Falcons Set to Host Annual All-Comers Meet

The meet will be held Saturday, Jan. 12, at the Cadet Field House.

Jan. 9, 2013

The Air Force track and field team returns to action this weekend, when it hosts the annual Air Force All-Comers Meet on Saturday, Jan. 12, at the Academy's Cadet Field House Indoor Track. Action begins at 8 a.m., with the women's weight throw.


Meet Notes 02: Air Force All-Comers Meet

MEET INFORMATION
The Air Force All-Comers Meet will begin at 8 a.m. (please note the start time is one hour earlier than stated on the original meet information sheet released in November). A complete schedule is available below. Due to the women's basketball game at 1 p.m., fans entering the Cadet Field House after 12 p.m. (noon) will be required to purchase a $2 ticket. In-meet updates will be available on the team's Twitter account (@af_trackfield).

COMPLETE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
8:00 a.m.: Women's Weight Throw, Men's Weight Throw, Women's Shot Put, Men's Shot Put; 9:00 a.m.: Men's Pole Vault, Women's Pole Vault; 9:00 a.m.: Men's Long Jump, Men's Triple Jump; 9:00 a.m.: Women's Long Jump, Women's Triple Jump; 9:00 a.m.: Women's High Jump, Men's High Jump; 10:00: Mile Run, 60-Meter Hurdles, 400-Meter Dash, 60-Meter Dash, 800-Meter Run, 200-Meter Dash, 3000-Meter Run, Mile Relay (the women will compete first in all running events).

PLEASE NOTE...
At the conclusion of the Air Force All-Comers Meet, vehicles will be asked to exit the Academy to the west of the Field House, due to incoming traffic for the Air Force-Army hockey game that is scheduled to begin at 4:05 p.m. Vehicles should plan to exit the parking lot through the service drive at the northeast corner of the Field House and follow the road around the athletic fields to reach North Gate Boulevard.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
The track and field team can be found on several social media outlets this season. The team has a new Twitter page, which is available by following @af_trackfield. Live updates from home competitions will be available on the team's Twitter page. The Falcons also remain on Facebook and can be "liked" at www.Facebook.com/AirForceTF.

MEN RANKED 30TH IN USTFCCCA PRESEASON PROJECTIONS
The men's team was ranked 30th in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Preseason Computer Projections. Air Force has the second-highest rating of the MW schools, finishing just three places behind New Mexico (27th). In addition, the Falcons are the highest ranked service academy and the highest ranked program among DI schools on the Front Range.

LEADING THE WAY
After the first month of competition, Cale Simmons and Kassie Gurnell lead the NCAA in their respective events. Simmons holds the nation's top spot in the pole vault with a clearance of 17'8½", while Gurnell leads Division I triple jumpers with a distance of 40'6¾". In addition to Simmons' NCAA-leading mark, Dylan Bell, Cort Rogers and Joey Uhle are tied for 10th with matching marks of 16'8¾", while Michael Tibbs and Elliott Beski are ranked 18th (16'4¾") and 21st (16'0¾"), respectively.

FORD NAMED AIR FORCE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Brian Ford was named the department's Athlete of the Week after recording the second-best weight throw mark in Academy history (61'0¼") at the Air Force Holiday Open. Ford unloaded the winning throw on his final attempt to easily defeat the field by over two feet. In addition to becoming just the fifth Air Force athlete to break the 60-foot plateau in the weight throw, Ford surpassed the program's Senior Class Record by one foot, displacing a mark that had stood since 1992.

WHAT A WAY TO START THE SEASON
Two non-traditional Academy records fell during the season-opening Air Force Holiday Open. Jake Spuller clocked a time of 34.85 to set a new standard in the 300-meter dash, while David Ptacek recorded a new 500-meter record after crossing the finish line in 1:05.47.

IT'S A CLASS ACT
It took just one meet for Brian Ford and Kassie Gurnell to set Academy Class Records in their respective events. With a career-best throw of 61'0¼", Ford broke the program's 21-year-old Senior Class mark with a winning effort in the weight throw, while Gurnell opened the year with a triple jump mark of 40'6¾" to break the Academy's Junior Class Record that had stood since 2003.

MAKING A NAME FOR YOURSELF
Two freshmen debuted on the Academy's all-time list during their first collegiate competition. Lea Ross recorded the sixth-best triple jump mark in program history (38'2¼") at the Air Force Holiday Open, while Riley Vann debuted in 10th on the program's pole vault standings with a winning clearance of 11'11¾".

THE LOCAL FLAVOR
The Falcons have 15 athletes that hail from the state of Colorado, including five -Jen Bremser (Sand Creek HS), Hannah Everson (Liberty HS), Nolan Mayhew (Cheyenne Mountain HS), Kobi Rex (Lewis Palmer HS) and Kendra Smith (Liberty HS) - that are from the Colorado Springs area. In addition, Matt Bell (Denver), Elliot Beski (Greenwood Village), Matt Caldwell (Centennial), Grant Caswell (Englewood), Chase Cooper (Centennial), Brian Ford (Alamosa), Evan Fortney (Denver), Gavin McHenry (Parker), Morgan Mosby (Evergreen) and Casey Riggs (Loveland) all call Colorado home.

LOOK WHO'S BACK FOR THE INDOOR SEASON
The reigning Mountain West men's champions return one NCAA All-American and Academy record holder in Cale Simmons (pole vault), one* individual MW champion (Simmons), four members of conference-winning relay teams (Anthony Delgado and Jake Spuller, 4x400-meter relay; Lance Wolfsmith and Matt Caldwell, distance medley relay) and five additional all-conference selections (Alex Lindsay, 800-meter run; Travis Smith, high jump; Zach Wood, high jump; Joey Uhle, pole vault; Michael Tibbs, heptathlon). Coming off of its best indoor season, the women's team returns three all-conference selections, including Academy record holder Kassie Gurnell (triple jump) and two members of the MW-winning distance medley relay team (Melissa Fuerst, Morgan Mosby). *Mountain West high jump champion Kobi Rex will redshirt the 2013 indoor season.

THE DOORS ARE ALWAYS OPEN
Air Force will host five home competitions during the indoor season. In addition to hosting the season opening Air Force Holiday Open in December 2012, the Falcons will host the Air Force All-Comers Meet (Jan. 12), the Air Force Indoor Combined Events Meet (Jan. 24-25), the Air Force Invitational (Jan. 25-26) and the Air Force Team Challenge (Feb. 9).

LEADING THE WAY
Seven seniors will serve as team captains of the 2012-13 Air Force track and field team. Sprinter Anthony Delgado, manager Riley Feeney, distance runner Andrew Quallio and pole vault Cale Simmons were chosen by their teammates as captains for the men's team, while sprinter Bethany Gross, middle distance runner Morgan Mosby and combined-events athlete Lesly Torres were selected to serve the women's team.

ON THE SIDELINES
Ralph Lindeman returns to the track for his 24th season as Air Force's head coach. An 11-time conference coach of the year, Lindeman guided the men's team to their first Mountain West title during the 2012 indoor season. He is joined on the Falcons' coaching staff by associate head coach Scott Irving and assistant coaches Juli Benson, Allen Johnson and Scott Steffan, as well as volunteer coaches Bob Graf, Mark Stanforth and Ron White.

WHAT'S ON DECK
The Falcons head to Lincoln, Neb., next weekend for the annual adidas Classic on Saturday, Jan. 19. Competing at the Bob Devaney Center on the campus of the University of Nebraska, Air Force will face teams from Iowa, Nebraska, Oral Roberts and Wichita State. In addition, members of the pole vault team will travel to Reno, Nev., for the annual Pole Vault Summit on Jan. 18-19.

2012-13 Air Force Track and Field Roster
Coaches



MenLast Name
NAME eligibility
YR EVENT(S) HOMETOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
artz ted
Ted Artz 7
SR 800m, 1500m Indian Harbor Beach, Fla./Satellite
bapty sean
Sean Bapty 1
FR 5000m, 10000m Albuquerque, N.M./La Cueva
bell devin
Devin Bell 1
FR 100m, 200m Houston, Texas/Cherokee Trail
bell dylan
Dylan Bell 1
FR Pole Vault Alvarado, Texas/Alvarado
bell matt
Matt Bell 7
SR 5000m, 10000m Denver, Colo./George Washington
beski elliott
Elliott Beski 5
JR Pole Vault Greenwood Village, Colo./Mullen
bieber dan
Dan Bieber 5
JR 400m Cherokee, Iowa/Washington
birdsell brendon
Brendon Birdsell 7
SR Hammer Tustin, Calif./Beckman
boudreaux chris
Chris Boudreaux 1
FR Shot Put, Discus Mobile, Ala./St. Paul's
bragg isaiah
Isaiah Bragg 5
JR 5000m, 10000m Springfield, Ohio/Emmanuel Christian Academy
bratka nate
Nate Bratka 5
JR Discus, Hammer, Shot Put West Liberty, Ohio/West Liberty-Salem
caddigan dan
Dan Caddigan 1
FR 5000m, 10000m Chicago, Ill./Brother Rice
caldwell matt
Matt Caldwell 5
JR 800m, 1500m Centennial, Colo./Smoky Hill
caswell grant
Grant Caswell 1
FR 800m, 1500m Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek
chambers james
James Chambers 7
SR Discus, Shot Put, Hammer Wichita Falls, Texas/Rider
christenson zack
Zack Christenson 3
SO 1500m, 5000m Safety Harbor, Fla./Countryside
coates riley
Riley Coates 3
SO 1500m, 5000m Rapid City, S.D./Stevens
cooper chase
Chase Cooper 7
SR Pole Vault Centennial, Colo./Smoky Hill
corona patrick
Patrick Corona 1
FR 800m, 1500m, 5000m Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield College Prep
cox shane
Shane Cox 7
SR Discus, Hammer, Shot Put Fremont, Neb./Fremont
craig michael
Michael Craig 5
JR 200m, 400m Orrville, Ohio/Orrville
delgado anthony
Anthony Delgado 7
SR 400m, 200m Austin, Texas/Liberal Arts and Science Academy
drenckhahn jeremy
Jeremy Drenckhahn 7
SR 5000m, 10000m Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata
duvall edmond
Edmond Duvall 3
SO 110m Hurdles, 400m Hurdles Marvin, N.C./Marvin Ridge
eifert carl
Carl Eifert 5
JR 3000m Steeplechase, 5000m Peachtree City, Ga./McIntosh
fooster jalen
Jalen Fooster 5
JR Hammer, Shot Put Marietta, Ga./Marietta
ford brian
Brian Ford 7
SR Discus, Shot Put, Hammer Alamosa, Colo./Alamosa
fortney evan
Evan Fortney 1
FR 800m, 1500m Denver, Colo./Faith Christian Academy
gagliano sam
Sam Gagliano 3
SO 110m Hurdles, Long Jump, High Jump Waxahachie, Texas/Waxahachie
gartrell kyle
Kyle Gartrell 3
SO Triple Jump Yakima, Wash./Riverside Christian
griffin garrett
Garrett Griffin 1
FR Javelin Louisburg, Kan./Louisburg
hackert brad
Brad Hackert 5
JR Decathlon Thomaston, Conn./Thomaston
hamilton grant
Grant Hamilton 1
FR Discus, Shot Put, Hammer Idabel, Okla./Idabel
hawkins jake
Jake Hawkins 5
JR 1500m, 5000m Derry, N.H./Pinkerton Academy
hood andrew
Andrew Hood 1
FR 400m, 800m, 1500m Franklin, Mass./Franklin
kearney blue
Blue Kearney 3
SO Long Jump, Triple Jump Lakewood, Wash./Lakes
kent william
William Kent 5
JR Hammer Marietta, Ga./George Walton Comp
latu siotame
Siotame Latu 3
SO 400m Eugene, Ore./South Eugene
lazas jake
Jake Lazas 1
FR Decathlon Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood
lindsay alex
Alex Lindsay 5
JR 800m, 1500m Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester Adams
macandrew james
James MacAndrew 7
SR 100m, 200m Mansfield, Texas/Pantego Christian Academy
mayhew nolan
Nolan Mayhew 1
FR 400m, 800m Colorado Springs, Colo./Cheyenne Mountain
mccool jordan
Jordan McCool 1
FR 400m, 400m Hurdles, 800m Anderson, Ind./Pendleton Heights
mcdowell evan
Evan McDowell 3
SO High Jump, Decathlon Hudsonville, Mich./Hudsonville
mchenry gavin
Gavin McHenry 1
FR 100m, 200m Parker, Colo./Chaparral
mihalik kevin
Kevin Mihalik 1
FR 1500m, 5000m San Diego, Calif./Rancho Bernardo
mitchell bryce
Bryce Mitchell 3
SO 110m Hurdles, 400m Hurdles Albuquerque, N.M./Cibola
myers elliot
Elliot Myers 3
SO 1500m, 5000m Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza
nielsen josh
Josh Nielsen 5
JR 400m, 200m Forest Lake, Minn./Home School
owens gage
Gage Owens 7
SR 800m, 1500m McAllister, Mont./Ennis
owens gavin
Gavin Owens 5
JR 1500m, 5000m McAllister, Mont./Ennis
peloquin casey
Casey Peloquin 1
FR 5000m, 3000m Steeplechase Gig Harbor, Wash./Gig Harbor
perkins charlie
Charlie Perkins 5
JR 1500m, 5000m Alameda, Calif./Alameda
perkins zach
Zach Perkins 3
SO 1500m, 5000m Alameda, Calif./Alameda
ptacek david
David Ptacek 5
JR 400m Allegan, Mich./Hamilton
quallio andrew
Andrew Quallio 7
SR 1500m, 5000m, 10,000m Jacksonville, Fla./Zama American (Japan)
rex kobi
Kobi Rex 3
SO High Jump Colorado Springs, Colo./Lewis Palmer
riggs casey
Casey Riggs 3
SO 110m Hurdles, 400m Hurdles Loveland, Colo./Loveland
rishel paul
Paul Rishel 7
SR Javelin York, Pa./Central York
rogers cort
Cort Rogers 5
JR Pole Vault Whitefish, Mont./Whitefish
shellhouse daniel
Daniel Shellhouse 1
FR 5000m, 10,000m Kingswood, Texas/Kingswood
shoaf steel
Steel Shoaf 1
FR 110m Hurdles, 400m Hurdles Alamogordo, N.M./Alamogordo
shoaf stone
Stone Shoaf 1
FR 800m, 1500m Alamogordo, N.M./Alamogordo
simmons cale
Cale Simmons 7
SR Pole Vault Rocklin, Calif./Rocklin
simmons rob
Rob Simmons 7
SR Pole Vault Rocklin, Calif./Rocklin
smith travis
Travis Smith 7
SR High Jump Clovis, Calif./Buchanan
spuller jake
Jake Spuller 3
SO 200m, 400m Dexter, Mich./Detroit Catholic Central
strickland dontae
Dontae Strickland 7
SR 100m, 200m, Long Jump Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs South
tibbs michael
Michael Tibbs 7
SR Decathlon, Pole Vault. Javelin Rogers, Ark./Rogers
udensi uzor
Uzor Udensi 7
SR 200m, 400m San Antonio, Texas/Central Catholic
uhle joey
Joey Uhle 3
SO Pole Vault Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty
urista tim
Tim Urista 5
JR Javelin Rosebury, Ore./Douglas
wilkin joe
Joe Wilkin 1
FR 110m Hurdles, 400m Hurdles Westerville, Ohio/Westerville North
wolfsmith lance
Lance Wolfsmith 5
JR 5000m, 3000m Steeplechase Morgan Hill, Calif./Ann Sobrato
wood zach
Zach Wood 7
SR High Jump Bowen, Ill./Southeastern


Women Last Name
NAME eligibility
YR EVENT(S) HOMETOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
alston naomi
Naomi Alston 1
FR 400m, 200m Fayetteville, N.C./Douglas Byrd
bauman becca
Becca Bauman 5
JR Discus, Hammer Post Falls, Idaho/Post Falls
bonner wren
Wren Bonner 3
SO Pole Vault, 100m Hurdles, Long Jump Whitney, Texas/Whitney
bremser jen
Jen Bremser 7
SR 3000m Steeplechase Colorado Springs, Colo./Sand Creek
carson erica
Erica Carson 3
SO 400m, 200m San Antonio, Texas/Ronald Reagan
connick heather
Heather Connick 3
SO 1500m, 5000m Pembroke, Mass./Pembroke
dong adrianna
Adrianna Dong 5
JR 800m, 1500m Phoenix, Ariz./North Canyon
drolshagen taylor
Taylor Drolshagen 3
SO 1500m, 5000m Muskego, Wis./Muskego
eichenberger annette
Annette Eichenberger 5
JR 800m, 1500m West Chicago, Ill./West Chicago Community
esselstein rebecca
Rebecca Esselstein 3
SO 800m, 1500m Dayton, Ohio/Archbishop Alter
everson hannah
Hannah Everson 1
FR 1500m, 5000m Colorado Springs, Colo./Liberty
freeman nikki
Nikki Freeman 3
SO Javelin Mandeville, La./Mandeville
french jacki
Jacki French 1
FR Javelin Malta, Mont./Malta
fuerst melissa
Melissa Fuerst 7
SR 800m, 1500m Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs
gross bethany
Bethany Gross 7
SR 400m, 200m, Long Jump Alexandria, S.D./Hanson
gurnell kassie
Kassie Gurnell 5
JR Triple Jump, 400m, Long Jump Pearland, Texas/Westbury Christian
herald rachel
Rachel Herald 5
JR High Jump Rockford, Mich./Rockford
holland katelyn
Katelyn Holland 1
FR Shot Put, Discus, Hammer Tomball, Texas/Concordia Lutheran
horn morgan
Morgan Horn 1
FR Pole Vault Waynesfield, Ohio/Waynesfield-Goshen
kanetzky kate
Kate Kanetzky 7
SR 5000m, 10000m Buda, Texas/Jack C. Hays
malone morgan
Morgan Malone 3
SO 100m, 200m San Antonio, Texas/Ronald Reagan
mayne tasha
Tasha Mayne 5
JR 400m, 800m Pflugerville, Texas/Hendrickson
mellado bizzy
Bizzy Mellado 7
SR Pole Vault South Barrington, Ill./William Fremd
moorkamp katy
Katy Moorkamp 7
SR Discus, Hammer, Shot Put Wildwood, Mo./Lafayette
mosby morgan
Morgan Mosby 7
SR 800m, 1500m Evergreen, Colo./Mullen
olesinski anna
Anna Olesinski 1
FR 1500m, 5000m Roswell, N.M./Roswell
piccone alana
Alana Piccone 5
JR Javelin Roseville, Calif./St. Francis
rogers regan
Regan Rogers 5
JR High Jump Wellsboro, Pa./Wellsboro Area
ross lea
Lea Ross 1
FR Long Jump, Triple Jump San Antonio, Texas/Trinity Christian Academy
rossillon marie
Marie Rossillon 3
SO 800m Albuquerque, N.M./Eldorado
schepper sierra
Sierra Schepper 3
SO 400m Hurdles Rapid City, S.D./Stevens
shirley paige
Paige Shirley 5
JR Pole Vault Jacksonville, Fla./Episcopal
smith kendra
Kendra Smith 3
SO Heptathlon, 100m Hurdles Colorado Springs, Colo./Liberty
smith kim
Kim Smith 5
JR Javelin Kirtland, N.M./Kirtland Central
tabb danielle
Danielle Tabb 3
SO Shot Put, Hammer, Discus Spanaway, Wash./Bethel
torres lesly
Lesly Torres 7
SR High Jump, Heptathlon Los Lunas, N.M./Los Lunas
vann riley
Riley Vann 1
FR Pole Vault, 100m Hurdles Oswego, Ill./Oswego
wagemaker emily
Emily Wagemaker 1
FR 5000m, 1500m Topeka, Kan./Topeka
westfall libby
Libby Westfall 5
JR Pole Vault, 400m Hurdles Colorado Springs, Colo./Pine Creek


COACHING STAFF


Ralph Lindeman - Head Coach | Combined Events
Scott Irving - Associate Head Coach | Throws
Juli Benson - Assistant Coach | Middle Distance, Distance
Allen Johnson - Assistant Coach | Sprints, Hurdles
Scott Steffan - Assistant Coach | Pole Vault
Bob Graf - Volunteer Coach | High Jump
Mark Stanforth - Volunteer Coach | Distances
Ron White - Volunteer Coach | Sprints
Lt Kelly Heinbaugh - Director of Track and Field Operations







Courtesy AF Athletics Track & Field