Falcons Travel to Rocky Mountain Shootout
9/30/2009 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Sept. 30, 2009
Several members of the Air Force cross country team will travel to Boulder, Colo., for the 24th annual Rocky Mountain Shootout on Saturday, Oct. 3. The Falcons will compete against several Division I schools from along the Front Range, as well as other local programs. The meet, which will be held at the Buffalo Ranch Cross Country Course on the campus of CU, will begin at 9:15 a.m.
Meet Notes - at Rocky Mountain Shootout 
MEET INFORMATION
The women will kick the day of collegiate racing off at 9:15 a.m., competing on a 5,800-kilometer course. The men's 8K race is slated to begin at 10 a.m.
MEET HISTORY
The Rocky Mountain Shootout, hosted by the University of Colorado, is one of the longest running collegiate cross country meets in the country. The host Buffs have won the last 18 men's titles and the last 10 women's titles. Air Force's men have finished second four times in the past seven years, including last season (2002-03-05-08).
LAST YEAR AT THE SHOOTOUT
With four of its top five scorers finishing within the top-10 of the NCAA Division I field, the men picked up a second-place finish. Then-senior Matt Williams paced the field with a fourth-place finish, while Justin Tyner, Brad Chronister and Zach Nordahl finished eighth, ninth and 10th, respectively. On the women's side, then-freshman Auriele Fain finished eighth among Division I runners to guide the team to a second-place team finish. While Fain led the scoring, four of her classmates finished within the top-16.
TYNER EARNS WEEKLY HONORS
Junior Justin Tyner was named the Mountain West Conference Runner of the Week and the Air Force Academy's Athlete of the Week, following his stellar performance at the Roy Griak Invitational on Sept. 26. Tyner finished fifth among 167 NCAA Division I runners, while pacing the Falcons to an eighth-place team finish.
MOVING THROUGH THE PACK
Finishing in a time of 24:58, Justin Tyner carved his way through the field during the course of the 8K race at the Roy Griak Invitational, moving from 104th (1000 meters) to 45th (3000 meters) to 14th (5000 meters) to fifth (8000 meters).
MEN TAKE EIGHTH AT MINNESOTA
Justin Tyner (fifth), James Walmsley (34th) and Zach Nordahl (40th) all finished within the top-40 at the Roy Griak Invitational (167 total runners) as the Air Force men placed eighth in the 18-team field. Jonathan Rock (71st) and Andy Schweitzer (91st) rounded out the Falcons' top-five scorers.
ROMANKO LEADS WOMEN TO NINTH-PLACE FINISH
Clocking a time of 23:03, Ally Romanko paced the women's team at the Roy Griak Invitational with a 37th-place individual finish. All five Air Force scorers finished within the top half of the 193-runner field, including Katherine Ward (55th), Katie Lynch (57th), Elyse Willard (71st) and Jennifer Bremser (94th).
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 12th with his time of 24:58 at the Roy Griak Invitational. James Walmsley (25:34) and Zach Nordahl (25:45) are ranked 15th and 16th, respectively.
WHAT'S NEXT
Select members of the Falcons' team will travel to Hays, Kan., for the annual Fort Hays State Tiger Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 10.
Players Mentioned
