Friday, November 15
Salt Lake City, UT
11:00 am MT
Air Force Academy
at
NCAA Mountain Regional
Photo by: Justin Tafoya, NCAA Photos
Women Finish Third to Match Program's Best Regional Finish
11/15/2019 7:24:00 PM | Cross Country
Maria Mettler and Mahala Norris claimed all-region honors after finishing in the top 10.
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Backed by top-10 finishes from juniors Maria Mettler and Mahala Norris, the 15th-ranked Air Force women's cross country team placed third at the NCAA Mountain Regional, which was held today (Nov. 15) in Salt Lake City. The women equaled the best regional finish in program history, while the men finished ninth.
Air Force tallied 107 points to finish third in the 19-team field – a placement that matched the best regional finish in the program's Division I history (2016) and bettered a pair of top-10 squads on Friday morning at Rose Park Golf Course. Third-ranked BYU and No. 10 New Mexico finished first (79 points) and second (83), respectively, to earn the region's automatic bids to the national meet, while Air Force used its finish to place ahead of eighth-ranked Colorado (112.5), the defending national champion, and ninth-ranked Utah (116), who rounded out the top five of the overall field.
Crossing the finish line in a time of 20:08.1, Mettler placed eighth in the 130-runner field and accounted for the second-fastest regional 6K at the Division I level for Air Force. Norris finished just one second behind Mettler, as she posted a time of 20:09.5 to finish 10th. For their finishes, both Mettler and Norris both captured all-region honors – the second such accolade for Mettler and the first for Norris.
All five of the Falcons' scoring runners finished within the top 32 on Friday, as senior Teri Brady, sophomore Mikayla Gallagher and senior Lindsey Blanks rounded out the squad's scoring lineup within the top fourth of the field. Brady and Gallagher finished less than two seconds apart, placing 28th (20:49.0) and 29th (20:50.9), respectively, while Blanks clocked a time of 20:58.2 to finish 32nd.
"The women executed really well today," head coach Ryan Cole said. "We had all five scorers in a great spot, mid-race. Maria and Mahala moved up really well, while staying controlled. Teri, Mikayla and Lindsey also held steady really well over the second half of the race. Overall, a very nice step for our women."
Freshman Maddie Edwards and senior Swathi Samuel also completed the 6K circuit at Rose Park Golf Course on Friday, finishing within the top 60. Edwards clocked a time of 21:11.2 to finish 46th in her first regional race, while Samuel added a 56th-place time of 21:25.4
On the men's side, Air Force's scoring lineup finished within eight spots of each other, as it tallied 257 points to place ninth in a stacked regional field that included the top three teams in the nation.
Junior Hunter Boyer, classmate Konrad Steck and senior Patrick Sullivan crossed the finish line in succession to lead Air Force in the squad's first 10K race of the season. Boyer posted a time of 31:50.4 to finish 48th in the 129-runner event, while Steck and Sullivan finished 49th (31:52.8) and 50th (31:56.6), respectively. Sophomore Will Kitzhaber, one of five Academy runners competing in their first NCAA Regional, finished 54th with a time of 32:00.5, while senior Justin Weber rounded out the scoring runners with a 56th-place time of 32:01.5.
Northern Arizona, the current national leader, won the meet with 21 points, while third-ranked Colorado (53) edged second-ranked BYU (56) for the second automatic bid. No. 20 Utah State finished fourth with 106 points, while Weber State (receiving votes, 158), Wyoming (RV, 217), Utah Valley (250), Southern Utah (RV, 252), Air Force (RV, 257) and Montana State (279) rounded out the top 10. The Falcons' finish was ahead of one top-25 team, as 25th-ranked Colorado State finished 11th with 305 points.
Two other members of the men's team also competed today in Salt Lake City. Senior Marshall Wheeler added a 61st-place time of 32:18.8, while junior Scott Johnson finished 77th with a time of 32:50.4.
"Our men engaged early and put themselves into the race," Cole commented. "But, this is a tough end to our season and it will sting for a bit. We'll have to wait a year to have a different outcome at our next regional cross country championship. Preparation for that begins tomorrow."
The complete list of NCAA qualifiers will be announced tomorrow (Nov. 16) and the 2019 NCAA Cross Country Championships conclude the season next Saturday (Nov. 23) in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Air Force tallied 107 points to finish third in the 19-team field – a placement that matched the best regional finish in the program's Division I history (2016) and bettered a pair of top-10 squads on Friday morning at Rose Park Golf Course. Third-ranked BYU and No. 10 New Mexico finished first (79 points) and second (83), respectively, to earn the region's automatic bids to the national meet, while Air Force used its finish to place ahead of eighth-ranked Colorado (112.5), the defending national champion, and ninth-ranked Utah (116), who rounded out the top five of the overall field.
Crossing the finish line in a time of 20:08.1, Mettler placed eighth in the 130-runner field and accounted for the second-fastest regional 6K at the Division I level for Air Force. Norris finished just one second behind Mettler, as she posted a time of 20:09.5 to finish 10th. For their finishes, both Mettler and Norris both captured all-region honors – the second such accolade for Mettler and the first for Norris.
All five of the Falcons' scoring runners finished within the top 32 on Friday, as senior Teri Brady, sophomore Mikayla Gallagher and senior Lindsey Blanks rounded out the squad's scoring lineup within the top fourth of the field. Brady and Gallagher finished less than two seconds apart, placing 28th (20:49.0) and 29th (20:50.9), respectively, while Blanks clocked a time of 20:58.2 to finish 32nd.
"The women executed really well today," head coach Ryan Cole said. "We had all five scorers in a great spot, mid-race. Maria and Mahala moved up really well, while staying controlled. Teri, Mikayla and Lindsey also held steady really well over the second half of the race. Overall, a very nice step for our women."
Freshman Maddie Edwards and senior Swathi Samuel also completed the 6K circuit at Rose Park Golf Course on Friday, finishing within the top 60. Edwards clocked a time of 21:11.2 to finish 46th in her first regional race, while Samuel added a 56th-place time of 21:25.4
On the men's side, Air Force's scoring lineup finished within eight spots of each other, as it tallied 257 points to place ninth in a stacked regional field that included the top three teams in the nation.
Junior Hunter Boyer, classmate Konrad Steck and senior Patrick Sullivan crossed the finish line in succession to lead Air Force in the squad's first 10K race of the season. Boyer posted a time of 31:50.4 to finish 48th in the 129-runner event, while Steck and Sullivan finished 49th (31:52.8) and 50th (31:56.6), respectively. Sophomore Will Kitzhaber, one of five Academy runners competing in their first NCAA Regional, finished 54th with a time of 32:00.5, while senior Justin Weber rounded out the scoring runners with a 56th-place time of 32:01.5.
Northern Arizona, the current national leader, won the meet with 21 points, while third-ranked Colorado (53) edged second-ranked BYU (56) for the second automatic bid. No. 20 Utah State finished fourth with 106 points, while Weber State (receiving votes, 158), Wyoming (RV, 217), Utah Valley (250), Southern Utah (RV, 252), Air Force (RV, 257) and Montana State (279) rounded out the top 10. The Falcons' finish was ahead of one top-25 team, as 25th-ranked Colorado State finished 11th with 305 points.
Two other members of the men's team also competed today in Salt Lake City. Senior Marshall Wheeler added a 61st-place time of 32:18.8, while junior Scott Johnson finished 77th with a time of 32:50.4.
"Our men engaged early and put themselves into the race," Cole commented. "But, this is a tough end to our season and it will sting for a bit. We'll have to wait a year to have a different outcome at our next regional cross country championship. Preparation for that begins tomorrow."
The complete list of NCAA qualifiers will be announced tomorrow (Nov. 16) and the 2019 NCAA Cross Country Championships conclude the season next Saturday (Nov. 23) in Terre Haute, Indiana.
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