Thursday, September 23
Springfield, OR
7:00 pm MT
Air Force Academy
at
Dellinger Invitational
Photo by: Josh Armstrong
Men Take Third at Bill Dellinger Invitational
9/23/2021 10:18:00 PM | Cross Country
Air Force was the only team to place all five scoring runners in the top 25.
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. – With all five scoring runners placing within the top 25, the Air Force men's cross country team captured a third-place finish at the Bill Dellinger Invitational this evening (Sept. 23) in Springfield, Oregon. The men, receiving votes in the latest USTFCCCA standings, bettered a pair of teams listed ahead of them in the national conversation.
Sophomore Nick Scheller captured the top finish for Air Force, as he posted a time of 23:31.4 – the program's third-fastest 8K (any elevation) – to finish seventh in the 149 race. Just eight seconds separated the Falcons' scoring contingent, as Air Force was the only team in the field to place its entire five-man lineup in the top 25. Sophomore Sean Maison finished 16th with a time of 23:35.8, while his twin brother Scott clocked a time of 23:38.1 to place 21st and lead a trio of Falcons across the finish line – junior Ethan Marshall (23:39.4, 22nd) and senior Will Kitzhaber (23:40.0, 23rd) – to round out the Falcons' top five.
Air Force accounted for one more placement in the top 25 of the overall standings, as senior Ryan Ioanidis finished 25th with a time of 23:41.3. Junior Sam Gilman (24:03.4) and sophomore Luke Combs (24:06.8) crossed the finish line 41st and 44th, respectively, while senior AJ Kedge also finished within the top half of the field following a 69th-place time of 24:28.7.
The men, who are receiving votes in the latest USTFCCCA standings, registered 89 points to place third in the 14-team field and better one of the three nationally-ranked squads in the lineup. Seventh-ranked Oregon won its home meet with 57 points – just edging No. 25 Gonzaga, who took second with 67 points. Air Force boasted the highest finish by a non-ranked team (third), while Portland, listed 19th in the national standings, tallied 99 points to place fourth. Conference opponent Boise State, listed just above the Falcons on this week's "Also Receiving Votes" list, rounded out the top-five with 110 points.
"This was a very positive early test for our men," head coach Ryan Cole said. "A few highly capable guys had tough days and that can actually be pretty encouraging for the rest of the season. The group is fit and a lot of things are going well in our preparation. So we're looking forward to our next outing."
On the women's side, freshman Lindsey Peters led a fairly young Air Force team around the 6K course at Pine Ridge Golf Club. In her first collegiate 6K, Peters registered a time of 20:44.9 to finish 31st out of 164 runners. The Falcons' scoring lineup, which all finished within the top 100, was separated by less than a minute – their 55-second spread the seventh-closest in the field. Junior Stephanie Gregersen, in just her third major collegiate race, finished 54th with a time of 21:08.9, while freshman Halle Hamilton was the Falcons' No. 3 finisher behind a 64rd-place time of 21:13.0. Sophomores Rebecca Wusinich and Rayna Fruchey, who were also competing in just their third major meet following last year's shortened season, rounded out Air Force's scoring lineup by finishing 81st (21:36.0) and 96th (21:40.7), respectively.
The women accounted for 302 points to finish 12th in a 17-team meet that included nine squads mentioned in the latest USTFCCCA standings. Utah, receiving votes, tallied 38 points to win the team title and easily distance themselves from the rest of the field that included a top-five from No. 25 Colorado State (98 points), No. 4 Arkansas (112), Portland (receiving votes, 114) and No. 23 Oregon State (170).
"This will be a key experience for our women," Cole commented. "We also have a very capable group on that side, but this was a relatively young team and we clearly have work to do. I'm looking forward to seeing how this group responds moving forward."
Air Force returns to action on Oct. 8, when the Falcons run at the UCCS Open in Colorado Springs.
Sophomore Nick Scheller captured the top finish for Air Force, as he posted a time of 23:31.4 – the program's third-fastest 8K (any elevation) – to finish seventh in the 149 race. Just eight seconds separated the Falcons' scoring contingent, as Air Force was the only team in the field to place its entire five-man lineup in the top 25. Sophomore Sean Maison finished 16th with a time of 23:35.8, while his twin brother Scott clocked a time of 23:38.1 to place 21st and lead a trio of Falcons across the finish line – junior Ethan Marshall (23:39.4, 22nd) and senior Will Kitzhaber (23:40.0, 23rd) – to round out the Falcons' top five.
Air Force accounted for one more placement in the top 25 of the overall standings, as senior Ryan Ioanidis finished 25th with a time of 23:41.3. Junior Sam Gilman (24:03.4) and sophomore Luke Combs (24:06.8) crossed the finish line 41st and 44th, respectively, while senior AJ Kedge also finished within the top half of the field following a 69th-place time of 24:28.7.
The men, who are receiving votes in the latest USTFCCCA standings, registered 89 points to place third in the 14-team field and better one of the three nationally-ranked squads in the lineup. Seventh-ranked Oregon won its home meet with 57 points – just edging No. 25 Gonzaga, who took second with 67 points. Air Force boasted the highest finish by a non-ranked team (third), while Portland, listed 19th in the national standings, tallied 99 points to place fourth. Conference opponent Boise State, listed just above the Falcons on this week's "Also Receiving Votes" list, rounded out the top-five with 110 points.
"This was a very positive early test for our men," head coach Ryan Cole said. "A few highly capable guys had tough days and that can actually be pretty encouraging for the rest of the season. The group is fit and a lot of things are going well in our preparation. So we're looking forward to our next outing."
On the women's side, freshman Lindsey Peters led a fairly young Air Force team around the 6K course at Pine Ridge Golf Club. In her first collegiate 6K, Peters registered a time of 20:44.9 to finish 31st out of 164 runners. The Falcons' scoring lineup, which all finished within the top 100, was separated by less than a minute – their 55-second spread the seventh-closest in the field. Junior Stephanie Gregersen, in just her third major collegiate race, finished 54th with a time of 21:08.9, while freshman Halle Hamilton was the Falcons' No. 3 finisher behind a 64rd-place time of 21:13.0. Sophomores Rebecca Wusinich and Rayna Fruchey, who were also competing in just their third major meet following last year's shortened season, rounded out Air Force's scoring lineup by finishing 81st (21:36.0) and 96th (21:40.7), respectively.
The women accounted for 302 points to finish 12th in a 17-team meet that included nine squads mentioned in the latest USTFCCCA standings. Utah, receiving votes, tallied 38 points to win the team title and easily distance themselves from the rest of the field that included a top-five from No. 25 Colorado State (98 points), No. 4 Arkansas (112), Portland (receiving votes, 114) and No. 23 Oregon State (170).
"This will be a key experience for our women," Cole commented. "We also have a very capable group on that side, but this was a relatively young team and we clearly have work to do. I'm looking forward to seeing how this group responds moving forward."
Air Force returns to action on Oct. 8, when the Falcons run at the UCCS Open in Colorado Springs.
Players Mentioned
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