Falcon men second at Wyoming Triangular; women third

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LARAMIE, Wyo. (AFPN) --  Air Force Academy Falcons Makisi Haleck and Erin Richardson took first-place honors on the men’s and women’s pole vault, while a group of their teammates picked up numerous top-five finishes at the Robert Shine Track and Field Invitational here Jan. 29.

Haleck and Richardson captured top honors on their respective events, while the men’s 4X400-meter relay also captured a first-place finish (3 minutes 27.23 seconds) in the annual event that features conference foes Air Force, Colorado State University and the University of Wyoming.

Haleck cleared a season-best 16-7 to lead a one-two Air Force punch as Joel Nolan posted a career-best mark of 15-6 3/4 to finish second. On the women’s side, Richardson vaulted to a career-best mark of 11-6 1/4 to win the event and post the second-highest pole vault mark in academy history, improving a mark she already held.

The Falcon men also scored several other top-five finishes. Jonathan Myers finished second in the 55-meter hurdles (7.74), while Dan DeRusha took second in the 800-meter run at 1:58.62.

Travis Picou took fourth in the 55-meter dash, while Ken Grosselin earned the same position in the 3,000-meter run at 9:39.12. David McGee took fourth in the triple jump with a season-best distance of 43-6 1/2, while Devin Hart earned fifth (43-4 1/2). Hart also finished fifth in the long jump with a leap of 22-7 3/4 -- the best jump by a Falcon this season.

The women shined with several top-five finishes. Kelly Robinson ran the 400-meter dash in 1:00.30 to finish second, while Kim Brady placed third in the 800-meter run at 2:28.52. Kate Papenberg placed fourth in the 3,000-meter run at 12:14.70, while Nikita Martin took fifth in the 200-meter dash at 28.48.

Dierra Poland took fourth in the 55-meter hurdles at 8.35 and the 4X400-meter relay team finished third at 4:07.67. Case Johnson completed the triple jump with a season-best distance of 35-8 1/2 to finish fifth. Caitie Holliday took fourth in the high jump, clearing 4-11, while Olivia Korte tossed a 20-pound weight a distance of 52-9 1/2 to finish fifth.

The men placed second at the meet, which saw just 21 points separate the three squads. Colorado State won the meet with 116 points, while Air Force collected 100 and Wyoming scored 95. The Rams also dominated the women’s competition, tallying 131 points. Wyoming (98.5) and Air Force (60.5) rounded out the scoring.

The Falcons return to the academy Feb. 5 for the Air Force Classic.