Photo by: Josh Armstrong
Air Force Vaults to No. 11 in National Rankings
10/19/2021 12:03:00 PM | Cross Country
The Falcons vaulted up 19 spots for their second-highest ranking since 2003.
NEW ORLEANS – Following an impressive fifth-place performance at last week's Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, the Air Force men's cross country team vaulted up 19 spots to No. 11 in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) Division I National Rankings, which were released this afternoon (Oct. 19). Tallying 217 points, the men gained 195 points from the previous poll and are now less than 20 from the top 10.
The No. 11 ranking is the men's highest USTFCCCA placement since Week 4 of the 2018 season – and the team's second-highest ranking since 2003. It is also the 37th-straight week that Air Force's men have been mentioned in the national conversation (either ranked or receiving votes) – a program-best streak that dates back to the opening poll of the 2017 season.
The men's jump in the national standings came after the squad claimed a fifth-place finish at the prestigious 32-team Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational on Oct. 15. With a five-man spread of 28.8 seconds, Air Force placed its entire scoring lineup within the top 75 of the 246-runner event – sophomore Nick Scheller (19th), senior Ryan Ioanidis (34th), junior Sam Gilman (42nd), junior Ethan Marshall (58th), sophomore Luke Combs (72nd). Capturing their best finish ever at the Wisconsin meet, Air Force bettered 12 squads that were ranked higher in the previous national standings – including a pair of top 10 programs.
The finish also moved the men up three spots to No. 4 in the USTFCCCA Mountain Region rankings – a placement that equals their highest regional mark of the last decade.
Air Force returns to action next Friday (Oct. 29), when the team travels to Albuquerque, N.M., for the 2021 Mountain West Cross Country Championships at UNM North Golf Course. The men are the defending conference champions.
The No. 11 ranking is the men's highest USTFCCCA placement since Week 4 of the 2018 season – and the team's second-highest ranking since 2003. It is also the 37th-straight week that Air Force's men have been mentioned in the national conversation (either ranked or receiving votes) – a program-best streak that dates back to the opening poll of the 2017 season.
The men's jump in the national standings came after the squad claimed a fifth-place finish at the prestigious 32-team Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational on Oct. 15. With a five-man spread of 28.8 seconds, Air Force placed its entire scoring lineup within the top 75 of the 246-runner event – sophomore Nick Scheller (19th), senior Ryan Ioanidis (34th), junior Sam Gilman (42nd), junior Ethan Marshall (58th), sophomore Luke Combs (72nd). Capturing their best finish ever at the Wisconsin meet, Air Force bettered 12 squads that were ranked higher in the previous national standings – including a pair of top 10 programs.
The finish also moved the men up three spots to No. 4 in the USTFCCCA Mountain Region rankings – a placement that equals their highest regional mark of the last decade.
Air Force returns to action next Friday (Oct. 29), when the team travels to Albuquerque, N.M., for the 2021 Mountain West Cross Country Championships at UNM North Golf Course. The men are the defending conference champions.
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