Fellow freshman Parker Hintz moved up to No. 20 on the program's all-time standings in the 800-meter run (1:50.96a), as he used a raw time of 1:51.60 to pace the Falcons to a 1-2-3 sweep in the 12-man race (sophomore Jonah Hochstetler – 1:51.06, freshman Wyatt Cernyar – 1:52.21)
Freshman Sarah Reynolds and sophomore Allison Fernstrom recorded Air Force Top 20 marks in both the 200-meter and 400-meter sprints on Saturday. Reynolds used the 13th-fastest 200-meter time in program history (24.37) to finish second in the 16-runner event and lead the Falcons to three of the top five finishes (Fernstrom – 25.45, No. 15 all-time; sophomore Brooke Coleman – 25.56, No. 16 all-time), while Fernstrom added another No. 15 all-time mark during a third-place finish in the 400-meter dash (56.96) – a race that saw Reynolds place fourth after clocking the 18th-fastest time in program history at 57.11.
A pair of freshmen jumpers also impacted the women's all-time standings, as Ella Pears debuted at No. 11 on the program's triple jump standings, following a fifth-place leap of 11.57 meters (37'7½") in her first wind-legal competition of the year, while Barrett Boyd moved up to No. 19 in the pole vault after recording a fifth-place clearance of 3.60 meters (11'9½").
Elsewhere on the Jack Christiansen Track Complex, senior Ally Peterson recorded a time of 16:40.46 to easily win the 5000-meter run and pace the Falcons to three of the top-five finishes, as the sophomore duo of Anna Harden and Scarlet Fetterolf placed third (17:32.60) and fifth (17:52.38), respectively. The men accounted for two of the top five times in their 5000-meter event, as junior Tanner Lindahl finished third out of 17 runners behind a time of 14:33.56 and freshman Matthew Edwards added a 14:46.92 finish to place fifth in his first collegiate 5K.
In addition to his victories in the hammer and discus, Tanner added a third-place finish in the shot put behind a throw of 18.20 meters (59'8½"). Sophomore Jace Martin earned the same finish in the 200-meter dash (21.43), while classmate Zachary King added a fifth-place time of 48.23 in the 400-meter dash. On the women's side, sophomore Paige Birch recorded a distance of 55.21 meters (181'2") to finish fourth in the hammer throw, while freshman Ryan McFadden recorded one of the fastest all-condition 100-meter times in program history (12.10, +2.7 wind) to finish fourth in that race.
The Falcons return to action – and the Academy – next Friday (May 9), when they host the Air Force Twilight Open at the Cadet Outdoor Track and Field Complex.
| AIR FORCE RECORDS |
| Kayla Beach, Women's Long Jump (5.84m, 9'1¾") |
Beach, who broke the program's 40-year-old record in the heptathlon earlier this spring, moved her name up to the top of the Academy's long jump standings during a strong outing on the runway at the Jack Christiansen Track Complex. The sophomore opened the day by tying the program standard of 5.83 meters (19'1½") that Katie Thompson had set in 2023. Beach took outright control of the Air Force Record four jumps later, when she improved her distance to 5.84 meters (19'1¾"). She closed the series with a 5.88-meter (19'3¼") attempt under +2.6 m/s wind conditions – a mark that, although the wind was above the legal range, will go down as one of the best all-condition jumps in program history.
| AIR FORCE TOP 10 MARKS |
| No. 2 – Cooper Stroka, Men's Hammer Throw (67.33m, 220'11") |
| No. 5 – Ben Scheller, Men's 1500-Meter Run (3:41.98a) |
| No. 7 – Camryn Bodine, Women's 800-Meter Run (2:09.02a) |
| No. 8 – Rachel Fereday, Women's 800-Meter Run (2:09.28a) |
| No. 10 – Saketh Rudraraju, Men's 1500-Meter Run (3:43.90a) |
Air Force bookended the day with Meet Record performances from the field, as junior Texas Tanner opened the competition with a winning distance of 73.67 meters (241'9") in the hammer throw and sophomore Jonah Meyer closed out the afternoon with a first-place throw of 59.83 meters (196'4") in the javelin. The men produced a 1-2 finish in the discus throw (junior Massimo Grisotto, 50.96 meters/167'2"), while senior Cooper Stroka unleashed the second-best hammer throw in Air Force history (67.33 meters, 220'11") to place third in the meet and break the program's Senior Class Record.
The men made three improvements to the Academy's all-time standings in the 1500-meter run, while a trio of women did the same to the program's 800-meter standings. Using a raw time of 3:47.11 to finish fourth out of 31 athletes in the 1500-meter run, junior Ben Scheller moved up to No. 5 in the Air Force Record Book once that time was adjusted for altitude to 3:41.98. Freshman Saketh Rudraraju debuted at No. 10 behind a time of 3:43.90a and junior Ethan Ashley moved up to No. 15 following a 3:44.91a finish. On the women's side, sophomore Camryn Bodine was the top collegiate finisher (2:09.78, second overall) in the 800-meter run and led the Falcons to two of the top three finishes in the full 22-runner event, as classmate Rachel Fereday placed third in 2:10.04. In addition to their finishes in the meet, the pair moved up to seventh (2:09.02a) and eighth (2:09.28a), respectively, in the Air Force Top 10 following altitude conversions, while freshman Leilani Harris debuted at No. 18 behind a 2:13.08a finish.
The men saw three underclassmen collect event titles with Air Force Top 20 performances. Sophomore Ryan Hajek used a career-best time of 52.55 to win the 400-meter hurdles and account for the 19th-fastest time in program history, while freshman Junior Allen debuted in that same position on the program's steeplechase standings after recording an altitude-adjusted time of 9:10.16 in his event debut. Fellow freshman Parker Hintz moved up to No. 20 on the program's all-time standings in the 800-meter run (1:50.96a), as he used a raw time of 1:51.60 to pace the Falcons to a 1-2-3 sweep in the 12-man race (sophomore Jonah Hochstetler – 1:51.06, freshman Wyatt Cernyar – 1:52.21)
Freshman Sarah Reynolds and sophomore Allison Fernstrom recorded Air Force Top 20 marks in both the 200-meter and 400-meter sprints on Saturday. Reynolds used the 13th-fastest 200-meter time in program history (24.37) to finish second in the 16-runner event and lead the Falcons to three of the top five finishes (Fernstrom – 25.45, No. 15 all-time; sophomore Brooke Coleman – 25.56, No. 16 all-time), while Fernstrom added another No. 15 all-time mark during a third-place finish in the 400-meter dash (56.96) – a race that saw Reynolds place fourth after clocking the 18th-fastest time in program history at 57.11.
A pair of freshmen jumpers also impacted the women's all-time standings, as Ella Pears debuted at No. 11 on the program's triple jump standings, following a fifth-place leap of 11.57 meters (37'7½") in her first wind-legal competition of the year, while Barrett Boyd moved up to No. 19 in the pole vault after recording a fifth-place clearance of 3.60 meters (11'9½").
Elsewhere on the Jack Christiansen Track Complex, senior Ally Peterson recorded a time of 16:40.46 to easily win the 5000-meter run and pace the Falcons to three of the top-five finishes, as the sophomore duo of Anna Harden and Scarlet Fetterolf placed third (17:32.60) and fifth (17:52.38), respectively. The men accounted for two of the top five times in their 5000-meter event, as junior Tanner Lindahl finished third out of 17 runners behind a time of 14:33.56 and freshman Matthew Edwards added a 14:46.92 finish to place fifth in his first collegiate 5K.
In addition to his victories in the hammer and discus, Tanner added a third-place finish in the shot put behind a throw of 18.20 meters (59'8½"). Sophomore Jace Martin earned the same finish in the 200-meter dash (21.43), while classmate Zachary King added a fifth-place time of 48.23 in the 400-meter dash. On the women's side, sophomore Paige Birch recorded a distance of 55.21 meters (181'2") to finish fourth in the hammer throw, while freshman Ryan McFadden recorded one of the fastest all-condition 100-meter times in program history (12.10, +2.7 wind) to finish fourth in that race.
The Falcons return to action – and the Academy – next Friday (May 9), when they host the Air Force Twilight Open at the Cadet Outdoor Track and Field Complex.
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Heptathlon
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Middle Distance, Distance
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Middle Distance, Distance
/ Track and Field
Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Sprints, Long Jump
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Triple Jump
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Heptathlon
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Long Jump, Hurdles
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