Friday, October 27
Eagle, ID
10:15 am MT
Air Force Academy
at
MW Championships
Photo by: Justin Tafoya, NCAA Photos
Men Finish Second, Women Third, at MW Championships
10/27/2023 1:59:00 PM | Cross Country
EAGLE, Idaho -- The Air Force men's and women's cross country teams claimed top-three finishes at the 2023 Mountain West Championships this morning (Oct. 27) in Idaho. The 26th-ranked men recorded half of the top-10 individual finishes to take second in the nine-team meet, while the women earned a pair of top-10 times to finish third out of 11 teams and capture their best placement in four years.
Backed by a fourth-place finish from sophomore Max Sannes, the men saw all five scoring runners place within the top 10 of the 79-runner championship. Sannes, last year's Freshman of the Year, crossed the finish line in an 8K time of 23:27.3 to lead the Falcons around Eagle Island State Park. Senior Sean Maison finished sixth in a time of 23:35.2, while junior Jason Renze moved up three spots over the last kilometer to take seventh with a 23:41.2 finish. Just 0.5 seconds separated the Falcons' final two scorers, as seniors Eli Bennett and Luke Combs finished ninth (23:43.0) and 10th (23:43.5), respectively.
The men tallied 36 points in the race, finishing just two points behind winner and 18th-ranked New Mexico (34), for the narrowest 1-2 scoring gap in conference history. The pair easily distanced themselves from the rest of the nine-team field, as No. 23 Boise State finished third with 75 points, Wyoming finished fourth with 96 points, and Utah State rounded out the top half of the field with a 130-point total.
In addition to the five scoring finishers, sophomore Will Allen picked up a 16th-place finish (23:58.5) in his first conference meet, while classmate Jayden Nats (24:13.3 debut, 25th) and senior Jett Knight (24:16.6, 29th) also placed within the top half of the field.
"I'm very proud of how both teams competed today," Air Force Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Ryan Cole said. "On the men's side, we knew there wasn't much room for error with an opposing team potentially capable of sweeping the top three spots. We had to have all of our scorers up near the front. For all five to finish in the top 10, be leading as a team through 7K, and not pull off the win is tough. But we have to give a lot of credit to New Mexico – particularly their final scorers. We ran well and we just got beat at the end."
A third-place finish from junior Halle Hamilton, as well as a second top-10 finish from classmate Ally Peterson (ninth), led the women to a third-place finish in the team standings – the Falcons' highest placement since 2019. Hamilton crossed the finish line in a 6K time of 20:19.8 for Air Force's second-highest individual finish ever at the conference meet, while Peterson placed ninth in the 101-runner championship with a time of 20:32.6.
Just one second separated junior Tiaree Towler (20:58.6, 21st) and senior Rebecca Wusinich (20:59.7, 22nd), who added top-25 finishes to the Falcons' lineup on Friday, while senior Rachel Crytser rounded out the scoring lineup with a 32nd-place time of 21:16.9. Overall, the Falcons accounted for two more top-40 finishes on the day, as freshman Anna Harden and sophomore Ricky Fetterolf placed 35th (21:21.4) and 40th (21:36.6), respectively, in their first conference meet.
The women amassed 87 points – its third lowest total in program history – to take third in the 11-team meet. Colorado State, ranked 25th in the national standings, won the team title with 39 points, ending New Mexico's 15-year conference win streak. Championship host Boise State placed second with 65 points, while just four points separated the rest of the top six – New Mexico (111, fourth), Boise State (113, fifth) and Wyoming (115, sixth).
"For our women, the whole group ran a really inspired race," Cole continued. "Coach Bowerman deserves a ton of credit for having the women focused, fit and ready to run. Halle had her best race of the year so far, Ally ran with a lot of guts, Tiaree hung tough over the second half and our two seniors – Rebecca and Rachel – really came through for the team. This was a strong step for the women, as we move toward our regional championships."
The Falcons return to action on Nov. 10, when they travel to Texas for the NCAA Mountain Regional.
Backed by a fourth-place finish from sophomore Max Sannes, the men saw all five scoring runners place within the top 10 of the 79-runner championship. Sannes, last year's Freshman of the Year, crossed the finish line in an 8K time of 23:27.3 to lead the Falcons around Eagle Island State Park. Senior Sean Maison finished sixth in a time of 23:35.2, while junior Jason Renze moved up three spots over the last kilometer to take seventh with a 23:41.2 finish. Just 0.5 seconds separated the Falcons' final two scorers, as seniors Eli Bennett and Luke Combs finished ninth (23:43.0) and 10th (23:43.5), respectively.
The men tallied 36 points in the race, finishing just two points behind winner and 18th-ranked New Mexico (34), for the narrowest 1-2 scoring gap in conference history. The pair easily distanced themselves from the rest of the nine-team field, as No. 23 Boise State finished third with 75 points, Wyoming finished fourth with 96 points, and Utah State rounded out the top half of the field with a 130-point total.
In addition to the five scoring finishers, sophomore Will Allen picked up a 16th-place finish (23:58.5) in his first conference meet, while classmate Jayden Nats (24:13.3 debut, 25th) and senior Jett Knight (24:16.6, 29th) also placed within the top half of the field.
"I'm very proud of how both teams competed today," Air Force Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Ryan Cole said. "On the men's side, we knew there wasn't much room for error with an opposing team potentially capable of sweeping the top three spots. We had to have all of our scorers up near the front. For all five to finish in the top 10, be leading as a team through 7K, and not pull off the win is tough. But we have to give a lot of credit to New Mexico – particularly their final scorers. We ran well and we just got beat at the end."
A third-place finish from junior Halle Hamilton, as well as a second top-10 finish from classmate Ally Peterson (ninth), led the women to a third-place finish in the team standings – the Falcons' highest placement since 2019. Hamilton crossed the finish line in a 6K time of 20:19.8 for Air Force's second-highest individual finish ever at the conference meet, while Peterson placed ninth in the 101-runner championship with a time of 20:32.6.
Just one second separated junior Tiaree Towler (20:58.6, 21st) and senior Rebecca Wusinich (20:59.7, 22nd), who added top-25 finishes to the Falcons' lineup on Friday, while senior Rachel Crytser rounded out the scoring lineup with a 32nd-place time of 21:16.9. Overall, the Falcons accounted for two more top-40 finishes on the day, as freshman Anna Harden and sophomore Ricky Fetterolf placed 35th (21:21.4) and 40th (21:36.6), respectively, in their first conference meet.
The women amassed 87 points – its third lowest total in program history – to take third in the 11-team meet. Colorado State, ranked 25th in the national standings, won the team title with 39 points, ending New Mexico's 15-year conference win streak. Championship host Boise State placed second with 65 points, while just four points separated the rest of the top six – New Mexico (111, fourth), Boise State (113, fifth) and Wyoming (115, sixth).
"For our women, the whole group ran a really inspired race," Cole continued. "Coach Bowerman deserves a ton of credit for having the women focused, fit and ready to run. Halle had her best race of the year so far, Ally ran with a lot of guts, Tiaree hung tough over the second half and our two seniors – Rebecca and Rachel – really came through for the team. This was a strong step for the women, as we move toward our regional championships."
The Falcons return to action on Nov. 10, when they travel to Texas for the NCAA Mountain Regional.
Players Mentioned
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