Falcons Head to Pre-Nationals Meet, Tiger Invitational
10/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Oct. 14, 2010
After a weekend off from competition, the Air Force cross country returns to action this Saturday, Oct. 16, with a pair of road meets. Select members will travel to Terre Haute, Ind., to compete against some of the nation's top teams at the Pre-Nationals Meet, hosted by Indiana State University. The rest of the squad will travel to Hays, Kan., for the annual Tiger Invitational at Fort Hays State.
Meet Notes 04: at Pre-Nationals Meet; at Tiger Invitational 
MEET INFO: PRE-NATIONALS MEET
The Pre-Nationals Meet, held at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course - the site of the 2010 NCAA Cross Country Championships, features 71 men's teams and 79 women's teams. Both fields will be divided into two races, the Blue Race and the White Race. The men's combined field includes 19 of the top 30 current teams in the nation, as well as nine teams that are receiving votes. The women's list includes 17 of the top 30 teams and six teams receiving votes in the current poll. The Falcons will compete in the White races - the women's 6K race will start at 11:35 a.m. (CST), while the men's 8K event will begin at 12:50 p.m.
WHO'S WHO: MEN
The men will race in the White Race, which features Alabama (24), Arizona State (rv), Butler (rv), BYU (19), Cal Poly (rv), Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Colorado (4), Columbia (rv), Eastern Kentucky, Georgetown (22), Harvard, Indiana State, Iowa State (rv), Kansas, Kansas State, LaSalle, Liberty, Loyola Marymount, Minnesota (25), Morehead State, New Mexico State, North Carolina State (13), Notre Dame (27), Ohio, Oklahoma (16), Portland (8), Providence (rv), Southern Utah, Tennessee, Toledo, Tulsa (21), Utah State, Washington State and Western Kentucky.
WHO'S WHO: WOMEN
The women will also compete in the White Race. Joining Air Force will be Arizona State (rv), Baylor, Bucknell, Butler, Cal Poly, Cincinnati, Colorado (9), Florida, Georgetown (5), Georgia, Harvard (rv), Illinois, Indiana State, Jacksonville, James Madison, Kansas, Kansas State, LaSalle, Louisville, Michigan (19), Minnesota (27), Montana, Montana State, New Mexico State, North Carolina State (23), Northwestern, Ohio, Rice, San Francisco, Stanford (17), Stony Brook (12), Toledo (rv), UC-Santa Barbara, Utah, Utah State, Utah Valley, Washington (13), Western Kentucky and Wisconsin.
MEET INFO: TIGER INVITATIONAL
The Tiger Invitational, hosted by Fort Hays State University, will be held on the FHSU Cross Country Course at Gross Memorial Coliseum. Last season, the women placed second, while then-freshman Jeremy Drenckhahn placed 21st in the 102-runner race to lead the men to a fifth-place finish in the team standings. The women, running a 5K course, kick off the 2010 race at 9 a.m., while the men's 8k race is slated to begin at 9:45 a.m.
TYNER PACES FALCONS AT ADIDAS MEET
Justin Tyner paced the men's team to a 12th-place team finish at the adidas Invitational on Oct. 2. Tyner clocked a time of 23:58 to finish 16th in a race that featured 212 total runners. Running at a 4:50 pace, Tyner recorded the fourth-fastest time in the Mountain West Conference.
FALCONS TAKE 12TH IN WISCONSIN
Four of the five scoring runners finished within the top half of the field at the adidas Invitational on Oct. 2 in Madison, Wis. Jim Walmsley improved his season-best time to 24:32 to finish 57th, while Jon Rock and Jeremy Drenckhahn finished 66th and 76th, respectively, while Matt Bell rounded out the scoring runners with a 111th-place finish.
WARD CONTINUES TO PACE THE WOMEN'S TEAM
For the third straight week, Katherine Ward paced the women's team. Clocking a season-best 6000-meter time of 21:58, Ward finished 93rd in the 202-runner race to lead the Falcons to an 18th-place team finish. Jen Bremser also finished within the top half of the field (96th), while Morgan Mosby (108th), Carley Gross (128th) and Melissa Fuerst (130th) rounded out the field.
MEN TAKE THIRD AT ROCKY MOUNTAIN SHOOTOUT
With all five scoring runners placing within the top 20 of the University Division field, the men placed third at the Rocky Mountain Shootout on Oct. 2. Lance Wolfsmith, finishing 14th in the university field and 67th overall, paced the men's team with a time of 27:13. Three of the Falcons' top four finishers were freshmen, including Wolfsmith, Gavin Owens (16th) and Matt Caldwell (18th). Seth Pelletier and Nick White rounded out the field with respective 17th and 19th-place finishes.
COMING UP
The Falcons begin their championship season on Friday, Oct. 29, when they travel to Laramie, Wyo., for the Mountain West Conference Cross Country Championships.
Players Mentioned
