Saturday, November 17
Madison, WI
9:45 a.m. MT
Air Force Academy
at
NCAA Championships
Photo by: Marty France
Air Force Set for NCAA Cross Country Championships
11/14/2018 4:56:00 PM | Cross Country
The 17th-ranked men's team and senior Jaci Smith will compete at the national meet on Nov. 17.
The Air Force cross country season comes to a close this weekend, as the 17th-ranked men's squad and senior Jaci Smith travel to Madison, Wis., for the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 17.
MEET INFORMATION
The 2018 national meet will take place throughout the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course near the University Ridge Golf Course. The women's 6K championship race will kick off the day at 10:45 a.m. (CT), while the men's 10K championship will follow one hour later (11:45 a.m.). Live stats will be available via RecordTiming.com, while FloTrack will broadcast the event through their FloPro service.
SPECTATOR INFORMATION
There is no spectator parking at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course, the University Ridge Golf Course or on the roads surrounding the course. Shuttles will be available from specific parking lots (EPIC Systems in Verona, Blackhawk Church in Middleton, Badger Ridge Middle School in Verona) for a $10 round-trip fee (cash only). Shuttles begin from EPIC and Blackhawk Church at 8:45 a.m. (CT) and conclude two hours after the awards ceremony.
WEATHER WATCH
Saturday's weather in Madison is currently forecasted as partly cloudy and a high of 33.
THE STARTING LINE
Air Force will send eight runners to the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Jaci Smith will represent the women's squad, while the men's NCAA lineup will consist of Mickey Davey, Scott Johnson, Alec Schrank, Trevor Siniscalchi, Patrick Sullivan, Nathan Thomas and Justin Weber.
WHERE TO FIND THEM
The men are scheduled to begin their 10K championship race out of Box 10, while Jaci Smith will begin her 6K championship in Box 26, with individuals from Tennessee, Tennessee Tech and Wichita State.
WHO'S WHO
Thirty-one teams were selected into both the men's and women's championship races. The top-two teams from each of the nine regional meets earned an automatic bid into the NCAA meet, while 13 additional teams earned at-large selections. Thirty-eight individuals were also selected into each championship race, after placing within the top 25 of their region and being one of the top-four finishers not on an advancing team from each regional site.
LET'S MEET THE MEN'S FIELD
The overall men's field includes automatic qualifiers from Northern Arizona (No. 1), BYU (2), Wisconsin (3), Portland (4), Iowa State (5), Washington (6), Notre Dame (10), Syracuse (11), Mississippi (14), NC State (16), Arkansas (17-tie), Eastern Kentucky (21), Princeton (23), Bradley (25), Iona (26), Villanova (29), Florida State (RV) and Texas (RV), as well as at-large squads from Stanford (7), Colorado (8), Boise State (9), Oregon (12), Colorado State (13), Wyoming (15), Air Force (17-tie), Southern Utah (19), Michigan (20), Purdue (22), Indiana (24), Oklahoma State (27) and Tulsa (28).
AIR FORCE ALL-AMERICANS
A total of 12 Falcons have captured All-America honors (15 occurrences) and the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, while 14 women earned All-America honors at the DII and AIAW levels (28 occurrences). The most recent Air Force All-American is Mickey Davey, who captured the honor last year.
HISTORY 101 | MEN
The 2018 season marks the 16th time that Air Force has sent a full men's squad to the NCAA Championships – and the 31st time that the Academy has been represented by at least runner in the men's race. The history book boasts six top-10 finishes, including a runner-up placement by the 1967 squad, the national champion in 1968 (Mike Ryan) and the top American finisher in 1995 (Eric Mack, third overall).
HISTORY 101 | WOMEN
Air Force has been represented by at least one participant during each of the last four years, with the 2016 squad becoming the Academy's first team to qualify at the Division I level. Hannah Everson became the program's first DI All-American in 2015, although Air Force was a longtime participant at the Division I National Championships, accounting for three runner-up team finishes and 20 All-America nods.
MAKING HISTORY
With her inclusion into the 2018 championship field, Jaci Smith became the first Air Force female to qualify to the national meet in three consecutive years. In fact, Smith, who has qualified as an individual during each of the last two seasons and ran on the 2016 team that advanced to the national meet, is the first Air Force runner (male or female) to advance to three-straight championships since John Jones in 1968-69-70. Mike Ryan (67-68-69), John Fer (59-60-61), Will Holbrow (59-60-61) and Austin Wedemeyer (59-60-61) also competed in three-straight meets, while Chris Acs (00-01-03), Ben Payne (00-01-03) and Brian Dumm (01-03-04) qualified to the national meet three times during their four-year careers.
MEN ENTER CHAMPIONSHIP MEET RANKED 17TH IN NATIONAL STANDINGS
Air Force is ranked No. 17 in the pre-championship edition of the USTFCCCA National Coaches' Poll, which was released on Nov. 12. Highlighted by a No. 10 placement in Week 4, the Falcons have been listed among the nation's top 20 during every ranking period this season – marking the first time since 2004 that Air Force has been nationally ranked in every poll.
THE NEXT COURSE
Although the cross country season will come to a close this weekend, the Falcons return to action next month with the start of the indoor track and field season. Air Force will host its annual Holiday Open on Friday, Dec. 7, at the Cadet Field House Indoor Track.
MEET INFORMATION
The 2018 national meet will take place throughout the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course near the University Ridge Golf Course. The women's 6K championship race will kick off the day at 10:45 a.m. (CT), while the men's 10K championship will follow one hour later (11:45 a.m.). Live stats will be available via RecordTiming.com, while FloTrack will broadcast the event through their FloPro service.
SPECTATOR INFORMATION
There is no spectator parking at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course, the University Ridge Golf Course or on the roads surrounding the course. Shuttles will be available from specific parking lots (EPIC Systems in Verona, Blackhawk Church in Middleton, Badger Ridge Middle School in Verona) for a $10 round-trip fee (cash only). Shuttles begin from EPIC and Blackhawk Church at 8:45 a.m. (CT) and conclude two hours after the awards ceremony.
WEATHER WATCH
Saturday's weather in Madison is currently forecasted as partly cloudy and a high of 33.
THE STARTING LINE
Air Force will send eight runners to the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Jaci Smith will represent the women's squad, while the men's NCAA lineup will consist of Mickey Davey, Scott Johnson, Alec Schrank, Trevor Siniscalchi, Patrick Sullivan, Nathan Thomas and Justin Weber.
WHERE TO FIND THEM
The men are scheduled to begin their 10K championship race out of Box 10, while Jaci Smith will begin her 6K championship in Box 26, with individuals from Tennessee, Tennessee Tech and Wichita State.
WHO'S WHO
Thirty-one teams were selected into both the men's and women's championship races. The top-two teams from each of the nine regional meets earned an automatic bid into the NCAA meet, while 13 additional teams earned at-large selections. Thirty-eight individuals were also selected into each championship race, after placing within the top 25 of their region and being one of the top-four finishers not on an advancing team from each regional site.
LET'S MEET THE MEN'S FIELD
The overall men's field includes automatic qualifiers from Northern Arizona (No. 1), BYU (2), Wisconsin (3), Portland (4), Iowa State (5), Washington (6), Notre Dame (10), Syracuse (11), Mississippi (14), NC State (16), Arkansas (17-tie), Eastern Kentucky (21), Princeton (23), Bradley (25), Iona (26), Villanova (29), Florida State (RV) and Texas (RV), as well as at-large squads from Stanford (7), Colorado (8), Boise State (9), Oregon (12), Colorado State (13), Wyoming (15), Air Force (17-tie), Southern Utah (19), Michigan (20), Purdue (22), Indiana (24), Oklahoma State (27) and Tulsa (28).
AIR FORCE ALL-AMERICANS
A total of 12 Falcons have captured All-America honors (15 occurrences) and the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, while 14 women earned All-America honors at the DII and AIAW levels (28 occurrences). The most recent Air Force All-American is Mickey Davey, who captured the honor last year.
HISTORY 101 | MEN
The 2018 season marks the 16th time that Air Force has sent a full men's squad to the NCAA Championships – and the 31st time that the Academy has been represented by at least runner in the men's race. The history book boasts six top-10 finishes, including a runner-up placement by the 1967 squad, the national champion in 1968 (Mike Ryan) and the top American finisher in 1995 (Eric Mack, third overall).
HISTORY 101 | WOMEN
Air Force has been represented by at least one participant during each of the last four years, with the 2016 squad becoming the Academy's first team to qualify at the Division I level. Hannah Everson became the program's first DI All-American in 2015, although Air Force was a longtime participant at the Division I National Championships, accounting for three runner-up team finishes and 20 All-America nods.
MAKING HISTORY
With her inclusion into the 2018 championship field, Jaci Smith became the first Air Force female to qualify to the national meet in three consecutive years. In fact, Smith, who has qualified as an individual during each of the last two seasons and ran on the 2016 team that advanced to the national meet, is the first Air Force runner (male or female) to advance to three-straight championships since John Jones in 1968-69-70. Mike Ryan (67-68-69), John Fer (59-60-61), Will Holbrow (59-60-61) and Austin Wedemeyer (59-60-61) also competed in three-straight meets, while Chris Acs (00-01-03), Ben Payne (00-01-03) and Brian Dumm (01-03-04) qualified to the national meet three times during their four-year careers.
MEN ENTER CHAMPIONSHIP MEET RANKED 17TH IN NATIONAL STANDINGS
Air Force is ranked No. 17 in the pre-championship edition of the USTFCCCA National Coaches' Poll, which was released on Nov. 12. Highlighted by a No. 10 placement in Week 4, the Falcons have been listed among the nation's top 20 during every ranking period this season – marking the first time since 2004 that Air Force has been nationally ranked in every poll.
THE NEXT COURSE
Although the cross country season will come to a close this weekend, the Falcons return to action next month with the start of the indoor track and field season. Air Force will host its annual Holiday Open on Friday, Dec. 7, at the Cadet Field House Indoor Track.
Players Mentioned
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