Hayward and Moss Break Records at Air Force Holiday Open

Friday, December 3

Colorado Springs, Colo.

University of Northern Colorado

Air Force Holiday Open

12/6/2021 12:38:00 PM | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field, Track & Field

Results

By: By Brynn Abernathy, UNCBears.com

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.- Northern Colorado track and field started off their first meet of the season with impressive performances at the Air Force Holiday Open on Friday, including two broken records by Jesse Hayward and Wendira Moss.

The Bears had four individual winners on Friday. This includes a school record-setting performance by Jesse Hayward in the 600m. He clocked a time of 1:19.69, breaking the previous record set in 2016.

But Hayward was not the only Bear breaking records in Colorado Springs. Also setting a new school record in the 300m was sophomore Wendira Moss. She broke the school record previously set in 1989 with a time of 39.96.

Michael Ciccio had a good performance in the men's 300m as well. He clocked a time of 34.95 and crossed the line in time to place fourth in the race.

UNC also showed up in the women's 600m with both first and second place finishes. Gigi Douillard beat out the competition to win with a time of 1:42.89. Coming in a close second, was fellow Bear, Shantell Hafner, clocking a 1:46.21 time.

Melodie Leroudier led the way in the women's mile taking first place crossing the line with a time of 5:23.87. Chloe Rylance, Julia Brown, and Alison Zigler followed with second, fourth, and fifth place finishes respectively. Logan Cole and Isaac Rascon were also successful in the men's mile coming in second and fourth with times of 4:46.72 and 4:52.78.

The Bears' momentum also carried over into the field events with three more top five finishes. Thierry N'Seboko came in fourth in the long jump with a distance of 6.82m. Tyler Thimsen's 14.78m in the triple jump earned him a fifth place finish. Alexa Oatman finished out the field events success for UNC with a 3.65m pole vault that tied her for third place in the event.

The Air Force Holiday Open also boasted multiple UNC top 10 all-time performances:
Michael Ciccio, #2, 300m - 34.95
Alexa Oatman, #2, Pole Vault -3.65
Ruby Ann Gregory, #3, 300m - 41.14
Craiesha Johnson, #4, 300m - 41.81
Steven Cross, #5, 300m - 36.85
Ibro Soumah, #7, 300m - 36.04
Gigi Douillard, #7, 600m - 1:42.90
Andrea Starks, #9, 60 Hurdles - 8.92
Dorian Nesby, #10, 300m - 45.33

What They Said
Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Wayne Angel
"It was great to get back to competition again, I was pleasantly surprised by the team's performance. We started six weeks earlier than we did last year, and these kids didn't miss a beat. They are hungry, driven and committed. I am proud of each and everyone that competed at Air Force last week.

Jesse and Wendira had phenomenal performances as exemplified by their individual school records. The sky is the limit for those two if they just trust the process and continue to work hard and race smart. Melodie started where she left last year, she is a gamer all the way. I was very happy to see Gigi win her first collegiate meet, she looked very easy in the 600 meters.

Overall, I thought that we had a very good meet. Their training is starting to pay dividends".

What's Ahead
Northern Colorado has a few weeks to prepare before heading off to the Gene Edmonds Invite in West Lafayette, Indiana on Jan. 7-8.

To stay up to date on all things UNC track and field, visit UNCBears.com, follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter