Academy sports teams have a busy weekend

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SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) --  Sprinters Jami Hodge and Genelle Chapman teamed up to engrave their names in the Air Force Academy record book during the Don Barrett-Air Force Track and Field Open at the academy Feb. 18.

Already the program record-holder in the 200-meter dash, Hodge surpassed with a time of 25.00 seconds – breaking her old program record by nearly a half of a second. Chapman finished at 25.46 in the race, marking the second-fastest time in school history. The pair also finished first and third in the 60-meter dash at 7.69 and 7.73 respectively.

In the men's track category, the 4x440-yard relay notched a first-place finish with a time of 3minutes 24.81 seconds. The Falcons took seven of the top eight spots in the 400-meter dash. Jeff Coverdale finished fourth in the 800-meter run, at 1 minute 58.68 seconds. In men's field events, the pole vault team took five of the top six spots, including first, second and third. Academy jumpers finished third and fifth in the long jump and captured three of the top five places in the triple jump.

In women's field events, Air Force took two of the top four spots in the long jump and Casey Johnson took second in the triple jump with a personal-best distance of 36 feet 11 1/2 inches. Erin Richardson finished second in the pole vault, clearing a height of 11-0 1/4, while Becky Stone placed fourth with a height of 10-2 1/2. Olivia Korte finished fourth in the shot put with a throw of 44-6 1/4.

In other sports action over the weekend, the Air Force Academy hockey team lost two to Niagara University. The Purple Eagles bested the Falcons 5-2 Feb. 18 by outshooting them 26-24. On Feb. 19, Niagara held on to top the academy skaters 5-3, shooting 35-29. Niagara improved to 13-16-2 overall, while Air Force fell to 13-15-2 overall.

The academy baseball team split a pair of games Feb. 19, defeating North Dakota State University 17-12, before falling to Utah Valley State College 21-4. Meeting NDSU for a second game Feb. 20, the Falcons came away with another victory, beating the Bisons 16-14. The Falcons are now 3-5 on the season.

In tennis, the previously undefeated men's team lost its first match of the season Feb. 19 to St. John’s University 4-3, then lost again Feb. 20 to the Army men's team 5-2. The Falcon men are now 8-2 this season. In women's tennis, the Air Force team lost to the Army team 5-2. The Black Knights move to 6-2 on the season while the Falcons fall to 2-3.

In men's basketball, the Falcons lost to the University of Utah Utes on Feb. 19, 65-56, then Feb. 21, dominated the Brigham Young University Cougars, winning the game 70-39. The Falcons are now 16-10 overall and 7-4 in the Mountain West Conference.

Finally, hampered by hot 3-point shooting by the Utes, the Air Force women’s basketball team dropped a 74-45 decision. The Utes hit 12-of-19 from beyond the arc to improve to 19-6 overall, 8-2 in the conference, while the Falcons dropped to 2-16, 2-8 in league play. Leading the Falcons in scoring against Utah was Lauren Henderson, who tallied 10 points, two assists and a steal, despite suffering from pneumonia. Letricia Castillo added 9 points, three rebounds and two steals, while Jacki Novak added 8 points and four rebounds.