Air Force Opens Season at Wyoming Invitational

The Air Force cross country team, which includes the 16th-ranked men's squad, opens the 2018 campaign this weekend, when it travels to Cheyenne, Wyo., for the Wyoming Invitational on Friday, Aug. 31.

MEET INFORMATION
The Wyoming Invitational will take place on the golf course at the Little America Hotel and Resort in Cheyenne on Friday, Aug. 31. The men and women will both complete a 5K course, with the women beginning at 6:00 p.m. (MT) and the men starting 30 minutes later. The field will include Front Range programs from Colorado (No. 7 men, No. 2 women), Colorado State (No. 9 men), Northern Colorado and Wyoming.

NEW SURROUNDINGS
Air Force has not opened the season in Wyoming since 2008 and has never raced in Cheyenne.

MEN RANKED 16TH IN USTFCCCA PRESEASON COACHES POLL
The men earned a No. 16 ranking in the USTFCCCA Division I Men's National Preseason Rankings – the program's highest preseason placement since 2005. In addition, it is the first time since that year that the men have had a top-30 mention in the preseason.

SENIOR SALUTE
The Falcons are led by 13 seniors, including Jacob Bilvado, Shanna Burns, Nic Cheuvront, Mickey Davey, Gordon Kowalkowski, Nikolai Rhodes, Noah Riley, Preston Roche, Trevor Siniscalchi, Jaci Smith, Andrew Tankersley, Nathan Thomas and Josh Wojciechowski.

LOOK WHO'S BACK
The men return five of the seven runners that helped Air Force to a 15th-place finish in the team standings at the 2017 NCAA Cross Country Championships, including All-American Mickey Davey, who finished 18th at last year's national championships, and Jacob Bilvado, who is an all-region and all-conference selection. The women's lineup will include Jaci Smith, an outdoor All-American (eighth in the 10,000-meter run) and indoor conference champion (5000-meter run) from the 2018 track and field season.

LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE LOCALS
Five Falcons hail from the Centennial State, including one from Colorado Springs (Maria Mettler) and one from Monument (Drew Lester). Air Force's roster also includes runners from Fort Collins (Preston Roche), Littleton (Noah Riley) and Parker (Scott Johnson).

WELCOME TO THE TEAM
Air Force added six men and 10 women to its roster for the 2018 season. The men's freshmen lineup includes Ryan Ioanidis, Adam Kedge, Sean Lewis, Luke Nolley, Joseph Wittig and Matt Zacharias, while the women's roster includes Andi Almodovar, Ally Burba, Sarah Deresky, Mikayla Gallagher, Sydney Hansen, Jenna Kill, Tayler Miranda, Brid O'Connell, Franny Verville and Adrianna Wilder.

THE NEXT COURSE
Air Force returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 15, when it travels to Lincoln, Neb., for the annual Woody Greeno/Jay Dirksen Invitational.

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