Friday, November 1
Logan, UT
10:00 am MT
Air Force Academy
at
MW Championships
Photo by: Justin Tafoya, NCAA Photos
Women Shine in Runner-Up Finish at MW Championships
11/1/2019 3:46:00 PM | Cross Country
Maria Mettler and Mahala Norris finished within the top four of the women's 6K race.
LOGAN, Utah – Highlighted by a program-best four all-conference selections, the 14th-ranked Air Force women's cross country team matched its best conference finish this morning (Nov. 1), as it placed second at the Mountain West Cross Country Championships in Logan, Utah. The men added one all-MW accolade and an individual award during a fifth-place finish at the Steve and Donna Reeder Course.
Juniors Maria Mettler and Mahala Norris led Air Force's women on the 6K course, placing third and fourth, respectively, to claim first-team all-conference honors. Just 0.2 seconds separated the pair, who only trailed runners that finished first or second at the last two NCAA Championship meets. Mettler, in her first race since the season-opener in August, clocked a time of 20:13.1 to finish third in the 88-runner field and edge Norris, who crossed the finish line in a fourth-place time of 20:13.3.
Senior Lindsey Blanks and sophomore Mikayla Gallagher captured second-team all-MW status after placing within the top 12 – helping the women to the most all-conference accolades in program history (four) and matching the most by either cross country squad since 2012. Blanks finished ninth with a time of 20:30.2, while Gallagher clocked a time of 20:36.3 to finish 12th. Senior Swathi Samuel rounded out the Falcons' list of scoring runners, as she finished 26th with a time of 21:10.5.
The 14th-ranked women accounted for 54 points – their second-lowest point total at the Division I level – to finish second amongst 11 teams in the conference standings – a placement that equals the best finish in program history. New Mexico, listed 11th in the latest USTFCCCA National Coaches Poll, won its 12th-straight title with 31 points, while Air Force bettered higher-ranked Boise State (13th), which finished third with 63 points. Colorado State (fourth, 114) and host Utah State (fifth, 134) rounded out the top five, while Wyoming (sixth, 170), Nevada (eighth, 244), UNLV (ninth, 293), San Diego State (10th, 299) and Fresno State (11th, 326) completed the full team standings.
"This was a strong team run for the women," head coach Ryan Cole said after the meet. "Getting Maria back into the fold and seeing her have a great run was awesome. Mahala also had a great run and is establishing herself at a really high level. Lindsey and Mikayla also had really strong runs for the team. But seeing some girls step up when others had some difficulty was really positive. That's what made this run a great team effort and we feel we can continue to improve as a group over the next few weeks."
Four other women also completed the Steve and Donna Reeder Cross Country Course today, with just three seconds separating three of them. Sophomore Jenna Kill (21:12.1), senior Teri Brady (21:13.4) and freshman Maddie Edwards (21:15.1) finished 28th through 30th in the overall field, while sophomore Sarah Deresky added a 49th-place time of 22:01.1.
On the men's side, sophomore Will Kitzhaber captured first-team all-conference honors after finishing fourth with an 8K time of 23:22.8. The youngest of the top 13 finishers, Kitzhaber matched the Falcons' highest individual finish since 2015. Junior Hunter Boyer and senior Justin Weber also placed within the top third of the 72-runner event, as the pair finished 17th (23:43.3) and 22nd (24:12.3), respectively. Junior Konrad Steck finished 32nd with a time of 24:10.1, while just one second separated the Falcons' final scoring runner – senior Patrick Sullivan, who finished 33rd in a time of 24:12.3 – and junior Alec Schrank, who placed 34th in 24:13.3.
The men, who were receiving votes in the latest coaches' poll, finished fifth in the nine-team standings with 106 points. Host and 22nd-ranked Utah State won its first conference title with 42, while Colorado State (74) edged Wyoming (75) for second. No. 18 Boise State (fourth, 88) and Air Force completed the top five, while New Mexico (sixth, 111), San Jose State (seventh, 220), Nevada (eighth, 243) and Fresno State (ninth, 276) rounded out the largest men's field in conference history.
"Will had a remarkable run today," Cole continued. "He's been solid all fall, but being first-team all-conference as a second-year sophomore, while all other first-team athletes were seniors, is really impressive. Hunter also had a strong run after working through some challenges early in the season. Overall, while we were beat by some good teams today, finishing that far back in the conference isn't meeting our program standard and the guys know that. We have another opportunity to show we're a better team in a few weeks."
Ryan Johnson became the first Air Force runner to be named the Mountain West Freshman of the Year, as he collected the best finish by a true freshman in the conference. Johnson clocked a time of 24:23.9 to finish 41st in the overall field. Junior Colin Dwyer and freshman Sam Gilman rounded out the Falcons' list of runners, as they finished 43rd (24:29.7) and 44th (24:33.8), respectively.
The Falcons return to action – and Utah – on Friday, Nov. 15, as they continue postseason competition at the NCAA Mountain Regionals in Salt Lake City.
Juniors Maria Mettler and Mahala Norris led Air Force's women on the 6K course, placing third and fourth, respectively, to claim first-team all-conference honors. Just 0.2 seconds separated the pair, who only trailed runners that finished first or second at the last two NCAA Championship meets. Mettler, in her first race since the season-opener in August, clocked a time of 20:13.1 to finish third in the 88-runner field and edge Norris, who crossed the finish line in a fourth-place time of 20:13.3.
Senior Lindsey Blanks and sophomore Mikayla Gallagher captured second-team all-MW status after placing within the top 12 – helping the women to the most all-conference accolades in program history (four) and matching the most by either cross country squad since 2012. Blanks finished ninth with a time of 20:30.2, while Gallagher clocked a time of 20:36.3 to finish 12th. Senior Swathi Samuel rounded out the Falcons' list of scoring runners, as she finished 26th with a time of 21:10.5.
The 14th-ranked women accounted for 54 points – their second-lowest point total at the Division I level – to finish second amongst 11 teams in the conference standings – a placement that equals the best finish in program history. New Mexico, listed 11th in the latest USTFCCCA National Coaches Poll, won its 12th-straight title with 31 points, while Air Force bettered higher-ranked Boise State (13th), which finished third with 63 points. Colorado State (fourth, 114) and host Utah State (fifth, 134) rounded out the top five, while Wyoming (sixth, 170), Nevada (eighth, 244), UNLV (ninth, 293), San Diego State (10th, 299) and Fresno State (11th, 326) completed the full team standings.
"This was a strong team run for the women," head coach Ryan Cole said after the meet. "Getting Maria back into the fold and seeing her have a great run was awesome. Mahala also had a great run and is establishing herself at a really high level. Lindsey and Mikayla also had really strong runs for the team. But seeing some girls step up when others had some difficulty was really positive. That's what made this run a great team effort and we feel we can continue to improve as a group over the next few weeks."
Four other women also completed the Steve and Donna Reeder Cross Country Course today, with just three seconds separating three of them. Sophomore Jenna Kill (21:12.1), senior Teri Brady (21:13.4) and freshman Maddie Edwards (21:15.1) finished 28th through 30th in the overall field, while sophomore Sarah Deresky added a 49th-place time of 22:01.1.
On the men's side, sophomore Will Kitzhaber captured first-team all-conference honors after finishing fourth with an 8K time of 23:22.8. The youngest of the top 13 finishers, Kitzhaber matched the Falcons' highest individual finish since 2015. Junior Hunter Boyer and senior Justin Weber also placed within the top third of the 72-runner event, as the pair finished 17th (23:43.3) and 22nd (24:12.3), respectively. Junior Konrad Steck finished 32nd with a time of 24:10.1, while just one second separated the Falcons' final scoring runner – senior Patrick Sullivan, who finished 33rd in a time of 24:12.3 – and junior Alec Schrank, who placed 34th in 24:13.3.
The men, who were receiving votes in the latest coaches' poll, finished fifth in the nine-team standings with 106 points. Host and 22nd-ranked Utah State won its first conference title with 42, while Colorado State (74) edged Wyoming (75) for second. No. 18 Boise State (fourth, 88) and Air Force completed the top five, while New Mexico (sixth, 111), San Jose State (seventh, 220), Nevada (eighth, 243) and Fresno State (ninth, 276) rounded out the largest men's field in conference history.
"Will had a remarkable run today," Cole continued. "He's been solid all fall, but being first-team all-conference as a second-year sophomore, while all other first-team athletes were seniors, is really impressive. Hunter also had a strong run after working through some challenges early in the season. Overall, while we were beat by some good teams today, finishing that far back in the conference isn't meeting our program standard and the guys know that. We have another opportunity to show we're a better team in a few weeks."
Ryan Johnson became the first Air Force runner to be named the Mountain West Freshman of the Year, as he collected the best finish by a true freshman in the conference. Johnson clocked a time of 24:23.9 to finish 41st in the overall field. Junior Colin Dwyer and freshman Sam Gilman rounded out the Falcons' list of runners, as they finished 43rd (24:29.7) and 44th (24:33.8), respectively.
The Falcons return to action – and Utah – on Friday, Nov. 15, as they continue postseason competition at the NCAA Mountain Regionals in Salt Lake City.
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