SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Freshmen Katie Thompson and Braeden Holcombe combined for four improvements to the Academy Record Book this afternoon (March 26), as a quartet of athletes from the track and field team wrapped up their multi-event debuts at the Aztec Invitational in San Diego.
Thompson placed her name in three spots on the Academy’s all-time standings during the final day of her first collegiate heptathlon. The freshman opened the morning with a distance of 18’5¼” in the long jump. With that distance – the best mark of the meet, Thompson accounted for the third-best overall jump in Academy history and crushed the program’s 16-year-old heptathlon sub-event record. With the addition of an 86’5″ throw in the javelin and an 800-meter time of 2:39.34, Thompson accounted for 4411 points – the seventh-best total in Academy history – to finish third in the overall field and become just the second Falcon since 2013 to impact the top-10 standings of the seven-event competition.
Holcombe broke the Academy’s Freshman Class Record in the decathlon on Friday, after tallying 6593 points in his collegiate debut to finish second the 10-event competition. That tally, an 89-point improvement to the record that was initially set in 2019, featured the highest point total of the field in the 1500-meter run (4:42.71), as well as debut outdoor marks in the 110-meter hurdles (15.45), discus throw (112’0″), pole vault (13’1½”) and javelin throw (149’11”).
Fellow freshman Brian Hubbard tallied 5671 points in his decathlon debut to finish fifth in the overall field. Prior to helping Air Force account for two of the top-three marks in the 1500-meter run (5:04.94), Hubbard also accounted for outdoor debut marks in the 110-meter hurdles (16.25), discus throw (82’0″), pole vault (11’5¾”) and javelin throw (140’2″).
Junior Kendra Middleton also competed in the heptathlon over the last two days, tallying 2877 points (completing six of the seven events) to finish eighth. During Friday’s action, Middleton competed in the first outdoor long jump (15’6¾”), javelin throw (85’2″) and 800-meter run (2:53.05) of her career.
While the hammer throw will take place later today in Chula Vista, the Aztec Invitational comes to a close tomorrow (March 27), with the rest of the track and field events happening at the Aztrack Sports Deck. In addition, members of the middle distance and distance squad will travel to Pueblo, Colo., for the Spank Blasing Invitational at the Neta and Eddie DeRose Thunderbowl.
Thompson placed her name in three spots on the Academy’s all-time standings during the final day of her first collegiate heptathlon. The freshman opened the morning with a distance of 18’5¼” in the long jump. With that distance – the best mark of the meet, Thompson accounted for the third-best overall jump in Academy history and crushed the program’s 16-year-old heptathlon sub-event record. With the addition of an 86’5″ throw in the javelin and an 800-meter time of 2:39.34, Thompson accounted for 4411 points – the seventh-best total in Academy history – to finish third in the overall field and become just the second Falcon since 2013 to impact the top-10 standings of the seven-event competition.
Holcombe broke the Academy’s Freshman Class Record in the decathlon on Friday, after tallying 6593 points in his collegiate debut to finish second the 10-event competition. That tally, an 89-point improvement to the record that was initially set in 2019, featured the highest point total of the field in the 1500-meter run (4:42.71), as well as debut outdoor marks in the 110-meter hurdles (15.45), discus throw (112’0″), pole vault (13’1½”) and javelin throw (149’11”).
Fellow freshman Brian Hubbard tallied 5671 points in his decathlon debut to finish fifth in the overall field. Prior to helping Air Force account for two of the top-three marks in the 1500-meter run (5:04.94), Hubbard also accounted for outdoor debut marks in the 110-meter hurdles (16.25), discus throw (82’0″), pole vault (11’5¾”) and javelin throw (140’2″).
Junior Kendra Middleton also competed in the heptathlon over the last two days, tallying 2877 points (completing six of the seven events) to finish eighth. During Friday’s action, Middleton competed in the first outdoor long jump (15’6¾”), javelin throw (85’2″) and 800-meter run (2:53.05) of her career.
While the hammer throw will take place later today in Chula Vista, the Aztec Invitational comes to a close tomorrow (March 27), with the rest of the track and field events happening at the Aztrack Sports Deck. In addition, members of the middle distance and distance squad will travel to Pueblo, Colo., for the Spank Blasing Invitational at the Neta and Eddie DeRose Thunderbowl.
