Cross Country Announces 2021 Award Winners
12/1/2021 12:27:00 PM | Cross Country
Jenna Kill and Will Kitzhaber claimed MVP honors for their respective teams.
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – The Air Force cross country team celebrated the 2021 season last night (Nov. 3), as it held its annual award banquet at the Blue and Silver Club. Seniors Will Kitzhaber and Jenna Kill claimed MVP honors for the respective squads, while eight additional Falcons were honored for their performance and dedication this season.
Kitzhaber became just the seventh Falcon to earn all-Mountain West honors in three-straight years with a sixth-place finish at the 2021 championship meet, while Kill was a valuable leader for a young women's roster. In addition to helping the men to their second-straight MW team title, Kitzhaber was a scoring member of the men's third-place finish at the Bill Dellinger Invitational and ran on the squad that captured a top-20 placement at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Kill was the Falcons' No. 2 runner at the Nuttycombe Invitational and NCAA Mountain Regional, while earning a scoring finish on the team that placed fourth at the Mountain West Championships.
Halle Hamilton and Bryce Lentz claimed Newcomer of the Year honors following their stellar foreshman campaigns with the Falcons. With a 15th-place performance at the conference meet, Hamilton became the first Air Force female to earn MW Freshman of the Year honors. In addition to registering the program's best MW finish by a first-year runner, Hamilton was the team's top finisher at the Nuttycombe Invitational and was a member of the scoring lineup in the other two races. Lentz, who earned the Falcons' No. 3 spot in his two regular season races, captured a top-10 finish (seventh) at the UCCS Open and finished 30th out of 237 runners to help Air Force place second at the Woody Greeno Invitational.
Sophomores Rayna Fruchey and Nick Scheller received the Most Improved Athlete awards, while junior Ethan Marshall and freshman Lindsey Peters claimed the Comeback Awards for their respective teams. Fruchey, a scoring finisher in every meet, captured a 25th-place finish at the Mountain West Championships – a 25-place improvement from her finish as a freshman, while Scheller was the Falcons' top finisher at the Bill Dellinger Invitational (seventh of 149) and Nuttycombe Invitational (19th of 246) after not competing as a freshman. Marshall's season, which included a top-25 finish at the Bill Dellinger Invitational and a top-60 finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational, culminated with a 13th-place finish and all-conference distinction at the MW Championships, while Peters, who opened her collegiate career with MW Freshman of the Week honors following a win at the AFXC Open, was the squad's No. 2 runner at the conference meet and concluded her year with the team's top finish (32nd) at the NCAA Mountain Regional.
Junior Stephanie Gregersen and senior AJ Kedge rounded out the night by capturing the program's prestigious Leadership and Character Awards. Gregersen, the women's No. 2 runner at the Bill Dellinger Invitational, was a member of the scoring lineup at the Mountain West Championships (36th), while Kedge, the winner of the AFXC Open and the team's top finisher (third) at the UCCS Open, earned a spot on the lineup at the conference and regional meets.
2021 Cross Country Award Winners
Most Valuable Athletes: Jenna Kill, Will Kitzhaber
Newcomers of the Year: Halle Hamilton, Bryce Lentz
Most Improved Athletes: Rayna Fruchey, Nick Scheller
Comeback Awards: Ethan Marshall, Lindsey Peters
Leadership and Character Awards: Stephanie Gregersen, AJ Kedge
The Falcons had a memorable 2021 campaign on the cross country course, as the men won their second-straight Mountain West title, earned a No. 11 ranking in the national standings, claimed a top-20 finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships and saw junior Sam Gilman become the program's 16th All-American. Ryan Cole was named the MW Coach of the Year for the fourth time in seven years, while a conference-record eight Falcons – Gilman (second place), senior Ryan Ioanidis (third), Kitzhaber (sixth), junior Scott Maison (seventh), sophomore Luke Combs (ninth), sophomore Sean Maison (10th), junior Ryan Johnson (11th), Marshall (13th) – earned all-MW honors. Johnson, (Scott) Maison and Ioanidis also nabbed all-region accolades following top-25 performances at the NCAA Mountain Regional.
On the women's side, members of the freshmen class paced the Falcons in every race, with Hamilton (Freshman of the Year) and Peters (Freshman of the Week) both receiving recognition from the Mountain West during the year. The women combined for a fourth-place finish at the MW Championships – a placement that only trailed three nationally ranked teams, and capped the year with a 10th-place finish at the NCAA Mountain Regional – the second-highest finish by an unranked team at that meet.
Kitzhaber became just the seventh Falcon to earn all-Mountain West honors in three-straight years with a sixth-place finish at the 2021 championship meet, while Kill was a valuable leader for a young women's roster. In addition to helping the men to their second-straight MW team title, Kitzhaber was a scoring member of the men's third-place finish at the Bill Dellinger Invitational and ran on the squad that captured a top-20 placement at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Kill was the Falcons' No. 2 runner at the Nuttycombe Invitational and NCAA Mountain Regional, while earning a scoring finish on the team that placed fourth at the Mountain West Championships.
Halle Hamilton and Bryce Lentz claimed Newcomer of the Year honors following their stellar foreshman campaigns with the Falcons. With a 15th-place performance at the conference meet, Hamilton became the first Air Force female to earn MW Freshman of the Year honors. In addition to registering the program's best MW finish by a first-year runner, Hamilton was the team's top finisher at the Nuttycombe Invitational and was a member of the scoring lineup in the other two races. Lentz, who earned the Falcons' No. 3 spot in his two regular season races, captured a top-10 finish (seventh) at the UCCS Open and finished 30th out of 237 runners to help Air Force place second at the Woody Greeno Invitational.
Sophomores Rayna Fruchey and Nick Scheller received the Most Improved Athlete awards, while junior Ethan Marshall and freshman Lindsey Peters claimed the Comeback Awards for their respective teams. Fruchey, a scoring finisher in every meet, captured a 25th-place finish at the Mountain West Championships – a 25-place improvement from her finish as a freshman, while Scheller was the Falcons' top finisher at the Bill Dellinger Invitational (seventh of 149) and Nuttycombe Invitational (19th of 246) after not competing as a freshman. Marshall's season, which included a top-25 finish at the Bill Dellinger Invitational and a top-60 finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational, culminated with a 13th-place finish and all-conference distinction at the MW Championships, while Peters, who opened her collegiate career with MW Freshman of the Week honors following a win at the AFXC Open, was the squad's No. 2 runner at the conference meet and concluded her year with the team's top finish (32nd) at the NCAA Mountain Regional.
Junior Stephanie Gregersen and senior AJ Kedge rounded out the night by capturing the program's prestigious Leadership and Character Awards. Gregersen, the women's No. 2 runner at the Bill Dellinger Invitational, was a member of the scoring lineup at the Mountain West Championships (36th), while Kedge, the winner of the AFXC Open and the team's top finisher (third) at the UCCS Open, earned a spot on the lineup at the conference and regional meets.
2021 Cross Country Award Winners
Most Valuable Athletes: Jenna Kill, Will Kitzhaber
Newcomers of the Year: Halle Hamilton, Bryce Lentz
Most Improved Athletes: Rayna Fruchey, Nick Scheller
Comeback Awards: Ethan Marshall, Lindsey Peters
Leadership and Character Awards: Stephanie Gregersen, AJ Kedge
The Falcons had a memorable 2021 campaign on the cross country course, as the men won their second-straight Mountain West title, earned a No. 11 ranking in the national standings, claimed a top-20 finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships and saw junior Sam Gilman become the program's 16th All-American. Ryan Cole was named the MW Coach of the Year for the fourth time in seven years, while a conference-record eight Falcons – Gilman (second place), senior Ryan Ioanidis (third), Kitzhaber (sixth), junior Scott Maison (seventh), sophomore Luke Combs (ninth), sophomore Sean Maison (10th), junior Ryan Johnson (11th), Marshall (13th) – earned all-MW honors. Johnson, (Scott) Maison and Ioanidis also nabbed all-region accolades following top-25 performances at the NCAA Mountain Regional.
On the women's side, members of the freshmen class paced the Falcons in every race, with Hamilton (Freshman of the Year) and Peters (Freshman of the Week) both receiving recognition from the Mountain West during the year. The women combined for a fourth-place finish at the MW Championships – a placement that only trailed three nationally ranked teams, and capped the year with a 10th-place finish at the NCAA Mountain Regional – the second-highest finish by an unranked team at that meet.
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