Rams continue indoor campaign at Air Force Team Challenge this week

Air Force Team Challenge
Thursday, Jan. 18 and Friday, Jan. 19
Cadet Field House | USAF Academy, Colo.
Hosted by Air Force
Coverage: Meet Information | Live Results

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – After resuming the indoor season one week ago, the Colorado State track & field team will continue its 2017-18 campaign this week at the Air Force Team Challenge at USAF Academy, Colo.

Women's pentathlon competition will complete at the Air Force Team Challenge on Thursday, while the men's heptathlon will span both Thursday and Friday. The heptathlon starts at 1 p.m. MT on Thursday with the 60 meters, while the pentathlon is slated to begin with the 60-meter hurdles at 1:15 p.m. MT. Friday competition in the heptathlon opens with the 60-meter hurdles at 11 a.m. MT on Friday.

The rest of the events at the Air Force Team Challenge are scheduled for all day competition on Friday. Field events will begin at 3 p.m. MT with the women's weight throw and the women's pole vault, while track events are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. MT with the women's 60-meter hurdles preliminaries. The final event of the day, the men's mile relay (4x440-yard relay) is slated to start at 8:25 p.m. MT. Each event will be represented for CSU at the meet with the exception of the middle distance and distance events.

"I thought we were pretty competitive overall at the Potts Invitational," Colorado State head coach Brian Bedard said. "I usually try to give our team an overall grade, and I think I'd give us an overall 'B' for the Potts. There were some mistakes that I thought that we made from an execution standpoint, as far as false starts in sprints and some fouls in the jumps…typical first-meet mistakes. For this meet and moving forward, those are the things that we need to get worked out."

Each event will be held from Air Force's home facility, the Cadet Field House. A full recap and results will be posted to CSURams.com as soon as each are available. Live results will also be made available by Air Force, and will be shared on the track & field schedule page as soon as the link goes live.

Colorado State enters this week's meet ranked at No. 6 nationally on the men's side, marking the highest ranking the men's team has ever reached in either indoor or outdoor competition. CSU is the highest-ranked team competing at the Air Force Team Challenge among BYU (No. 20 -men's), Wichita State and host Air Force. Wichita State swept men's and women's titles at each of the indoor and outdoor Missouri Valley Conference Championships last season, while Air Force captured the men's crown at last year's Mountain West Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

This marks the second round of competition for CSU's pentathletes and heptathletes, with the first coming in early December at the Mines Alumni Classic & Multis. On the men's side, Nick Kravec earned Mountain West Indoor Track & Field Men's Field Athlete of the Week honors after scoring 5,507 points at that meet, moving him to fifth on CSU's all-time indoor list. The top pentathletes were Talia Marquez (3,608 points) and Gabby Smith (3,571 points), whose scores ranked 10th and 12th, respectively. All three, in addition to others, are in action this weekend.

"We have an opportunity to see where they're at coming off the break," Bedard said. "There's not that many opportunities for multis during the season since it takes so long to recover from them. It should be a good opportunity for those guys to get a solid multi in with some competition, and then get back to the drawing board and find what we really need to work on."

Last Time Out: Rams at the Potts Invitational
- After a month away from competition, the Colorado State track & field team returned to competition at the Potts Invitational in Boulder, Colo. The Rams recorded 13 event wins and numerous marks on CSU's all-time indoor list.
- See below for a breakdown of CSU's top performances and why they were notable.
Marybeth Sant
- 60 meters – 7.47 (fifth on CSU's all-time indoor list, won event)
- 200 meters – 24.81 (11th on CSU's all-time indoor list)
Ronald Sayles
- 200 meters – 21.49 (fifth on CSU's all-time indoor list, won event)
Jasmine Chesson
- 400 meters – 55.94 (seventh on CSU's all-time indoor list, top collegiate finisher)
Caleb Hardy
- 400 meters – 48.38 (ninth on CSU's all-time indoor list)
Emma Kratzberg
- 400 meters – 57.08 (12th on CSU's all-time indoor list)
Garrett Lane
- 60-meter hurdles – 8.16 (12th on CSU's all-time indoor list)
Hannah Freeman
- 800 meters – 2:14.90 (13th on CSU's all-time indoor list)
Nick Kravec
- 60-meter hurdles – 8.23 (17th on CSU's all-time indoor list)
Kelcey Bedard
- Weight throw – 61-6/18.74m (won event)
Alex Blaho
- Shot put – 56-6.5/17.23m (won event)
- Weight throw – 60-7/18.46m (won event)
Eric Hamer
- 3,000 meters – 8:34.47 (top collegiate finisher)
Carson Hume
- Mile – 4:14.44 (won event)
Nick Meihaus
- High jump – 6-7/2.01m (won event)
Destinee Rocker
- 60-meter hurdles – 8.54 (won event)
Tarynn Sieg
- Shot put – 47-2/14.37m (won event)
Gabby Smith
- Pole vault – 12-5.5/3.80m (won event)
E'Lias Sutton
- 60 meters – 6.97 (won event)

Rams Start Indoor Season with Program-Best No. 6 Ranking
- The Colorado State men's track & field team enters the 2017-18 indoor season with its highest ranking in program history, as the Rams were tabbed No. 6 in the nation in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division I Men's Indoor Track & Field National Team Rankings on Wednesday, Jan. 10.
- Colorado State's preseason No. 6 ranking is its highest in either indoor or outdoor track & field. Each of those previous highs were set last year, as the Rams rose to No. 8 during the 2016-17 indoor season and as high as No. 11 during the 2017 outdoor season.
- The USTFCCCA uses a computer ranking system that is designed to project how teams will finish at the NCAA Championships. That system assigns points totals to individual student-athletes based upon how that athlete's marks and times stack up this season as well as how they rank based upon historical data. Those points totals for those individual student-athletes are then tallied to reach the respective team's points total for that week's rankings. For preseason rankings, current season bests as well as previous career bests are considered.

Nick Kravec, Jalen Hunter Sweep Mountain West Indoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week
- Colorado State seniors Nick Kravec and Jalen Hunter each earned their first career weekly indoor honor from the Mountain West on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017, as the duo swept Mountain West Indoor Track & Field Athlete of the Week honors.
- With those honors, Colorado State athletes have now been honored by the Mountain West after opening weekend in three consecutive indoor seasons. It is also the second straight season that a heptathlete has been honored (Hunter Price on Dec. 13, 2016).
- Kravec topped the heptathlon field at the Mines Alumni Classic & Multi, racking up 5,507 points (5,548 when converted for track size) to win by over 100 points. The Fort Collins, Colo., native's score was a personal best, and ranks fifth in program history and well as third in the nation at that point.
- Hunter opened his indoor season with a time of 8.08 (8.12 when adjusted for altitude) in the 60-meter hurdles at the Air Force Holiday Open, a time that has been topped by only nine other athletes in program history. The senior from Denton, Texas ranked 17th in the nation at that point in the 60-meter hurdles.

World-Class Athletes Highlight Rams' Returners
- Among Colorado State's returners for this upcoming season are three athletes that ranked among the best in the world last indoor season. Each of the throws, combined events and distance events are covered as Mostafa Hassan, Hunter Price and Cole Rockhold finished the most recent indoor season ranked with the best of the best.
- See below for details on where each finished in the world rankings for the 2016-17 indoor season. The IAAF ranks the top performances in the world, whether by an amateur or professional. Each list varies in length based upon predetermined cut times/marks and a target desired number of qualifying athletes for an event.

Colorado State Returning Athletes on 2016-17 IAAF Senior Indoor Lists (in order of world ranking)
Mostafa Hassan - Shot Put - 69-10.75 (21.30m) - No. 4 (No. 1 Egypt)
Hunter Price - Heptathlon - 5,996 points - No. 9 (No. 2 USA)
Cole Rockhold - 3,000 meters - 7:59.89 - No. 99 (No. 32 USA)

Rams Return Four Indoor All-Americans
- The Colorado State men's track & field team finished the 2016-17 indoor season at No. 12 in the nation, marking the program's highest all-time NCAA finish. From that team, Colorado State returns four of five All-America performers, with Jerrell Mock being the only exception. Mock has exhausted his indoor eligibility, but will compete for the Rams this outdoor season.
- Each of Mostafa Hassan, Hunter Price and Cole Rockhold earned First-Team All-America honors with their performances in their respective events, while Grant Fischer was a Second-Team All-American. Among those was Hassan's first-place finish in the shot put, marking Colorado State's first national championship in any sport since 2005 (track & field hammer thrower Loree Smith).
- See below for how each returning athlete performed at the 2017 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships.

Colorado State Returning Athletes at 2017 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships
Mostafa Hassan – Shot Put – 69-9.5 (21.17m) – First Place (First-Team All-America)
Hunter Price – Heptathlon – 5,996 – Fourth Place (First-Team All-America)
Cole Rockhold – 3,000 Meters – 7:59.89 - Sixth Place (First-Team All-America)
Grant Fischer – 5,000 Meters – 13:55.37 – Ninth Place (Second-Team All-America)

Eight All-Conference Performers Return for Reigning Mountain West Champions
- Among the accomplishments of the 2016-17 indoor season for Colorado State were team conference titles on each of the women's and men's sides. That marked the Rams' first ever sweep of the women's and men's titles at the Mountain West Indoor Championships, the women's second consecutive team title and the men's first since 2002.
- The Rams return eight indoor All-Mountain West performers from those teams, including individual conference champions Mostafa Hassan (shot put), Hunter Price (high jump) and Cole Rockhold (3,000 meters). Grant Fischer earned indoor All-Mountain West honors in each of the 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters.
- See below for a full listing of 2017 indoor All-Mountain West performers that return for the Rams this season.

Colorado State Returning Athletes with 2017 Indoor All-Mountain West Honors
Grant Fischer – 3,000 Meters, 5,000 Meters
Autumn Gardner – High Jump
Mostafa Hassan – Shot Put (individual champion/MW Men's Student-Athlete of the Year)
Nick Kravec – Heptathlon
Macy Kreutz – 4x400-Meter Relay
Hunter Price – High Jump (individual champion)
Cole Rockhold – 3,000 Meters (individual champion), Distance Medley Relay
Ronald Sayles – Distance Medley Relay

Notables from the Mines Alumni Classic & Multi, Air Force Holiday Open
- Colorado State track & field boasted a collection of top performances in the combined events, sprints, hurdles, jumps and throws after its opening weekend at the Mines Alumni Classic & Multi and the Air Force Holiday Open.
- See below for the athletes that received accolades or entered the record books with their performances in those two meets.
Nick Kravec
– Heptathlon – 5,507 points (fifth in CSU history, MW Men's Field Athlete of the Week)
Jalen Hunter
– 60-Meter Hurdles – 8.08 (MW Men's Track Athlete of the Week)
Destinee Rocker
– 60-Meter Hurdles – 8.44 (third in CSU history)
Marybeth Sant
– 60 Meters – 7.48 (fifth in CSU history)
Jessica Ozoude
– 60 Meters – 7.48 (fifth in CSU history)
Aliya Simpson
- Pole Vault – 12-5.5/3.80m (fifth in CSU history)
Talia Marquez
– Pentathlon – 3,608 points (10th in CSU history)
- Long Jump – 18-9.75/5.73m (11th in CSU history)
Gabby Smith
– Pentathlon – 3,571 points (12th in CSU history)
Tarynn Sieg
– Shot Put – 47-4.25/14.43m (12th in CSU history)
Alex Blaho
– Shot Put – 59-1.25/18.01m (15th in CSU history)
Amelia Harvey
- 60-Meter Hurdles – 8.95 (19th in CSU history)

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