Friday, November 10
Lubbock, TX
9:00 am MT
Air Force Academy
at
NCAA Mountain Regional
Photo by: Justin Tafoya, NCAA Photos
Luke Combs, Halle Hamilton Lead Falcons at Mountain Regional
11/10/2023 5:12:00 PM | Cross Country
LUBBOCK, Texas -- Backed by a top-10 finish from senior Luke Combs, the 24th-ranked Air Force men's cross country team finished fourth against a strong field of competition at the NCAA Mountain Regional this morning (Nov. 10) in Lubbock, Texas. The women, facing an equally strong lineup of teams, placed 10th in their competition at Lubbock Christian's Chaparral Ridge Cross Country Course.
Combs clocked a personal-best 10K time of 29:10.3 to finish sixth in the 122-runner field, capture his first all-region honor, and lead the men's scoring lineup to five top-40 finishes. The senior's sixth-place finish is the best by a member of the Air Force men's team since 2015 – and the third-best regional placement in program history.
Sophomore Max Sannes and senior Sean Maison joined Combs as fellow first-time all-region honorees, as the pair finished 19th (29:29.3 debut) and 23rd (29:42.3), respectively. Senior Eli Bennett added a time of 29:59.7 to finish 29th in the field, while sophomore Will Allen rounded out the Falcons' scoring lineup with a 35th-place time of 30:12.2 in his regional debut.
Racing in their first 10K of the season, the men tallied 112 points to finish fourth in the 17-team regional – marking the fourth-straight year the Falcons have earned that placement. Northern Arizona, the top-ranked team in the NCAA, won the meet with 36 points, while third-ranked BYU finished second (89) and No. 19 New Mexico rounded out the top three (97). The Falcons bettered one-higher ranked team, as they distanced themselves from No. 23 Colorado (sixth) by more than 50 points.
In addition to the men's scoring runners, junior Jason Renze picked up a top-50 time of 30:24.4 (48th) in his first regional meet and sophomore Jayden Nats posted a 10K debut of 30:32.8 (57th).
"The men ran a very composed race today, led by a strong run from Luke Combs," Ryan Cole, Air Force Director of Track & Field and Cross Country, said following the race. "They found their spots early and held steady throughout the race. That effort should advance the team to next week's NCAA Championships."
On the women's side, junior Halle Hamilton earned all-region honors for the second-straight year, as she finished 21st (134 total runners) with a season-best 6K of 20:10.9. Just two spots separated junior Tiaree Towler and freshman Anna Harden, as the pair finished 53rd (career-best 20:56.0) and 55th (career-best 20:57.2), respectively. Senior Rachel Crytser was right on their heels with a 59th-place, career-best time of 21:00.9, while junior Ally Peterson rounded out the scoring lineup with a time of 21:15.4 (70th).
Competing against a field that included six nationally-ranked teams – including two of the NCAA's top three, the women finished 10th in the 20-team meet with 258 points.
Sophomore Ricky Fetterolf and senior Rebecca Wusinich also raced at Chaparral Ridge today, finishing 84th (21:40.3) and 100th (22:07.5), respectively.
"The women had difficulty settling in far enough up the field," Cole added. "Hall had a really solid run and that should be enough to return to the NCAA Championships as an individual for the second year in a row. But a bit of a tough day for the women. They've made significant progress over the season and that momentum can keep building over the coming months for next year."
The NCAA Selection Show will take place tomorrow (Nov. 11) at NCAA.com, while the 2023 season comes to a close next week at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Combs clocked a personal-best 10K time of 29:10.3 to finish sixth in the 122-runner field, capture his first all-region honor, and lead the men's scoring lineup to five top-40 finishes. The senior's sixth-place finish is the best by a member of the Air Force men's team since 2015 – and the third-best regional placement in program history.
Sophomore Max Sannes and senior Sean Maison joined Combs as fellow first-time all-region honorees, as the pair finished 19th (29:29.3 debut) and 23rd (29:42.3), respectively. Senior Eli Bennett added a time of 29:59.7 to finish 29th in the field, while sophomore Will Allen rounded out the Falcons' scoring lineup with a 35th-place time of 30:12.2 in his regional debut.
Racing in their first 10K of the season, the men tallied 112 points to finish fourth in the 17-team regional – marking the fourth-straight year the Falcons have earned that placement. Northern Arizona, the top-ranked team in the NCAA, won the meet with 36 points, while third-ranked BYU finished second (89) and No. 19 New Mexico rounded out the top three (97). The Falcons bettered one-higher ranked team, as they distanced themselves from No. 23 Colorado (sixth) by more than 50 points.
In addition to the men's scoring runners, junior Jason Renze picked up a top-50 time of 30:24.4 (48th) in his first regional meet and sophomore Jayden Nats posted a 10K debut of 30:32.8 (57th).
"The men ran a very composed race today, led by a strong run from Luke Combs," Ryan Cole, Air Force Director of Track & Field and Cross Country, said following the race. "They found their spots early and held steady throughout the race. That effort should advance the team to next week's NCAA Championships."
On the women's side, junior Halle Hamilton earned all-region honors for the second-straight year, as she finished 21st (134 total runners) with a season-best 6K of 20:10.9. Just two spots separated junior Tiaree Towler and freshman Anna Harden, as the pair finished 53rd (career-best 20:56.0) and 55th (career-best 20:57.2), respectively. Senior Rachel Crytser was right on their heels with a 59th-place, career-best time of 21:00.9, while junior Ally Peterson rounded out the scoring lineup with a time of 21:15.4 (70th).
Competing against a field that included six nationally-ranked teams – including two of the NCAA's top three, the women finished 10th in the 20-team meet with 258 points.
Sophomore Ricky Fetterolf and senior Rebecca Wusinich also raced at Chaparral Ridge today, finishing 84th (21:40.3) and 100th (22:07.5), respectively.
"The women had difficulty settling in far enough up the field," Cole added. "Hall had a really solid run and that should be enough to return to the NCAA Championships as an individual for the second year in a row. But a bit of a tough day for the women. They've made significant progress over the season and that momentum can keep building over the coming months for next year."
The NCAA Selection Show will take place tomorrow (Nov. 11) at NCAA.com, while the 2023 season comes to a close next week at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Charlottesville, Virginia.
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