The Air Force track and field team broke two relay records and won the men’s 4×1600-meter championship on April 24 as competition continued at the 116th Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa.
These achievements highlight a strong showing by both the men’s and women’s squads, with athletes setting new program standards and securing top finishes against competitive fields.
Senior Ben Scheller anchored the men’s 4×1600-meter relay, sprinting down the final straight to secure victory for Air Force. “A thrilling sprint down the final straightaway from senior Ben Scheller secured the Falcons’ third 4×1600-meter championship at the Drake Relays (2018, 2023, 2025),” according to the team. The squad finished in a time of 16:25.88, marking it as the third-fastest performance in school history. Senior Ethan Ashley also contributed to this win after leading off last year’s record-setting quartet.
Later that evening, both Air Force’s women’s and men’s teams set new program records in their respective 4×800-meter relays. The all-junior women’s lineup of Liliane Aittama, Allison Fernstrom, Rachel Fereday, and Cam Bodine finished in 8:34.78—almost twenty seconds faster than their previous mark—and placed third overall while breaking a Service Academy Record previously held by Army West Point. In succession, juniors Jonah Hochstetler and teammates Patrick Allen, Jevonte Eaves, and Parker Hintz ran a combined time of 7:23.61 for another school record on the men’s side.
Additional notable performances included freshman Julie Segroves clearing a career-best height of 4.08 meters in pole vault for fourth place—a mark that improved her own Air Force Freshman Class Record—and sophomore Evan Keefe placing fourth in discus with a throw just shy of his personal best.
The Falcons are scheduled to return for more events on April 25 as competition concludes at Drake Stadium.
