Falcons Sweep MW Freshman of the Week Awards
4/7/2026 1:04:00 PM | Track and Field
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Following an impressive weekend at the Jerry Quiller Classic, Zachary DeWalt and Arianna Valenzuela swept the Mountain West Freshman of the Week awards on April 7, as the conference office announced its weekly award winners. It is the second award of the season for DeWalt and the first for Valenzuela.
DeWalt had a strong outing at Potts Field, posting a career-best time of 21.08 in the 200-meter dash and running on a pair of standout relays. The first-year Falcons' 200-meter time, which was second in a field of 31 and helped Air Force to a 1-2-3 finish, is the 11th-fastest time in Academy history and the top time by a Freshman in the Mountain West this season (sixth overall). In addition, DeWalt ran on the 4x100-meter relay that clocked the seventh-fastest time in Academy history (40.44) during a time trial and led off the 4x400-meter relay that claimed first-place honors with a season-best time of 3:16.06.
With career-best marks in the hammer and discus, Valenzuela continued her climb up the Air Force Record Book at the Jerry Quiller Classic. With a distance of 50.60 meters (166'0"), Valenzuela broke the Academy's Freshman Class Record in the hammer throw, while moving up to No. 12 on the program's all-time standings and placing fourth in a field of 15 – the first non-senior finisher. She added a career-best throw of 45.23 meters (148'5") in the discus to place within the top half of the field and move up to No. 14 in the Air Force Record Book. The top-ranked MW Freshman in the hammer throw, Valenzuela is ranked No. 11 among all conference throwers in both events.
DeWalt had a strong outing at Potts Field, posting a career-best time of 21.08 in the 200-meter dash and running on a pair of standout relays. The first-year Falcons' 200-meter time, which was second in a field of 31 and helped Air Force to a 1-2-3 finish, is the 11th-fastest time in Academy history and the top time by a Freshman in the Mountain West this season (sixth overall). In addition, DeWalt ran on the 4x100-meter relay that clocked the seventh-fastest time in Academy history (40.44) during a time trial and led off the 4x400-meter relay that claimed first-place honors with a season-best time of 3:16.06.
With career-best marks in the hammer and discus, Valenzuela continued her climb up the Air Force Record Book at the Jerry Quiller Classic. With a distance of 50.60 meters (166'0"), Valenzuela broke the Academy's Freshman Class Record in the hammer throw, while moving up to No. 12 on the program's all-time standings and placing fourth in a field of 15 – the first non-senior finisher. She added a career-best throw of 45.23 meters (148'5") in the discus to place within the top half of the field and move up to No. 14 in the Air Force Record Book. The top-ranked MW Freshman in the hammer throw, Valenzuela is ranked No. 11 among all conference throwers in both events.
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