Friday, October 28
Laramie, WY
10:15 am MT
Air Force Academy
at
MW Championships
Photo by: Justin Tafoya, NCAA Photos
Sean Maison Leads Men to Dominating MW Victory
10/28/2022 3:08:00 PM | Cross Country
The Falcons tallied a MW-record 20 points to claim their third-straight title.
LARAMIE, Wyo. – A conference title from junior Sean Maison paced the fifth-ranked Air Force men's cross country team to a dominant championship performance at the Mountain West Championships this morning (Oct. 28) in Laramie. Highlighted by a 1-2-3 sweep, the men placed all five scorers in the top eight to register a conference-best 20 points for their third-straight conference title.
Maison became the second Falcon to win an individual men's conference title (Isaiah Bragg, 2013), as he clocked an 8K time of 23:37.8 to win the 79-runner championship and guide the Falcons to the first 1-2-3 finish by the same program in Mountain West history. Seniors Ryan Johnson (23:38.8) and Ethan Marshall (23:40.9) finished second and third, respectively, to complete Air Force's top-three sweep, while classmate Sam Gilman added a sixth-place time of 23:43.0 and sophomore Bryce Lentz rounded out the scoring lineup with an eighth-place time of 23:45.3.
With just 20 points, the Falcons set a new conference record in team scoring, lowering the previous 10-year-old record by two points, to better the field by 27 points. Colorado State, ranked 28th in the USTFCCCA poll, finished second with 47 points, while 24th-ranked Utah State rounded out the top three with 74 points. Wyoming (122 pts), Boise State (139), New Mexico (140), Nevada (194), San Jose State (268) and Fresno State (278) completed the men's field.
Several other Falcons also traversed the 8K circuit at Jacoby Golf Course on Friday, with three more placing within the top 30, as junior Eli Bennett finished 20th with a time of 24:19.5, senior Aidan Boyle clocked a time of 24:26.1 to take 24th and freshman Max Sannes finished 27th with a championship debut of 24:32.1. Senior Niko Fraser added a 42nd-place time of 25:06.7 and junior Jett Knight finished 52nd with a time of 25:27.0.
"Our men ran a very patient and disciplined race today," Ryan Cole, Air Force director of track & field and cross country, said. "They worked together well and closed the race down effectively. The group also handled quite a few challenges going into the meet and didn't get distracted. That poise can serve them very well in the upcoming races."
On the women's side, sophomore Halle Hamilton clocked a 6K time of 20:06.9 to finish seventh out of 96 runners and lead Air Force to a sixth-place finish in the team standings. Classmate Lindsey Peters added a 27th-place time of 20:45.5, while freshman India Jones crossed the finish line in 20:47.6 to finished 31st in her championship debut. Junior Rachel Crytser finished 36th with a time of 21:02.3 and senior Stephanie Gregersen rounded out the scoring lineup with a 47th-place time of 21:24.0.
The women recorded 135 points to finish sixth in the 11-team meet. Second-ranked New Mexico won its 15-straight title with 24 points, while No. 20 Colorado State claimed 61 to take second and distance itself from Utah State, which rounded out the top three with 99 points. Two points separated Wyoming (110 points) and Boise State (112), while the Falcons, Nevada (199), UNLV (264), Fresno State (273), San Diego State (326) and San Jose State (330) completed the full field.
"This was a surprisingly tough day for our women," Cole said. "Halle and India ran well. But they need some help. We know our personnel has the ability and fitness to be much better than our team outcome today. We'll need to be better in two weeks if we want to compete for NCAA qualifying."
Four other women also raced the championship course today. Junior Rayna Fruchey finished right behind Gregersen (48th, 21:33.1), while sophomore Ally Peterson added a top-50 time of 21:37.2 (50th). Senior Maddie Edwards placed 55th with a time of 21:49.1, sophomore Sydney Weaber finished 58th with a time of 22:06.0, and freshman Jadyn Heil rounded out the women's lineup with a 64th-place time of 22:39.2.
The Falcons return to action on Friday, Nov. 11, when they travel to Albuquerque for the NCAA Mountain Regional.
Maison became the second Falcon to win an individual men's conference title (Isaiah Bragg, 2013), as he clocked an 8K time of 23:37.8 to win the 79-runner championship and guide the Falcons to the first 1-2-3 finish by the same program in Mountain West history. Seniors Ryan Johnson (23:38.8) and Ethan Marshall (23:40.9) finished second and third, respectively, to complete Air Force's top-three sweep, while classmate Sam Gilman added a sixth-place time of 23:43.0 and sophomore Bryce Lentz rounded out the scoring lineup with an eighth-place time of 23:45.3.
With just 20 points, the Falcons set a new conference record in team scoring, lowering the previous 10-year-old record by two points, to better the field by 27 points. Colorado State, ranked 28th in the USTFCCCA poll, finished second with 47 points, while 24th-ranked Utah State rounded out the top three with 74 points. Wyoming (122 pts), Boise State (139), New Mexico (140), Nevada (194), San Jose State (268) and Fresno State (278) completed the men's field.
Several other Falcons also traversed the 8K circuit at Jacoby Golf Course on Friday, with three more placing within the top 30, as junior Eli Bennett finished 20th with a time of 24:19.5, senior Aidan Boyle clocked a time of 24:26.1 to take 24th and freshman Max Sannes finished 27th with a championship debut of 24:32.1. Senior Niko Fraser added a 42nd-place time of 25:06.7 and junior Jett Knight finished 52nd with a time of 25:27.0.
"Our men ran a very patient and disciplined race today," Ryan Cole, Air Force director of track & field and cross country, said. "They worked together well and closed the race down effectively. The group also handled quite a few challenges going into the meet and didn't get distracted. That poise can serve them very well in the upcoming races."
On the women's side, sophomore Halle Hamilton clocked a 6K time of 20:06.9 to finish seventh out of 96 runners and lead Air Force to a sixth-place finish in the team standings. Classmate Lindsey Peters added a 27th-place time of 20:45.5, while freshman India Jones crossed the finish line in 20:47.6 to finished 31st in her championship debut. Junior Rachel Crytser finished 36th with a time of 21:02.3 and senior Stephanie Gregersen rounded out the scoring lineup with a 47th-place time of 21:24.0.
The women recorded 135 points to finish sixth in the 11-team meet. Second-ranked New Mexico won its 15-straight title with 24 points, while No. 20 Colorado State claimed 61 to take second and distance itself from Utah State, which rounded out the top three with 99 points. Two points separated Wyoming (110 points) and Boise State (112), while the Falcons, Nevada (199), UNLV (264), Fresno State (273), San Diego State (326) and San Jose State (330) completed the full field.
"This was a surprisingly tough day for our women," Cole said. "Halle and India ran well. But they need some help. We know our personnel has the ability and fitness to be much better than our team outcome today. We'll need to be better in two weeks if we want to compete for NCAA qualifying."
Four other women also raced the championship course today. Junior Rayna Fruchey finished right behind Gregersen (48th, 21:33.1), while sophomore Ally Peterson added a top-50 time of 21:37.2 (50th). Senior Maddie Edwards placed 55th with a time of 21:49.1, sophomore Sydney Weaber finished 58th with a time of 22:06.0, and freshman Jadyn Heil rounded out the women's lineup with a 64th-place time of 22:39.2.
The Falcons return to action on Friday, Nov. 11, when they travel to Albuquerque for the NCAA Mountain Regional.
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