Colorado University Athletics
Ghizzone Places Second In Heptathlon
January 22, 2016 | Track and Field
U. S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — University of Colorado sophomore Andrew Ghizzone staged yet another comeback in the heptathlon on Friday at the Air Force Invitational, finishing second overall after beginning the day in sixth.
Ghizzone finished the meet with 5,103 points, 147 points behind Adams State's Samuel Bilderbeck (5,250).
Starting the day in sixth after a solid first day, Ghizzone began the second day's events by setting a personal record in the 60-meter hurdles, finishing with a time of 8.48 seconds, which was good enough for a second place tie. The time was the fifth fastest in CU heptathlon history.
Next up for Ghizzone was the pole vault where he finished tied for first after clearing 15-5. After those two events, Ghizzone sat in third place and looked to make the jump into first with one event remaining.
The final event was the 1,000-meter run and Ghizzone won the race in 2:47.76. Unfortunately the time wasn't enough to make up the difference and Ghizzone settled for the second place finish.
In the open field events, the Buffs had several great performances. Freshmen Dionne Taylor Jr. finished tied for second in the high jump with a mark of 6-6.75, a personal best. Senior Brady Rutt had a very nice showing in the weight throw, launching a PR of 60-0.50, which placed third.
The women also did well in the weight throw, producing three top 10 finishes. Sophomore Mariah Walker finished sixth (49-5), senior Sophie Hallam-Eames placed seventh (49-4.25) and redshirt freshmen Elisa Grandemange finished tenth (47-6.50).
Most of the track events on Friday were preliminaries, with the finals scheduled for Saturday. The CU women produced six qualifying marks, while the men also advanced six.
In the 60-meter prelims, junior Austin Mitsch finished tied for ninth (7.00) and sophomore Jaysean Skrine placed 16th (7.07) to advance to Saturday's finals. Mitsch also qualified for the 200 finals, finishing seventh in 21.84. He will be joined in the 200 finals by freshman teammate Duane McClurkin Jr., who was sixth in 21.83.
The Buffs also had several men compete in the 400-meter preliminaries and again two moved on to the finals. McClurkin Jr. finished fourth (49.19) and junior Darrin Haynes placed seventh (49.43).
On the women's side, sophomore Ana Holland finished first in both the 60 and 200-meter preliminaries to advance to the finals. She set a PR in the 60 (7.48) and ran 24.21 in the 200.
Senior Eileen Gehring also qualified for the 60-meter final, finishing 14th (7.85), while sophomore Rajon O'Quinn advanced to the 200-meter final, finishing sixth (25.09).
In the 400, freshmen Gabby Scott placed fifth (57.70) and sophomore Alex Peters finished sixth (57.99) to move on to the finals Saturday.
The Air Force Invitational concludes on Saturday.
2016 AIR FORCE INVITATIONAL
Cadet Fieldhouse (U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo.)
Heptathlon
Total Score: (1. Samuel Bilderbeck, Adams State, 5,250) 2. Andrew Ghizzone, 5,103; 9. Nate Gravelding, 4,032; 11. Joseph Martinez, 3,742
60-Meter Hurdles: (1. Samuel Bilderbeck, Adams State, 8.47) t2. Ghizzone, 8.48; 8. Gravelding, 9.44; 11. Martinez, 10.07
Pole Vault: t1. Ghizzone, 15-5; 9. Gravelding, 11-5.75; Martinez, NH
1000-Meters: 1. Ghizzone, 2:47.76; 2. Martinez, 2:49.04; 4. Gravelding, 2:57.16
Men's Field Events
High Jump: (1. John Reynolds, Air Force Academy, 6-8.75) t2. Dionne Taylor Jr., 6-8.75; 4. Mason Chronowski, 6-4.75
Weight Throw: (1. Tyler Anderson, Wyoming, 61-4.75) 3. Brady Rutt, 60-0.50; 10. Matthew Denton, 48-11.75; 13. Webber Grayson, 47-3.75
Long Jump: (1. John Glazier, BYU, 24-6.50) 12. De'Jour Plunkett-Elliott, 20-8.50
Men's Track Events
60-Meters Prelim: (1.Gabriel Mvumure, Zimbabwe 6.74q) t9. Austin Mitsch, 7.00q; 16. Jaysean Skrine, 7.07q; 22. Abdiel Agramonte Moreno, 7.24
200-Meters Prelim: (1. Jamiel Trimble, Air Force Academy, 21.42q) 6. Duane McClurkin Jr., 21.83q; 7. Austin Mitsch, 21.84q; 25. Jaysean Skrine, 22.64; 29. Abdiel Agramonte Moreno, 22.95
400-Meters Prelim: (1. Mark Carlson, BYU, 48.58q) 4. Duane McClurkin Jr., 49.19q; 7. Darrin Haynes, 49.34q; 13. Trenton Stringari, 50.12; 16. Garrett Losty, 50.72; 18. Isaiah Kaiser, 50.97
Women Field Events
Weight Throw: (1. Emelda Malm-Annan, Wyoming, 61-2) 6. Mariah Walker, 49-5; 7. Sophie Hallam-Eames, 49-4.25; 10. Elisa Grandemange, 47-6.50; 15. Delaney Hall, 36-7.75; 16. Makenzie Kline, 36-4.25
Women's Track Events
60-Meters Prelim: 1. Ana Holland, 7.48q; 14. Eileen Gehring, 7.85q; 19. Mia Holland, 8.00
200-Meters Prelim: 1. Ana Holland, 24.21q; 6. Rajon O'Quinn, 25.09q; 14. Mia Holland, 25.68;
400-Meters Prelim: (1. McKenzie Brogan, Wyoming, 56.44q) 5. Gabrielle Scott, 57.70q; 6. Alexandria Peters, 57.99q
