Friday, October 15
Madison, WI
10:00 am MT
Air Force Academy
at
Nuttycombe Invitational
Photo by: Josh Armstrong
Men Claim Top-Five Finish at Nuttycombe
10/15/2021 2:30:00 PM | Cross Country
The Falcons claimed their highest finish ever at Wisconsin, bettering 12 higher-ranked teams.
VERONA, Wis. – Backed by a top-20 performance from sophomore Nick Scheller, the 30th-ranked Air Force men's cross country team claimed an impressive fifth-place finish at the prestigious Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational this afternoon (Oct. 15) on the Zimmer Championship Course in Verona.
Scheller posted a time of 23:46.2 – the second-fastest 8K ever by a Falcon at Wisconsin – to finish 19th in the 246-runner event and lead the five scoring finishers to placements within the top 75. Senior Ryan Ioanidis crossed the finish line in 23:53.8 to place 34th in the overall standings, while junior Sam Gilman also ran under the 24-minute mark to finish 42nd in a time 23:57.0. Classmate Ethan Marshall earned the Falcons' No. 4 spot after posting a time of 24:08.9 to finish 58th, while sophomore Luke Combs rounded out the scoring lineup with a 72nd-place time of 24:14.9.
With a five-man spread of 28.8 seconds, the men tallied 225 points to place fifth in the 32-team event – capturing their highest finish ever at the Wisconsin meet and bettering 12 squads that were ranked higher in the latest national standings (including a pair of top-10 programs). Sixth-ranked Iowa State won the meet with 88 points, while third-ranked Stanford (104), 12th-ranked Tulsa (160) and 11th-ranked host Wisconsin (187) joined Air Force in the top five.
Three other members of the men's team also completed the 8K Zimmer course this afternoon during the Championship Race. The Maison brothers finished 100th (Scott, 24:30.6) and 117th (Sean, 24:37.0), respectively, while senior Will Kitzhaber rounded out the lineup with a 160th-place time of 25:02.5.
"The men had a strong day, but there are still areas we can improve," head coach Ryan Cole said. "Our group was more separated than normal early in the run, which somewhat limited our outcome. But this was a positive step compared to our first race and we can take a few more positive steps over the next month."
On the women's side, freshman Halle Hamilton led a relatively young Air Force squad to a 28th-place finish (710 points) in the 36-team race that featured 18 of the nation's top 30 teams, as well as nine other teams that are receiving votes in the latest USTFCCCA standings. Air Force, the No. 2 team among those not currently in the national conversation, bettered one of the 'receiving votes' teams, as it held an 82-point advantage over Southern Utah (31st).
Hamilton, who clocked a career-best 6K time of 21:12.7, moved up 26 spots over the final 2K to finish 88th in the 267-runner field. Senior Jenna Kill also made tremendous gains during the final split, climbing 35 places to finish within the top half of the field (133rd) in a season-best time of 21:30.8. Freshmen Lindsey Peters and Ally Peterson finished 141st (21:34.3) and 166th (21:46.9, 6K debut), respectively, while sophomore Rayna Fruchey rounded out the Falcons' scoring lineup with a 194th-place time of 21:59.9.
Fruchey was one of three Falcons to finish within five places of one another, as junior Maddie Edwards finished 197th (season-best 22:01.6) and sophomore Rebecca Wusinich took 199th (22:05.0). Freshman Tiaree Towler rounded out Air Force's lineup, as she clocked a time of 23:05.0 to finish 254th.
"The women also took a positive step today, but we have a lot of first- and second-year girls making up a steep learning – and performance – curve," Cole continued. "This was really the first national championship-type of situation that they've been in and we said before the race, this is a 365-day commitment to be back here next year, competing much more successfully."
Two Falcons also competed in the B races this today at the Nuttycombe Invitational. Junior Ryan Johnson clocked a season-debut of 24:29.4 to place third in the 95-runner men's 8K race, while classmate Stephanie Gregersen posted a 6K time of 21:57.4 to place 27th out of 89 runners in the women's event.
Air Force returns to action on Friday, Oct. 29, when it travels to Albuquerque, N.M., to begin the postseason at the Mountain West Cross Country Championships.
Scheller posted a time of 23:46.2 – the second-fastest 8K ever by a Falcon at Wisconsin – to finish 19th in the 246-runner event and lead the five scoring finishers to placements within the top 75. Senior Ryan Ioanidis crossed the finish line in 23:53.8 to place 34th in the overall standings, while junior Sam Gilman also ran under the 24-minute mark to finish 42nd in a time 23:57.0. Classmate Ethan Marshall earned the Falcons' No. 4 spot after posting a time of 24:08.9 to finish 58th, while sophomore Luke Combs rounded out the scoring lineup with a 72nd-place time of 24:14.9.
With a five-man spread of 28.8 seconds, the men tallied 225 points to place fifth in the 32-team event – capturing their highest finish ever at the Wisconsin meet and bettering 12 squads that were ranked higher in the latest national standings (including a pair of top-10 programs). Sixth-ranked Iowa State won the meet with 88 points, while third-ranked Stanford (104), 12th-ranked Tulsa (160) and 11th-ranked host Wisconsin (187) joined Air Force in the top five.
Three other members of the men's team also completed the 8K Zimmer course this afternoon during the Championship Race. The Maison brothers finished 100th (Scott, 24:30.6) and 117th (Sean, 24:37.0), respectively, while senior Will Kitzhaber rounded out the lineup with a 160th-place time of 25:02.5.
"The men had a strong day, but there are still areas we can improve," head coach Ryan Cole said. "Our group was more separated than normal early in the run, which somewhat limited our outcome. But this was a positive step compared to our first race and we can take a few more positive steps over the next month."
On the women's side, freshman Halle Hamilton led a relatively young Air Force squad to a 28th-place finish (710 points) in the 36-team race that featured 18 of the nation's top 30 teams, as well as nine other teams that are receiving votes in the latest USTFCCCA standings. Air Force, the No. 2 team among those not currently in the national conversation, bettered one of the 'receiving votes' teams, as it held an 82-point advantage over Southern Utah (31st).
Hamilton, who clocked a career-best 6K time of 21:12.7, moved up 26 spots over the final 2K to finish 88th in the 267-runner field. Senior Jenna Kill also made tremendous gains during the final split, climbing 35 places to finish within the top half of the field (133rd) in a season-best time of 21:30.8. Freshmen Lindsey Peters and Ally Peterson finished 141st (21:34.3) and 166th (21:46.9, 6K debut), respectively, while sophomore Rayna Fruchey rounded out the Falcons' scoring lineup with a 194th-place time of 21:59.9.
Fruchey was one of three Falcons to finish within five places of one another, as junior Maddie Edwards finished 197th (season-best 22:01.6) and sophomore Rebecca Wusinich took 199th (22:05.0). Freshman Tiaree Towler rounded out Air Force's lineup, as she clocked a time of 23:05.0 to finish 254th.
"The women also took a positive step today, but we have a lot of first- and second-year girls making up a steep learning – and performance – curve," Cole continued. "This was really the first national championship-type of situation that they've been in and we said before the race, this is a 365-day commitment to be back here next year, competing much more successfully."
Two Falcons also competed in the B races this today at the Nuttycombe Invitational. Junior Ryan Johnson clocked a season-debut of 24:29.4 to place third in the 95-runner men's 8K race, while classmate Stephanie Gregersen posted a 6K time of 21:57.4 to place 27th out of 89 runners in the women's event.
Air Force returns to action on Friday, Oct. 29, when it travels to Albuquerque, N.M., to begin the postseason at the Mountain West Cross Country Championships.
Players Mentioned
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