Track, field records fall at Air Force All-Comers Meet

  • Published
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFPN) --  The Air Force track and field team opened the 2005 season with an impressive showing at the All-Comers Meet here Jan. 15. The Falcons picked up seven first-place finishes in their season debut, including a win from Olivia Korte, who set a new academy weight throw record in the process.

On the men’s side, Air Force claimed top honors in three events, highlighted by the top-four sweep in the pole vault. Paul Gensic topped out at 17 3/4 to win the pole vault, while Makisi Haleck and Christian Morgan finished second and third, with respective heights of 16-6 3/4 and 15-7. Jason Jones completed the sweep with a fourth-place height of 15-1.

In the lanes, Travis Piccou won the 200-meter dash, clocking a time of 22.15 seconds -- a debut just shy of the program’s top-10 list. And from the field, Rich Ellis won the weight throw with a toss of 49-4 1/4.

The women’s pole vault also had a stellar performance when Erin Richardson set a new career-best height, clearing the bar at 11-5 3/4. Topping her previous best, Richardson moved closer to the academy record of 12 1/2 set in 2001.

Dominique Boivin won the shot put with a throw of 41-6 1/2, while Korte, who finished third in the shot, took top honors in the weight throw at 53-11 3/4, setting a new personal and academy record with the toss. Korte led a sweep of the top-three spots in the weight throw, as Kristine Muth and Priscilla Giddings finished second and third, with marks of 48-1 1/4 and 46-7 1/4.

From the track, Dierra Poland won the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.82 seconds -- just 0.01 off of her career-best time.

The Falcon men also picked up several top-three finishes, including Picou, who recorded a distance of 21-1 1/4 in the long jump to take third. Matt Pinson picked up second-place finishes in the shot put (42-0) and weight throw (39-8 1/2). Nick Luina took third in the 400-meter dash, clocking a time of 49.73. Derek Storbeck claimed third in the 3,000-meter run, with a time of 9 minutes 07.48 seconds.

A pair of Air Force 4X400-yard relay teams finished second and third in the event, as Erik Wallace, Brian Walsh, Morgan and Chris Gausepohl crossed the line at 3:30.41. Jonathan Myers, Billy Flynt, Bruce Fritz and Matt Gensic finished at 3:30.66.

The women’s 4X400-yard relay teams also earned second and third-place marks. Kim Brady, Genelle Chapman, Deb Durey and Ayana Floyd-James finished second at 4:11.23, while Jami Hodge, Paula Maffey, Nikita Martin and Rachael McIntosh finished third at 4:15.21.

The Falcons compete at home Jan. 21 for a two-day event as hosts at the Air Force Invitational. Several members of the academy’s pole vault team will travel to Reno, Nev., for the U.S. Track and Field Pole Vault Summit, which also runs Jan. 21 to 22.