Friday, November 11
Albuquerque, NM
11:00 am MT
Air Force Academy
at
NCAA Mountain Regional
Photo by: Mike Sandoval
Men Fourth, Women Ninth at Mountain Regional
11/11/2022 5:22:00 PM | Cross Country
Six Falcons earned all-region honors after finishing within the top 25 of the regional meet.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Highlighted by six all-region runners, the Air Force cross country team wrapped up competition at the NCAA Mountain Regional this morning (Nov. 11) in Albuquerque. The fifth-ranked men claimed four all-region accolades and placed fourth in their first 10K race of the year, while the women earned a pair of all-region honors and collected a ninth-place finish in the 6K regional.
Four of the men's five scoring runners earned all-region honors by placing within the top 25 of their trek around the 10K course at UNM North. Senior Ryan Johnson collected the Falcons' best regional finish since 2017, as he finished 10th with a time of 28:11.0 – the program's fastest 10K on any cross country course – to earn his second regional medal in as many years. Classmate Ethan Marshall earned his first all-region honor after finishing 15th with a time of 28:17.9, while fellow senior Sam Gilman and junior Eli Bennett finished 24th (28:26.3) and 25th (28:27.3), respectively, to collect their first regional honors. Just 0:27 separated the Falcons' five scoring runners, as junior Sean Maison rounded out the squad's scoring lineup with a 30th-place time of 28:39.0.
The men tallied 104 points to finish fourth in a stacked regional field that included three of the nation's top five teams –and four of the top 10. The Falcons, who finished just seven points out of third, matched last year's placement as the program's best regional finish since 2003.
"The men knew a 10k at altitude is never easy but also ran within themselves to take care of qualifying," Air Force director of track & field and cross country Ryan Cole said. "You can't overlook an event like this. But the group did a nice job managing themselves and the field. Now the focus is fully on next week."
Sophomore Halle Hamilton posted the program's best regional finish since 2019, as she posted a 6K time of 20:24.2 to finish 12th in the 131-runner event and collect her first all-region award. Classmate Lindsey Peters also picked up her first regional award, as she clocked a time of 20:42.1 to finish 23rd. Freshman India Jones clocked a time of 21:07.9 to finish 48th, while senior Stephanie Gregersen and sophomore Ally Peterson rounded out the Falcons' scoring squad by finishing 59th (21:23.1) and 62nd (21:28.0), respectively.
The women, who were receiving votes in the latest national poll, amassed 201 points to finish ninth in the 20-team event that included five of the nation's top nine teams.
"I was proud of how the women competed today," Cole said. "They engaged from the start, ran tough and gave themselves a chance to have a national-qualifying performance. We knew the teams we had to beat and with 1k to go, those three teams were within 10pts. Our women have the ability to be an NCAA qualifying team. Hopefully this experience will be inspiring for them moving forward."
Four other Falcons also competed at UNM North Golf Course this morning. Sophomore Bryce Lentz and senior Aidan Boyle finished 32nd (28:40.8) and 46th (29:13.3), respectively, in the 10K race, as Air Force placed all seven runners in the top 50. On the women's side, junior Rachel Crytser and senior Maddie Edwards finished just five spots apart, as Crytser finished 64th in a time of 21:35.4 and Edwards posted a time of 21:39.6 to finish 69th.
The championship selections will be announced tomorrow (Nov. 12) afternoon and the qualifiers will advance to the 2022 NCAA Cross Country Championships next Saturday (Nov. 19) in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Four of the men's five scoring runners earned all-region honors by placing within the top 25 of their trek around the 10K course at UNM North. Senior Ryan Johnson collected the Falcons' best regional finish since 2017, as he finished 10th with a time of 28:11.0 – the program's fastest 10K on any cross country course – to earn his second regional medal in as many years. Classmate Ethan Marshall earned his first all-region honor after finishing 15th with a time of 28:17.9, while fellow senior Sam Gilman and junior Eli Bennett finished 24th (28:26.3) and 25th (28:27.3), respectively, to collect their first regional honors. Just 0:27 separated the Falcons' five scoring runners, as junior Sean Maison rounded out the squad's scoring lineup with a 30th-place time of 28:39.0.
The men tallied 104 points to finish fourth in a stacked regional field that included three of the nation's top five teams –and four of the top 10. The Falcons, who finished just seven points out of third, matched last year's placement as the program's best regional finish since 2003.
"The men knew a 10k at altitude is never easy but also ran within themselves to take care of qualifying," Air Force director of track & field and cross country Ryan Cole said. "You can't overlook an event like this. But the group did a nice job managing themselves and the field. Now the focus is fully on next week."
Sophomore Halle Hamilton posted the program's best regional finish since 2019, as she posted a 6K time of 20:24.2 to finish 12th in the 131-runner event and collect her first all-region award. Classmate Lindsey Peters also picked up her first regional award, as she clocked a time of 20:42.1 to finish 23rd. Freshman India Jones clocked a time of 21:07.9 to finish 48th, while senior Stephanie Gregersen and sophomore Ally Peterson rounded out the Falcons' scoring squad by finishing 59th (21:23.1) and 62nd (21:28.0), respectively.
The women, who were receiving votes in the latest national poll, amassed 201 points to finish ninth in the 20-team event that included five of the nation's top nine teams.
"I was proud of how the women competed today," Cole said. "They engaged from the start, ran tough and gave themselves a chance to have a national-qualifying performance. We knew the teams we had to beat and with 1k to go, those three teams were within 10pts. Our women have the ability to be an NCAA qualifying team. Hopefully this experience will be inspiring for them moving forward."
Four other Falcons also competed at UNM North Golf Course this morning. Sophomore Bryce Lentz and senior Aidan Boyle finished 32nd (28:40.8) and 46th (29:13.3), respectively, in the 10K race, as Air Force placed all seven runners in the top 50. On the women's side, junior Rachel Crytser and senior Maddie Edwards finished just five spots apart, as Crytser finished 64th in a time of 21:35.4 and Edwards posted a time of 21:39.6 to finish 69th.
The championship selections will be announced tomorrow (Nov. 12) afternoon and the qualifiers will advance to the 2022 NCAA Cross Country Championships next Saturday (Nov. 19) in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Players Mentioned
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