Thursday, April 27
Des Moines, IA
4:00 pm MT
Air Force Academy
at
Drake Relays
Photo by: Chris Floyd
Distance Runners Shine on Opening Night of Drake Relays
4/27/2023 9:15:00 PM | Track and Field
DES MOINES, Iowa – Seven Academy distance runners kicked off competition at the famed Drake Relays this evening (April 27) in Iowa, where they combined for three Air Force all-time performances, four personal-best marks, and three top-10 finishes during the Distance Carnival events at Drake Stadium.
AIR FORCE TOP-10 MARKS
No. 3 – Halle Hamilton, 5000-Meter Run (16:10.65)
No. 10 – Jason Renze, 3000-Meter Steeplechase (8:56.17)
Sophomore Jason Renze kicked off the Falcons' night in Des Moines, as he raced to a career-best time of 8:56.17 in the 3000-meter steeplechase. Winning his section and finishing 11th in the full 38-runner field during just his third career steeplechase, Renze deleted more than 15 seconds from his previous best time to move into No. 10 on the program's all-time standings.
Classmate Halle Hamilton, who had been sidelined with injury for most of the season and hadn't competed since the indoor-opener in December, had a strong return to the track on Thursday, as she accounted for the third-fastest 5000-meter time in Academy history with a career-best 16:10.65 finish. Deleting nearly 11 seconds off her previous outdoor best, Hamilton finished eighth in the elite section of the race – and fifth among the collegiate runners in the field.
The Falcons' record book also received an update from senior Scott Maison, who clocked a career-best time of 13:54.13 to finish third in the elite section of the men's 5000-meter run. Maison, who improved his own No. 14 time on the program's all-time standings, used a strong finish to place second among the collegiate runners in that section.
Elsewhere on the Blue Oval, sophomore Tiaree Towler was having a strong outing in her section of the 5000-meter run before getting clipped from behind and suffering a hard fall in the final few laps. Despite the fall taking her out of the lead pack, the sophomore quickly got to her feet and rallied to finish seventh in the 27-runner field. On the men's side junior Ryan Child picked up a 5000-meter PR, as he knocked nearly three seconds off his previous best (14:14.72) in the men's seeded section.
The Falcons return to the Blue Oval tomorrow (April 28) for the second day of action at the Drake Relays.
AIR FORCE TOP-10 MARKS
No. 3 – Halle Hamilton, 5000-Meter Run (16:10.65)
No. 10 – Jason Renze, 3000-Meter Steeplechase (8:56.17)
Sophomore Jason Renze kicked off the Falcons' night in Des Moines, as he raced to a career-best time of 8:56.17 in the 3000-meter steeplechase. Winning his section and finishing 11th in the full 38-runner field during just his third career steeplechase, Renze deleted more than 15 seconds from his previous best time to move into No. 10 on the program's all-time standings.
Classmate Halle Hamilton, who had been sidelined with injury for most of the season and hadn't competed since the indoor-opener in December, had a strong return to the track on Thursday, as she accounted for the third-fastest 5000-meter time in Academy history with a career-best 16:10.65 finish. Deleting nearly 11 seconds off her previous outdoor best, Hamilton finished eighth in the elite section of the race – and fifth among the collegiate runners in the field.
The Falcons' record book also received an update from senior Scott Maison, who clocked a career-best time of 13:54.13 to finish third in the elite section of the men's 5000-meter run. Maison, who improved his own No. 14 time on the program's all-time standings, used a strong finish to place second among the collegiate runners in that section.
Elsewhere on the Blue Oval, sophomore Tiaree Towler was having a strong outing in her section of the 5000-meter run before getting clipped from behind and suffering a hard fall in the final few laps. Despite the fall taking her out of the lead pack, the sophomore quickly got to her feet and rallied to finish seventh in the 27-runner field. On the men's side junior Ryan Child picked up a 5000-meter PR, as he knocked nearly three seconds off his previous best (14:14.72) in the men's seeded section.
The Falcons return to the Blue Oval tomorrow (April 28) for the second day of action at the Drake Relays.