Saturday, November 19
Stillwater, OK
8:20 am MT
Air Force Academy
at
NCAA Championships
Photo by: JB Gallegos
Air Force Set for NCAA Championships
11/17/2022 11:40:00 AM | Cross Country
The eighth-ranked men and Halle Hamilton head to Stillwater, Okla., for NCAA championships.
The 2022 cross country season comes to a close this weekend, as Air Force's eighth-ranked men and sophomore Halle Hamilton travel to Stillwater, Okla., on Saturday, Nov. 19, for the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships.
MEET INFORMATION
The NCAA Championships will be contested at the Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course in Stillwater for the second time in three seasons. The women will kick off this year's championship with a 6K race at 9:20 a.m., while the men will follow with a 10K race at 10:10 a.m. (all times Central). Real-time results will be available via PrimeTime Timing, while the meet will air uninterrupted – and in its entirety – on ESPNU, beginning at 9:00 a.m. (CT).
SPECTATOR INFORMATION
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online at OKState.com or onsite Saturday morning.
COURSE INFORMATION
The OSU Cross Country Course, completely sodded and consisting of just under one million square feet of Astro Bermuda grass, is carved throughout wooded areas and prairie, with varying elevations.
THE STARTING LINE
Halle Hamilton will represent the Academy in the women's 6K race, while Eli Bennett, Luke Combs, Sam Gilman, Ryan Johnson, Bryce Lentz, Sean Maison, and Ethan Marshall are scheduled to wear the Air Force uniforms in the men's 10K event.
WHERE TO FIND THEM
Halle Hamilton will start her 6K championship in Box 3, along with individual athletes from DePaul and Miami (Ohio), while the men will begin their 10K championship out of Box 11.
WHO'S WHO
Following nine regional meets on Nov. 11, a total of 31 teams and 38 individuals were selected to compete in each race at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. The top two teams from each regional earned automatic bids into the national meet, while 13 teams received at-large selections. The 38 individual runners were selected through an automatic and at-large process.
LET'S MEET THE MEN'S FIELD
The 31-team men's field includes nationally ranked squads from Stanford (1), Northern Arizona (2), BYU (3), Oklahoma State (4), Tulsa (5), Wisconsin (6), Colorado (7), Air Force (8), Syracuse (9), North Carolina (10), Villanova (11), Wake Forest (12), Notre Dame (13), Tennessee (14), Gonzaga (15), Virginia (16), Washington (17), Montana State (18-tie), NC State (18-tie), Arkansas (20), Oregon (21), Georgetown (22), Harvard (23), Princeton (24), Michigan (25-tie), Alabama (25-tie), Colorado State (27), Texas (28), Ole Miss (29) and Butler (30), as well as a Utah State team that is receiving votes in the latest poll and individuals from Arizona State, Auburn, Boise State, Cal Poly, Charlotte, Columbia, Cornell, Drake, Duke, Florida State, Furman, Indiana, Iona, Iowa State, Kent State, Lamar, LaSalle, Loyola, Michigan State, Missouri, New Mexico, North Texas, Northeastern, Pittsburgh, Providence, Santa Clara, South Alabama, Texas A&M, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Tulane, UTEP, and Virginia Tech.
AIR FORCE ALL-AMERICANS
Sixteen Falcons have captured All-America honors a total of 20 times at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, while 14 women earned All-America status at the DII and AIAW meets (25 occurrences). The most recent Air Force All-American was Sam Gilman, who finished 26th at last year's championship, while Mahala Norris was the last member of the women's team to capture the honor after finishing fourth at the delayed 2020 championships (held in Stillwater during the spring of 2021).
DID YOU KNOW?
The men have qualified as a team in five of the last six national meets, with three members of the current Air Force lineup – Luke Combs, Sam Gilman, Ryan Johnson – making their third-straight NCAA appearance.
MEN'S HISTORY 101
The 2022 season marks the 19th time that Air Force has sent a full men's squad to the NCAA Championships – and the 33rd time that the Academy has been represented in the championship field. The Falcons' program boasts the 1968 national champion (Mike Ryan), the top American finisher in 1995 (Eric Mack, third overall), five top-10 individual finishers and the runner-up team at the 1967 championships.
WOMEN'S HISTORY 101
Air Force has had at least one runner in the women's championship race during each of the last seven years – after having just one in the previous 18 years. After finishing fourth at the 2020 championship meet, Mahala Norris became the first Academy female to garner multiple Division I All-America accolades in a cross country career – and the combined program's first DI runner since 1990-91. The Falcons were frequent participants at the NCAA Division II Championships, accounting for three runner-up team finishes, the 1990 national champion (Callie Calhoun) and 18 All-America honors.
DID YOU KNOW?
Sophomore Halle Hamilton is just the sixth member of the women's DI history to make their NCAA debut as a freshman or sophomore, joining Brandess Pardue (sophomore in 2001), Jaci Smith (sophomore in 2016), Lindsey Blanks (freshman in 2016), Mikayla Gallagher (sophomore in 2019) and Jenna Kill (sophomore in 2019).
MEN ENTER NATIONAL MEET RANKED EIGHTH
The men moved to No. 8 in the pre-championship edition of the USTFCCCA National Coaches Poll, which was released on Nov. 14. With their third top-10 placement of the year, the 2022 Falcons matched the 2003 squad for the longest run of top 10 rankings in program history.
BY THE NUMBERS
It is the 46th-straight poll where the men have been listed in the national conversation, either as a ranked team of one that is receiving votes – a program-best streak that dates to the opening of the 2017 season.
FALCONS NAB RECORD HAUL OF ALL-REGION HONORS
The Falcons placed an Academy Record six runners within the top 25 of the two Mountain Regional races on Nov. 11 – a tally that broke the previous program standard of five that the 2017 squad collected. Ryan Johnson (10th), Ethan Marshall (15th), Sam Gilman (24th) and Eli Bennett (25th) claimed all-region medals in the men's 10K, while Halle Hamilton (12th) and Lindsey Peters (23rd) medaled in the women's 6K race.
MEET INFORMATION
The NCAA Championships will be contested at the Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course in Stillwater for the second time in three seasons. The women will kick off this year's championship with a 6K race at 9:20 a.m., while the men will follow with a 10K race at 10:10 a.m. (all times Central). Real-time results will be available via PrimeTime Timing, while the meet will air uninterrupted – and in its entirety – on ESPNU, beginning at 9:00 a.m. (CT).
SPECTATOR INFORMATION
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online at OKState.com or onsite Saturday morning.
COURSE INFORMATION
The OSU Cross Country Course, completely sodded and consisting of just under one million square feet of Astro Bermuda grass, is carved throughout wooded areas and prairie, with varying elevations.
THE STARTING LINE
Halle Hamilton will represent the Academy in the women's 6K race, while Eli Bennett, Luke Combs, Sam Gilman, Ryan Johnson, Bryce Lentz, Sean Maison, and Ethan Marshall are scheduled to wear the Air Force uniforms in the men's 10K event.
WHERE TO FIND THEM
Halle Hamilton will start her 6K championship in Box 3, along with individual athletes from DePaul and Miami (Ohio), while the men will begin their 10K championship out of Box 11.
WHO'S WHO
Following nine regional meets on Nov. 11, a total of 31 teams and 38 individuals were selected to compete in each race at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. The top two teams from each regional earned automatic bids into the national meet, while 13 teams received at-large selections. The 38 individual runners were selected through an automatic and at-large process.
LET'S MEET THE MEN'S FIELD
The 31-team men's field includes nationally ranked squads from Stanford (1), Northern Arizona (2), BYU (3), Oklahoma State (4), Tulsa (5), Wisconsin (6), Colorado (7), Air Force (8), Syracuse (9), North Carolina (10), Villanova (11), Wake Forest (12), Notre Dame (13), Tennessee (14), Gonzaga (15), Virginia (16), Washington (17), Montana State (18-tie), NC State (18-tie), Arkansas (20), Oregon (21), Georgetown (22), Harvard (23), Princeton (24), Michigan (25-tie), Alabama (25-tie), Colorado State (27), Texas (28), Ole Miss (29) and Butler (30), as well as a Utah State team that is receiving votes in the latest poll and individuals from Arizona State, Auburn, Boise State, Cal Poly, Charlotte, Columbia, Cornell, Drake, Duke, Florida State, Furman, Indiana, Iona, Iowa State, Kent State, Lamar, LaSalle, Loyola, Michigan State, Missouri, New Mexico, North Texas, Northeastern, Pittsburgh, Providence, Santa Clara, South Alabama, Texas A&M, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Tulane, UTEP, and Virginia Tech.
AIR FORCE ALL-AMERICANS
Sixteen Falcons have captured All-America honors a total of 20 times at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, while 14 women earned All-America status at the DII and AIAW meets (25 occurrences). The most recent Air Force All-American was Sam Gilman, who finished 26th at last year's championship, while Mahala Norris was the last member of the women's team to capture the honor after finishing fourth at the delayed 2020 championships (held in Stillwater during the spring of 2021).
DID YOU KNOW?
The men have qualified as a team in five of the last six national meets, with three members of the current Air Force lineup – Luke Combs, Sam Gilman, Ryan Johnson – making their third-straight NCAA appearance.
MEN'S HISTORY 101
The 2022 season marks the 19th time that Air Force has sent a full men's squad to the NCAA Championships – and the 33rd time that the Academy has been represented in the championship field. The Falcons' program boasts the 1968 national champion (Mike Ryan), the top American finisher in 1995 (Eric Mack, third overall), five top-10 individual finishers and the runner-up team at the 1967 championships.
WOMEN'S HISTORY 101
Air Force has had at least one runner in the women's championship race during each of the last seven years – after having just one in the previous 18 years. After finishing fourth at the 2020 championship meet, Mahala Norris became the first Academy female to garner multiple Division I All-America accolades in a cross country career – and the combined program's first DI runner since 1990-91. The Falcons were frequent participants at the NCAA Division II Championships, accounting for three runner-up team finishes, the 1990 national champion (Callie Calhoun) and 18 All-America honors.
DID YOU KNOW?
Sophomore Halle Hamilton is just the sixth member of the women's DI history to make their NCAA debut as a freshman or sophomore, joining Brandess Pardue (sophomore in 2001), Jaci Smith (sophomore in 2016), Lindsey Blanks (freshman in 2016), Mikayla Gallagher (sophomore in 2019) and Jenna Kill (sophomore in 2019).
MEN ENTER NATIONAL MEET RANKED EIGHTH
The men moved to No. 8 in the pre-championship edition of the USTFCCCA National Coaches Poll, which was released on Nov. 14. With their third top-10 placement of the year, the 2022 Falcons matched the 2003 squad for the longest run of top 10 rankings in program history.
BY THE NUMBERS
It is the 46th-straight poll where the men have been listed in the national conversation, either as a ranked team of one that is receiving votes – a program-best streak that dates to the opening of the 2017 season.
FALCONS NAB RECORD HAUL OF ALL-REGION HONORS
The Falcons placed an Academy Record six runners within the top 25 of the two Mountain Regional races on Nov. 11 – a tally that broke the previous program standard of five that the 2017 squad collected. Ryan Johnson (10th), Ethan Marshall (15th), Sam Gilman (24th) and Eli Bennett (25th) claimed all-region medals in the men's 10K, while Halle Hamilton (12th) and Lindsey Peters (23rd) medaled in the women's 6K race.
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
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