Freshmen Add Significant Depth to Program
8/20/2008 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Aug. 20, 2008
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. - With just over one week to go until its season-opening competition, the Air Force cross country team has been training hard on the grounds of the Academy. The Falcons, coached by second-year mentor John Hayes, increased its depth dramatically with the addition of 15 talented newcomers, featuring nine men and six women.
The men's team has nine freshmen on the roster with impressive high school credentials from around the country. The Class of 2012 includes Matthew Cain (Brockport, N.Y.), Ryan Del Grosso (Marysville, Ohio), Jacob Fulton (Douglasville, Ga.), Zachary Marx (Happy Valley, Ore.), Jonathan Rock (Macomb, Mich.), James Walmsley (Scottsdale, Ariz.), Chase Welch (Marietta, Calif.), Melvin White (Peyton, Colo.) and Alex Zubey (Tamaqua, Pa.).
Six talented women join the program to provide depth to the young squad. Katherine Carroll (San Antonio, Texas), Auriele Fain (Billings, Mont.), Phaelen French (Austin, Texas), Meghan Prinkey (White Plains, Md.), Alexa Ramsier (Dallas, Texas) and Elyse Willard (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.) complete the Falcons' youngest class.
In addition, Air Force added several other newcomers to its roster. Senior Brad Chronister (Poplar Bluff, Mo.) is new to the men's distance program, while juniors Becca Burditt (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Caitlin Lynch (Aurora, Colo.) join the women's team after impressive seasons on the track team.
Air Force opens the season on Friday, Aug. 29, as it travels to Laramie, Wyo., for the annual Wyoming Invitational.
Players Mentioned
