Falcons Travel to Utah for NCAA Mountain Regional
11/9/2016 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Nov. 9, 2016
The Air Force cross country team, which includes the 29th-ranked women and a men's team that is receiving votes in the most recent national standings, returns to action this weekend, when it travels to Logan, Utah, for the 2016 NCAA Mountain Regional on Friday, Nov. 11. The meet, hosted by Utah State University, is slated to begin at noon.
Meet Notes 06: at NCAA Mountain Regional 
MOUNTAIN REGIONAL INFORMATION
The NCAA Mountain Regional will take place on Friday, Nov. 11, at the Steve and Dona Reeder Cross Country Course in Logan, Utah (parking is available at the corner of 1400 North and 1200 East). The women will kick off the day with a 6K race at 11:00 a.m., while the men will follow with a 10K race at 12:00 p.m. Admission is free to all spectators.
IF YOU CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE MEET
A direct link to real-time results can be found on the schedule page at GoAirForceFalcons.com.
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 eight women – Lindsey Blanks, Katie Burnham, Shanna Burns, Carina Gillespie, Lindy Long, Samantha Skold, Jaci Smith, Giulianna Vessa – to the NCAA Mountain Regional.
WHO'S WHO
Air Force, BYU, Colorado, Colorado State, Idaho State, Montana, Montana State, New Mexico, New Mexico State, Northern Arizona, Southern Utah, Texas Tech, Utah State, Utah Valley, UTEP, Weber State and Wyoming will compete in both the men's and women's races, while Nevada, Northern Colorado and Utah will compete in just the women's event.
A LOOK AT THE REGION
A total of 12 nationally-mentioned teams reside in the Mountain Region – including the nation's top-ranked women's team (Colorado) and the three highest-ranked men's programs (# 1 Northern Arizona, #2 Colorado, #3 BYU). The women's field also features #6 – and defending NCAA champion – New Mexico, #18 BYU, #20 Utah and #20 Air Force, while the men's lineup includes #15 UTEP, #19 Colorado State, #24 Southern Utah and Air Force, which was receiving votes in the most recent USTFCCCA standings.
HOW IT WORKS
The regional championship meet serves as the primary feeder to the upcoming NCAA Cross Country Championships. The top two teams from each of the nine regional championship sites – West, Mountain, Midwest, South Central, Great Lakes, South, Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast – as well as the top four individuals not on an advancing team, will receive an automatic berth to the national meet. The remainder of the teams and individuals are chosen on at at-large basis.
LAST YEAR AT THE MOUNTAIN REGIONAL
Bettering the field by more than 10 seconds, Hannah Everson captured women's title at last year's Mountain Regional in Albuquerque, while Kyle Eller and Patrick Corona finished third and fourth, respectively, in the men's race. The trio earned all-region honors, along with Carina Gillespie (21st), as the men finished fifth and the women placed sixth in the team standings.
WOMEN EARN PROGRAM'S FIRST TOP-30 RANKING
The women debuted at No. 29 in the Nov. 1 edition of the USTFCCCA National Rankings – marking the first time in program history that Air Force has been listed in the women's top 30. The Falcons, who earned their first national mention in the previous poll as a team receiving votes, also became the first women's team from a service academy to ever earn a spot in the USTFCCCA Top-30.
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE
The men are also listed in the Nov. 1 rankings, as Air Force received 25 votes – just three out of the top-30.
THE NEXT COURSE
The 2016 season comes to a close next Saturday (Nov. 19) at the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute.
Players Mentioned
