Falcons Head to Mountain West Championships
10/29/2014 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
The Air Force cross country team opens the championship season this Friday (Oct. 31), when it returns to Fresno, Calif., for the 2014 Mountain West Cross Country Championships. The meet, which will take place throughout Woodward Park, is slated to begin at 10:00 a.m. (PT), with the women's 6K championship race.
Meet Notes 05: at Mountain West Championships 
MEET INFORMATION
The 2014 Mountain West Cross Country Championships will take place at Woodward Park (7775 N. Friant Road) in Fresno. The meet will feature a women's 6K race (10:00 a.m.) and a men's 8K race (10:45 a.m.). For fans unable to attend the conference meet, live streaming and results will be available via the Mountain West website - links can be found here.
A LOOK AT THE LEAGUE
The conference meet will feature eight men's teams and 11 women's teams, including five that are listed in the USTFCCCA Coaches' Poll. The men's field features 18th-ranked New Mexico and 25th-ranked New Mexico, as well as Air Force, Boise State (receiving votes), Fresno State, San Jose State, Utah State and Wyoming. The women's field, representing all 11 conference schools, includes 10th-ranked New Mexico, 23rd-ranked Boise State, Air Force, Colorado State, Fresno State, Nevada, San Diego State, San Jose State, UNLV, Utah State and Wyoming.
WHO TO WATCH
The Air Force men's entry list includes Dan Caddigan, Riley Coates, Patrick Corona, Matt Dorsey, Kyle Eller, Jason Engel, Forrest Isenhour, Andrew Johnston, Zach Perkins and Daniel Shellhouse, while the women's list of entries include Katie Burnham, Heather Connick, Taylor Drolshagen, Rebecca Esselstein, Hannah Everson, Carina Gillespie, Nicole Hahn, Lindy Long and Anna Olesinski.
HISTORY 101
The men have finished within the top three of the Mountain West Cross Country Championships during 14 of the last 15 seasons, including a conference title in 2003 and seven runner-up finishes. The women have placed within the top half of the conference field 10 times within the last 15 seasons, including fourth-place finishes at each of the last five championship meets.
HISTORY 201
Since the Mountain West was formed in 1999, Air Force has seen 28 men combine for 48 all-conference selections, including one conference champion and 14 with first-team distinction (17 occasions). The 48 all-league honors are the most among current MW squads and second all-time to BYU (61, from 1999-2010). Isaiah Bragg became the program's first Mountain West champion with a victory in 2013, while Ben Payne is the Falcons' most decorated all-conference honoree by claiming all-MW accolades all four years. On the women's side, eight Falcons have earned all-conference awards, with Hannah Everson becoming the program's first first-team honoree last year.
FALCONS RANKED FIFTH, SIXTH IN PRE-CHAMPIONSHIP COACHES' POLL
The men were ranked fifth and the women sixth in the Mountain West Pre-Championship Coaches' Poll, which was released on Oct. 29. With 25 points, the men were just one point out of fourth, while the women finished four points out of fourth with 54 points. Complete season rankings can be found on page 5 of this release.
LAST YEAR AT THE CONFERENCE MEET
Isaiah Bragg became the program's first Mountain West cross country champion, clocking an Eisenhower Golf Course-record time of 24:08.39 to win the conference title by four seconds, while Hannah Everson recorded the Academy's highest DI conference finish (fifth) to become the program's first first-team selection. A total of four Falcons - Bragg, Everson, Patrick Corona and Annette Eichenberger - earned all-conference honors, as the men placed third and the women took fourth.
COATES PACES MEN AT PRE-NATS
In the first 8K race of the season for all but one member of the men's lineup, Riley Coates led the Falcons to an 18th-place tie at the Pre-Nationals Invitational on Oct. 18. With a time of 25:05.3, Coates finished 51st in the 310-runner race, while Patrick Corona (67th, 25:14.8), Zach Perkins (97th, 25:25.6), Dan Caddigan (137th, 25:41.6) and Kyle Eller (168th, 25:55.5) rounded out the squad's scoring runners.
LONG LEADS WOMEN WITH 32ND-PLACE PRE-NATS FINISH
Clocking a season-best 6K of 22:30.3 to finish 32nd in a field of 214, Lindy Long was the Falcons' top finisher at the Pre-Nationals Invitational. Air Force finished 17th in the 33-team White Race, as Nicole Hahn (53rd, 22:55.5) and Rebecca Esselstein (74th, 23:10.8) added top-75 finishes. The Falcons' scoring squad was finalized by Carina Gillespie (126th, 23:45.9) and Anna Olesinski (150th, 24:08.0).
DORSEY TAKES FIFTH IN PRE-NATS OPEN RACE
Matt Dorsey finished fifth among 97 runners in the Open Race of the Pre-Nationals Invitational, clocking a time of 25:51.2 in his first 8K of the season.
THE NEXT COURSE
The championship season continues for Air Force on Friday, Nov. 14, when the squad travels to Albuquerque, N.M., for the 2014 NCAA Mountain Region Cross Country Championships. The meet, held on the UNM North Golf Course, will feature the men's first 10K run of the season and a women's 6K race.
Players Mentioned
