Two Top-10 Marks Highlight Air Force Collegiate Open
Jan. 9, 2015
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. - Backed by two additions to the program's top 10, five first-place finishes and three `top collegiate' placements, the Air Force track and field team wrapped up competition at the Air Force Collegiate Open this evening (Jan. 9) at the Academy's Cadet Field House.
Sophomore Darby Maier and junior Spencer Baldwin accounted for the seventh-best distances in Academy history in the shot put and weight throw, respectively. Maier added seven inches to his mark in the shot put to improve his No. 7 standing on the program's all-time list and take second in the meet, while Baldwin improved his distance in the weight throw by nearly three feet to move from 10th to seventh on the Academy's top-10 and place third in the competition.
Air Force added an event title in shot put, as well as three additional top-10 placements in the two men's throwing events. Junior Grant Hamilton won the shot put following a toss of 57'5¾", while freshman Jackson Spalding finished eighth with a personal-best toss of 49'5". In addition to his runner-up finish in the shot put, Maier placed fifth in the weight throw with a career-best toss of 54'11½", while freshman Brooks Hardy recorded a mark of 46'7¼" to finish ninth.
Senior Joey Uhle finished first in the pole vault with a clearance of 17'0¾", while junior Dylan Bell took third with the same clearance. Freshman John Reynolds was the top collegiate finisher in the triple jump, placing second overall with a distance of 46'8".
On the track, junior Dan Caddigan paced the Falcons to the top-three finishes in the 3000-meter run, while sophomoreMatt Dorsey led the men to the top four collegiate finishes in the 800-meter run. Caddigan clocked in at 9:04.61 to win the overall title in the night's longest race, while sophomore Ryan Graf (9:04.90) and junior Daniel Shellhouse (9:21.01) placed second and third, respectively. With an 800-meter time of 1:58.59, Dorsey was the top collegiate finisher in that event and placed second overall, while senior Zach Perkins(1:58.89), junior Patrick Corona (1:59.28) and classmateGrant Caswell (1:59.58) rounded out the overall top five.
Air Force swept the event titles in the 800-meter run, as freshman Carina Gillespie won the women's race with a debut of 2:20.25. The Falcons also swept the collegiate finishes in the mile, as freshman Giulianna Vessa finished first in the women's race (5:28.56) and classmate Andrew Milliron was the top collegiate finisher (second overall) in the men's race (4:41.09).
The Falcons claimed nine additional top-five finishes during its first meet in nearly one month.
Senior Danielle Tabb and junior Angelea Ross each picked up a pair of top-five finishes. Tabb placed second in the shot put (47'3¾") and fifth in the weight throw (season-best 51'7¼"), while Ross finished fourth in both the long jump (16'0¼") and triple jump (38'2¼").
Air Force claimed a top-five mark in both the men's and women's high jump, as sophomore Taylor Smith tied for second in the men's event (season-best 6'8¾") and freshman Shelley Spires tied for third in the women's high jump (5'7"). Senior Riley Vann rounded out the list of top-five field event finishers, as she placed third in the pole vault with a clearance of 11'11¾".
On the track, sophomore Lindy Long was the runner-up in the 3000-meter run (11:07.93), while classmate Alexa Chacon finished fifth in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.03.
The Falcons hit the road next weekend (Jan. 16-17), when they travel to Lincoln, Neb., for the Holiday Inn Invitational at Nebraska's Bob Devaney Sports Center.
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e-mail: keithconning@aol.com. I have been a fan, athlete, coach, official, prep editor, author, blogger, and photographer since 1953. I have announced the NCAA West, the Pac-12, the Stanford Invitational, the Brutus Hamilton Invitational, the Mt. SAC Relays, the North Coast Section, the Sac-Joaquin Section, and the California State High School Meet. I have attended five Olympic Games and four World Championships. I am a U.S. Correspondent for Track and Field News.
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