Air Force Duo Claims USTFCCCA All-America Accolades
11/25/2019 11:25:00 AM | Cross Country
Maria Mettler and Mahala Norris claimed top-40 finishes at last week's NCAA meet.
NEW ORLEANS – Air Force juniors Maria Mettler and Mahala Norris were officially named All-Americans by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association this afternoon (Nov. 25), as the USTFCCCA recognized the 80 individuals (40 women, 40 men) from 39 different institutions that collected top-40 finishes at last week's NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships.
The pair earned their first All-America honors after two impressive 6K races around the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Ind., on Saturday, Nov. 23. Mettler posted a time of 20:43.1 to place 36th in the 254-runner field, while Norris clocked in at 20:46.2 to finish 39th.
Mettler and Norris, who received their medals on Saturday, doubled Air Force's number of female All-Americans at the Division I level, joining Hannah Everson (2015) and Jaci Smith (2018). In addition, it is the first time that any single-gender Air Force cross country team (men or women) has claimed multiple DI All-America accolades in the same race since Mike Ryan and Terry Gruters at the 1967 championship meet and just the second time since that year that Air Force has produced more than one All-American at the same meet (Everson, Kyle Eller in 2015).
The pair earned their first All-America honors after two impressive 6K races around the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Ind., on Saturday, Nov. 23. Mettler posted a time of 20:43.1 to place 36th in the 254-runner field, while Norris clocked in at 20:46.2 to finish 39th.
Mettler and Norris, who received their medals on Saturday, doubled Air Force's number of female All-Americans at the Division I level, joining Hannah Everson (2015) and Jaci Smith (2018). In addition, it is the first time that any single-gender Air Force cross country team (men or women) has claimed multiple DI All-America accolades in the same race since Mike Ryan and Terry Gruters at the 1967 championship meet and just the second time since that year that Air Force has produced more than one All-American at the same meet (Everson, Kyle Eller in 2015).
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