Friday, October 18
Madison, WI
10:00 am MT
Air Force Academy
at
Nuttycombe Invitational
Photo by: Timothy Hughes
Women Excel in Eighth-Place Nuttycombe Finish
10/18/2019 3:51:00 PM | Cross Country
No. 21 Air Force bettered seven higher-ranked teams, including two top-10 squads.
MADISON, Wis. – Backed by top-30 performances from junior Mahala Norris and sophomore Mikayla Gallagher, the Air Force women's cross country team finished eighth against a loaded field at the prestigious Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational this afternoon (Oct. 18) in Madison. In a race that featured 20 of the top-30 women's teams in the NCAA, Air Force easily outperformed its own No. 21 ranking, as it finished ahead of seven higher-ranked squads, including a pair of top-10 teams. The Falcon men, who are receiving votes in the latest coaches' poll, bettered three top-30 teams with a 21st-place finish in another stacked race that also included 20 nationally-ranked teams.
Norris, who crossed the finish line in a team-leading 6K time of 20:23.7, moved up 30 spots during the final 2000 meters to finish 22nd in the full 252-runner field. Gallagher was just seven spots back from her junior teammate, as she posted a time of 20:30.9 to finish 29th. Senior Teri Brady added a time of 21:01.6 to finish 66th, while classmates Lindsey Blanks and Swathi Samuel rounded out the Falcons' scoring lineup behind respective times of 21:14.5 (87th) and 21:15.9 (94th).
The Falcons accounted for 298 points to finish eighth in the 36-team field – the second-highest finish ever by an Air Force squad (men or women) at Wisconsin's annual meet. The Falcons finished ahead of fourth-ranked New Mexico and sixth-ranked Utah, as well as additional top-20 teams from Oregon (14), Syracuse (15), Notre Dame (16), Furman (18, tie) and Minnesota (18, tie). Top-ranked Arkansas won the meet with 62 points, while Stanford, who is tied for fourth, finished second with 98 points and ninth-ranked NC State rounded out the top-three with 203 points.
"The women had a great day today," head coach Ryan Cole said after the meet. "Across the board, from Mahala and Mikayla to Lindsey, Jenna and Maddie. Having Swathi back racing was awesome for us, but I thought a key person for today was Teri Brady – she came through really well. There's a lot of season to go and the women can continue to improve."
Paced by junior Alec Schrank's 8K time of 24:34.4, less than 11 seconds separated the five scoring runners on the men's side. Schrank finished 93rd overall in the 252-runner event, while sophomore Will Kitzhaber placed 104th with a time of 24:37.6. Just 0.06 seconds separated seniors Justin Weber (24:43.0) and Patrick Sullivan (24:43.6), as the duo finished 116th and 119th, respectively. Junior Scott Johnson rounded out the Falcons' scoring lineup, as he clocked a time of 24:47.7 to finish 122nd.
The Falcons, who are receiving votes in the latest USTFCCCA coaches' poll, finished 21st in a stacked men's field at Zimmer Championship Course on Friday afternoon. With 554 points, Air Force placed ahead of three top-30 teams, including one listed in the top 12, and was fifth amongst teams not currently ranked. Northern Arizona, the nation's No. 1 team, won the 33-team meet with 59 points, while fifth-ranked Stanford and No. 28 Tulsa finished second (133) and third (175), respectively.
"The men's race was even more nationally competitive than the women's and our guys continued to prove that we're a good bubble team for the NCAAs," Cole said. "We can take that next step over the coming weeks and there are 7-10 guys who could all help that cause. But today was a step and further steps are ahead during the championship season."
Four other Falcons also raced at the Nuttycombe Invitational. Sophomore Jenna Kill and freshman Maddie Edwards clocked respective times of 21:19.7 (109th) and 22:00.8 (191st) in the women's 6K, while freshman Sam Gilman and junior Colin Dwyer posted 8K marks of 24:49.7 (130th) and 25:25.1 (195th), respectively, in the men's race.
With the regular season complete, Air Force now turns its attention to the Championship portion of the 2019 cross country calendar. The Falcons are off until Friday, Nov. 1, when they travel to Logan, Utah, for the annual Mountain West Championships at the Steve and Donna Reeder Cross Country Course.
Norris, who crossed the finish line in a team-leading 6K time of 20:23.7, moved up 30 spots during the final 2000 meters to finish 22nd in the full 252-runner field. Gallagher was just seven spots back from her junior teammate, as she posted a time of 20:30.9 to finish 29th. Senior Teri Brady added a time of 21:01.6 to finish 66th, while classmates Lindsey Blanks and Swathi Samuel rounded out the Falcons' scoring lineup behind respective times of 21:14.5 (87th) and 21:15.9 (94th).
The Falcons accounted for 298 points to finish eighth in the 36-team field – the second-highest finish ever by an Air Force squad (men or women) at Wisconsin's annual meet. The Falcons finished ahead of fourth-ranked New Mexico and sixth-ranked Utah, as well as additional top-20 teams from Oregon (14), Syracuse (15), Notre Dame (16), Furman (18, tie) and Minnesota (18, tie). Top-ranked Arkansas won the meet with 62 points, while Stanford, who is tied for fourth, finished second with 98 points and ninth-ranked NC State rounded out the top-three with 203 points.
"The women had a great day today," head coach Ryan Cole said after the meet. "Across the board, from Mahala and Mikayla to Lindsey, Jenna and Maddie. Having Swathi back racing was awesome for us, but I thought a key person for today was Teri Brady – she came through really well. There's a lot of season to go and the women can continue to improve."
Paced by junior Alec Schrank's 8K time of 24:34.4, less than 11 seconds separated the five scoring runners on the men's side. Schrank finished 93rd overall in the 252-runner event, while sophomore Will Kitzhaber placed 104th with a time of 24:37.6. Just 0.06 seconds separated seniors Justin Weber (24:43.0) and Patrick Sullivan (24:43.6), as the duo finished 116th and 119th, respectively. Junior Scott Johnson rounded out the Falcons' scoring lineup, as he clocked a time of 24:47.7 to finish 122nd.
The Falcons, who are receiving votes in the latest USTFCCCA coaches' poll, finished 21st in a stacked men's field at Zimmer Championship Course on Friday afternoon. With 554 points, Air Force placed ahead of three top-30 teams, including one listed in the top 12, and was fifth amongst teams not currently ranked. Northern Arizona, the nation's No. 1 team, won the 33-team meet with 59 points, while fifth-ranked Stanford and No. 28 Tulsa finished second (133) and third (175), respectively.
"The men's race was even more nationally competitive than the women's and our guys continued to prove that we're a good bubble team for the NCAAs," Cole said. "We can take that next step over the coming weeks and there are 7-10 guys who could all help that cause. But today was a step and further steps are ahead during the championship season."
Four other Falcons also raced at the Nuttycombe Invitational. Sophomore Jenna Kill and freshman Maddie Edwards clocked respective times of 21:19.7 (109th) and 22:00.8 (191st) in the women's 6K, while freshman Sam Gilman and junior Colin Dwyer posted 8K marks of 24:49.7 (130th) and 25:25.1 (195th), respectively, in the men's race.
With the regular season complete, Air Force now turns its attention to the Championship portion of the 2019 cross country calendar. The Falcons are off until Friday, Nov. 1, when they travel to Logan, Utah, for the annual Mountain West Championships at the Steve and Donna Reeder Cross Country Course.
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