Falcons Claim Top-10 Finishes at Pre-Nationals

MADISON, Wis. – Seniors Jaci Smith and Mickey Davey paced the Air Force cross country team to a pair of top-10 finishes at the Pre-National Invitational earlier today (Oct. 13) in Wisconsin. The women finished 10th in the meet's White Race to equal their highest Pre-Nats' finish ever, while the 10th-ranked men's squad earned a sixth-place finish to record their best team placement since 2004.

Finishing 16th in the field of 243 with a 6K time of 20:40.9, Smith paced the women to four top-75 finishes in a race that included runners from 10 nationally-ranked squads. Sophomore Maria Mettler clocked a time of 21:07.7 to finish 43rd, while juniors Lindsey Blanks and Swathi Samuel finished 60th (21:23.0) and 72nd (21:31.7), respectively. Fellow junior Teri Brady rounded out the Falcons' contingent of scoring finishers, as she clocked a time of 21:52.5 to finish 107th.

The women registered 298 points to finish 10th in the 36-team meet – bettering four top-30 teams and accounting for the best finish by a team not mentioned in the latest national conversation (eight ranked teams, one receiving votes).

Backed by Davey's 15th-place 8K time of 24:06.9, all five of the men's scoring runners finished within the top 75 of the full 234-runner field. Fellow senior Trevor Siniscalchi clocked a time of 24:17.1 to finish 27th, while classmate Nathan Thomas placed 48th behind a time of 24:36.2. Sophomore Scott Johnson and senior Jacob Bilvado rounded out the Falcons' scoring lineup, as they finished 70th (24:51.9) and 71st (24:52.2), respectively.

The 10th-ranked men tallied 231 points to finish sixth in the 34-team race – bettering four nationally-ranked squads, including a pair of programs listed higher in the national standings.

Senior Shanna Burns (208th, 23:15.5) also competed in the women's 6K race on the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course, while sophomores Alec Schrank (91st, 25:01.6) and Hunter Boyer (104th, 25:.07.0) represented the Academy in the men's 8K.

"We had another good day in Wisconsin, for both the men and the women," head coach Ryan Cole said. "The guys executed a different type of race plan than two weeks ago, as we continue to prepare for the championship season. Our women again handled a big field and are getting more comfortable in that type of setting. Overall, a lot of positives for both groups."

With the regular season complete, the Falcons begin the championship portion of their season on Friday, Oct. 26, when they travel to San Diego, Calif., for the 2018 Mountain West Cross Country Championships.

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