Air Force Academy
Pre-Nationals
Hannah Everson Claims Second at Prestigious Pre-Nationals
10/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Oct. 17, 2015
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A runner-up finish from senior Hannah Everson in the women's race and an eighth-place team finish from the 29th-ranked men highlighted the Air Force cross country team's day at the prestigious Pre-National Invitational in Louisville, Ky., on Saturday, Oct. 17.
Everson, who defeated several All-Americans on her way to the runner-up finish in the seeded field that featured 311 total runners and 11 nationally-mentioned teams, clocked a 6K time of 20:01.2 -- finishing less than a second behind the meet's winner (20:00.5). Her time is the program's second-fastest since the Academy joined Division I in 1996 -- a mark that trails only the 19:50.20 that she clocked in the Falcons' previous meet.
The men were paced by senior Patrick Corona, who used a time of 23:33.1 to finish 12th in the seeded field of 288 runners. Corona's time is the second-fastest by an Air Force runner in the last 20 years -- trailing only his own 23:23.1 that he registered in the Falcons' last outing in Washington.
Corona was one of two top-25 finishes for the men, as junior Kyle Eller placed 22nd with a time of 23:41.0 -- the program's fourth-fastest 8K in the last two decades. Classmate Matt Dorsey finished 73rd with a time of 24:11.0, while sophomore Andrew Johnston (105th, 24:20.5) and senior Dan Caddigan (106th, 24:20.8) finished just 0.3-seconds apart to round out the Falcons' contingent of scorers.
Air Force tallied 318 points to finish eighth out of 42 teams in the men's race, defeating three teams that were ranked higher in the national standings. Top-ranked Colorado won the meet with 151 points, while third-ranked Oregon and No. 13 Arkansas rounded out the top three. While finishing ahead of three higher-ranked teams, Air Force also bettered one additional top-30 team and four squads receiving votes in the latest poll.
Sophomore Carina Gillespie was the Falcons' No. 2 runner on the women's side, placing 76th with a time of 21:00.2 -- a time that cracked the top 10 on the program's Division I list. Classmate Katie Burnham finished 89th with a time of 21:04.2, while juniors Samantha Skold and Lindy Long rounded out the squad's scoring runners with respective times of 21:12.2 (112th) and 21:45.2 (205th).
The women tallied 468 points to finish 12th in the 45-team event, bettering a pair of teams listed in the USTFCCCA rankings. Fifth-ranked Michigan won the Pre-National Invitational with 131 points, while second-ranked Colorado and fourth-ranked Oregon finished second and third, respectively. The Falcons' finish was third amongst teams not featured in the national rankings.
Three additional runners took part in the seeded races of the Pre-National Invitational. Junior Jason Engel and sophomore Andrew Milliron finished 148th (24:38.2) and 226th (25:03.9), respectively, in the men's 8K, while freshman Jaci Smith clocked a time of 22:51.0 to finish 301st in the women's 6K.
In addition to the Falcons that competed in the seeded event at E.P. `Tom' Sawyer State Park, freshman Shanna Burns participated in the Open Race this afternoon, clocking a time of 23:32.1 to finish 90th.
"Both groups were solid today, but we know there is more there," head coach Ryan Cole said. "The highlight of the meet was Hannah's performance. She's just an intelligent competitor and handled the large field very well, as did Patrick on the men's side. Both teams showed a lot of resolve in handling some mid-season issues while still focusing on what needs to be done. Overall, there were a lot of positives to take away from this event and the teams are excited to keep building over the next few weeks."
The Falcons are off until Friday, Oct. 30, when they open post-season racing at the 2015 Mountain West Cross Country Championships, which will be held at the Montreux Golf Course in Reno.
Men's Seeded Results 
| Women's Seeded Results | Women's Open Results
Players Mentioned
