Air Force Cross Country Travels to MW Championships
10/26/2016 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Oct. 26, 2016
FalconVision Interview with Coach Cole
The championship season begins for the Air Force cross country team this week, as the squad heads to Kuna, Idaho, for the 2016 Mountain West Cross Country Championships. The Falcons' lineup, which includes the 28th-ranked men's team and a women's squad that is receiving votes in the most recent national standings, will face their conference counterparts at Falcon Crest Golf Club on Friday, Oct. 28.
Meet Notes 05: at MW Championships 
MW Championship Central | MW Network | Live Results
MW CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION
The Mountain West Cross Country Championships will take place on Friday, Oct. 28, at the Falcon Crest Golf Club in Kuna, Idaho (11102 S Cloverdale Road). The course, which is approximately 2700 feet in elevation, is a 2000-meter loop with varying lengths of grass and very few cart path crossings. The women will kick off the championships with a 6K race at 10:00 a.m. (MT), while the men will follow with an 8K race at 10:45 a.m.
IF YOU CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE MEET
Direct links to the webcast and real-time results can be found on the Championship Central Page at theMW.com. For AF-specific information, follow the Falcons on Twitter at @af_trackfield.
WHO TO WATCH | THE AIR FORCE LINEUP
Air Force will send nine men – Jacob Bilvado, Matt Dorsey, Kyle Eller, Andrew Johnston, Andrew Milliron, Noah Riley, Jimmy Shipley, Andrew Tankersley, Nathan Thomas – and nine women – Lindsey Blanks, Katie Burnham, Shanna Burns, Carina Gillespie, Lindy Long, Swathi Samuel, Samantha Skold, Jaci Smith, Giulianna Vessa – to the Mountain West Cross Country Championships.
A LOOK AT THE LEAGUE
The Mountain West Championship will feature eight men's teams and 11 women's programs, including six that are listed in the USTFCCCA national rankings. The men's lineup includes 17th-ranked Colorado State, 24th-ranked Boise State and 28th-ranked Air Force, as well as teams from Fresno State, New Mexico, San Jose State, Utah State and Wyoming. The women's field features seventh-ranked New Mexico, 28th-ranked Boise State and Air Force, which is receiving votes in the national standings, as well as squads from Colorado State, Fresno State, Nevada, San Diego State, San Jose State, UNLV, Utah State and Wyoming.
MOUNTAIN WEST ... THROUGH THE YEARS
Air Force captured the men's title last year – its second in Mountain West history (2003) – to snap New Mexico's six-year winning streak. Former conference foe BYU, which claimed eight titles during the first nine years of league action, completes the list of MW men's team champions. On the women's side, New Mexico has claimed the last eight conference titles, tying BYU (1999-06) for the most in league history. Colorado State, which claimed the title in 2007, is the only other school to earn a MW title.
AIR FORCE HISTORY 101
Highlighted by two conference titles (2003, 2015) and eight runner-up finishes, the men have finished within the top-three of the Mountain West Cross Country Championships 16 times in 17 years. The women, who have finished third six times, have placed within the top half of the field 12 times. The women's best finish based on field size came last season, when the women placed third out of 11 teams.
HISTORY 201
Since the Mountain West was formed in 1999, Air Force has seen 32 men combine for 54 all-conference selections, including one individual champion and 21 first-team awards. Isaiah Bragg became the program's first Mountain West champion with a victory in 2013, while Ben Payne is the Falcons' most decorated honoree after earning all-MW distinction every year. On the women's side, eight Falcons have received all-conference awards (11 times), with Hannah Everson, who posted the program's highest individual finish in 2015 (third), and Melissa Fuerst earning all-MW honors multiple times.
LAST YEAR AT THE MW CHAMPIONSHIPS
Backed by top-three finishes from Patrick Corona (second) and Kyle Eller (third), the men captured the team title at the 2015 Mountain West Championships in Reno last fall for the second MW title in program history. All five scoring runners finished within the top 21, with four earning all-conference distinction after placing within the top 14. On the women's side, Hannah Everson registered the highest individual finish in program history (third) to lead the women to third-place finish in the 11-team standings. All five scoring runners placed within the top 31, as Air Force posted its second-lowest point total since joining the Mountain West (98) and earned its best finish since the conference expanded from eight teams.
AIR FORCE DEBUTS IN USTFCCCA NATIONAL RANKINGS
Following a strong weekend at the Pre-National Invitational, Air Force debuted in both the men's and women's national USTFCCCA standings on Oct. 18. The men made their season debut at No. 28, while the women received votes for their first-ever listing in the USTFCCCA National Rankings.
DID YOU KNOW?
The women tallied 16 votes in the Oct. 18 standings – the most ever by a women's service academy team.
THE NEXT COURSE
Air Force continues the championship portion of its season on Friday, Nov. 11, when it travels to Logan, Utah, for the 2016 NCAA Mountain Region Championships at the Steve and Dona Reeder Cross Country Course.
Players Mentioned
