Air Force Set for Tiger Invitational
10/7/2009 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Oct. 7, 2009
Select members of the Air Force cross country team will continue action this weekend (Saturday, Oct. 10), as the squad travels to Hays, Kan., for the 2009 Tiger Invitational, hosted by Fort Hays State University. The women, who will compete in a 5K course, begin the day of competition at 9:00 a.m. (CST), while the men are scheduled to take part in an 8K event at 9:40 a.m.
Meet Notes: at Tiger Invitational 
MEET INFORMATION
The race will take place at the Fort Hays State University Cross Country Course at Gross Memorial Coliseum. The grassy terrain is on a relatively flat course. The women will kick off the day at 9:00 a.m., competing on a 5K course. The men's 8K race is slated to begin at 9:40 a.m.
LAST YEAR AT THE TIGER INVITATIONAL
The men's and women's cross country picked up matching third-place finishes at the Tiger Invitational in 2008. With all five scoring runners placing within the top-15, then-senior Scott Balcao paced the men's team with a sixth-place finish. Then-freshman Meghan Prinkey was the top-finishing female, placing seventh with a personal-best time.
IT'S FAIN-TASTIC!
Sophomore Auriele Fain was the top finishing member of the women's team at the annual Rocky Mountain Shootout on Oct. 3, clocking an 18th-place time of 22:43. Her finish, the seventh-best among NCAA Division I runners, was one of four Falcons to finish within the top third of the 169-runner event.
MORE SHOOTOUT STATS
In addition to Auriele Fain's 18th-place finish, three others placed within the top third of the female runners at the RMS. Senior Brittany Morreale finished 37th (23:27), while sophomore Meghan Prinkey (39th, 23:41) and junior Whitney Beck (53rd, 24:10) rounded out the pack of Falcons that competed in the above-altitude race.
DRENCKHAHN DOES IT
Freshman Jeremy Drenckhahn was the top-finishing Falcon on the men's course during the Oct. 3 Rocky Mountain Shootout. Drenckhahn clocked a time of 28:15 to place 64th overall and 14th among Division I runners. His time is the best 8k time by an Air Force freshman this season.
FRESHMEN STAND OUT IN BOULDER
The youngest members of the Air Force squad had a strong showing at the Rocky Mountain Shootout. In addition to Jeremy Drenckhahn's 65th-place finish, two other freshmen finished within the top half of the 204-runner field. Andrew Quallio placed 77th (28:15), while Donald Jackson finished 102nd with a time of 29:23. In addition, Dylan Hallums finished just shy of the halfway mark, placing 109th with a time of 29:34.
CONFERENCE RANKINGS
Ally Romanko leads the Mountain West Conference in the women's 6K with a time of 23:03 (23:02.5). Katherine Ward is ranked fourth (23:30), while Katie Lynch (23:32) and Elyse Willard (23:48) are ranked sixth and seventh, respectively. In the men's 8K, Justin Tyner is currently ranked 20th with his time of 24:58 at the Roy Griak Invitational. James Walmsley is ranked 25th with his Roy Griak Invitational time of 25:34.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Falcons' varsity team will travel to Terre Haute, Ind., for the annual Pre-Nationals Meet on Saturday, Oct. 17. It will be the final race before the conference, regional and national championship races.
Players Mentioned
