Saturday, November 18
Charlottesville, VA
8:20 am MT
Air Force Academy
at
NCAA Championships
Photo by: Justin Tafoya, NCAA Photos
Air Force Set for NCAA Cross Country Championships
11/16/2023 1:10:00 PM | Cross Country
The 2023 cross country season comes to a close this weekend, as Air Force's 22nd-ranked men and junior Halle Hamilton travel to Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday, Nov. 18, for the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships.
MEET INFORMATION
The NCAA Championships will be contested on the Panorama Farms Cross Country Course in Charlottesville, Va., for the first time since 1987. The women will kick off this year's championship with a 6K race at 10:20 a.m., while the men will follow with a 10K race at 11:10 a.m. (all times Eastern). Real-time results will be available via PrimeTime Timing, while the meet will air uninterrupted – and in its entirety – on ESPNU and the ESPN app, beginning at 9:30 a.m. (ET).
SPECTATOR INFORMATION
Tickets are $20 and include admission, parking at nearby Fashion Square Mall and round-trip shuttle service to Panorama Farms. There is no on-site parking and all fans must use the shuttle service. Tickets must be purchased in advance at UVATix.com (no on-site sales will be available).
COURSE INFORMATION
Panorama Farms is a privately-owned, 850-acre farm located approximately six miles from the University of Virginia. The property has nine miles of cut grass trails and features four different courses (two 5K, one 6K, one 8K, one 10K) with common start and finish lines. Maintained year-round, the courses are laid out on rolling grass fields.
WEATHER WATCH
The projected forecast for Saturday in Charlottesville is sunny, with a high of 59 and a low of 38.
THE STARTING LINE
Halle Hamilton will represent the Academy in the women's 6K, while Will Allen, Eli Bennett, Luke Combs, Jett Knight, Sean Maison, Jayden Nats, Jason Renze, and Max Sannes traveled to Charlottesville for the men's 10K race.
WHERE TO FIND THEM
Halle Hamilton will start her 6K final out of Box 11, with individuals from Boston University, Kansas and Marshall, while the Air Force men will run their Championship 10K out of Box 29.
WHO'S WHO
Following nine regional meets on Nov. 10, 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.
AIR FORCE ALL-AMERICANS
Seventeen Falcons have captured All-America honors a total of 21 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 Ryan Johnson, who finished 28th 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 the spring of 2021).
DID YOU KNOW?
The men have qualified as a team in six of the last seven championship meets, while Luke Combs is slated to toe the line for his fourth-straight NCAA appearance.
MEN'S HISTORY 101
The 2023 season marks the 20th time that Air Force has sent a full men's squad to the NCAA Championships – and the 34th 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 eight years – after having just one in the previous 18. 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.
MEN ENTER NATIONAL MEET RANKED NO. 22
11-13-23 | Following their fourth-place finish at the Mountain Regional, the Air Force men moved up two spots to No. 22 for the final USTFCCCA poll of the season. It is the 54th-straight poll where the Falcons have been mentioned in the national conversation (either ranked or receiving votes) – a program-record streak that dates back to the opening poll of the 2017 season.
QUARTET EARNS ALL-REGION ACCOLADES
11-10-23 | Four Falcons earned all-region honors after finishing within the Top 25 at the NCAA Mountain Regional on Nov. 10. Luke Combs (sixth), Max Sannes (19th) and Sean Maison (23rd) claimed the first all-region honors of their careers on the men's side, while Halle Hamilton earned all-region status for the second-straight year after finishing 21st in the women's race.
MEET INFORMATION
The NCAA Championships will be contested on the Panorama Farms Cross Country Course in Charlottesville, Va., for the first time since 1987. The women will kick off this year's championship with a 6K race at 10:20 a.m., while the men will follow with a 10K race at 11:10 a.m. (all times Eastern). Real-time results will be available via PrimeTime Timing, while the meet will air uninterrupted – and in its entirety – on ESPNU and the ESPN app, beginning at 9:30 a.m. (ET).
SPECTATOR INFORMATION
Tickets are $20 and include admission, parking at nearby Fashion Square Mall and round-trip shuttle service to Panorama Farms. There is no on-site parking and all fans must use the shuttle service. Tickets must be purchased in advance at UVATix.com (no on-site sales will be available).
COURSE INFORMATION
Panorama Farms is a privately-owned, 850-acre farm located approximately six miles from the University of Virginia. The property has nine miles of cut grass trails and features four different courses (two 5K, one 6K, one 8K, one 10K) with common start and finish lines. Maintained year-round, the courses are laid out on rolling grass fields.
WEATHER WATCH
The projected forecast for Saturday in Charlottesville is sunny, with a high of 59 and a low of 38.
THE STARTING LINE
Halle Hamilton will represent the Academy in the women's 6K, while Will Allen, Eli Bennett, Luke Combs, Jett Knight, Sean Maison, Jayden Nats, Jason Renze, and Max Sannes traveled to Charlottesville for the men's 10K race.
WHERE TO FIND THEM
Halle Hamilton will start her 6K final out of Box 11, with individuals from Boston University, Kansas and Marshall, while the Air Force men will run their Championship 10K out of Box 29.
WHO'S WHO
Following nine regional meets on Nov. 10, 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.
AIR FORCE ALL-AMERICANS
Seventeen Falcons have captured All-America honors a total of 21 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 Ryan Johnson, who finished 28th 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 the spring of 2021).
DID YOU KNOW?
The men have qualified as a team in six of the last seven championship meets, while Luke Combs is slated to toe the line for his fourth-straight NCAA appearance.
MEN'S HISTORY 101
The 2023 season marks the 20th time that Air Force has sent a full men's squad to the NCAA Championships – and the 34th 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 eight years – after having just one in the previous 18. 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.
MEN ENTER NATIONAL MEET RANKED NO. 22
11-13-23 | Following their fourth-place finish at the Mountain Regional, the Air Force men moved up two spots to No. 22 for the final USTFCCCA poll of the season. It is the 54th-straight poll where the Falcons have been mentioned in the national conversation (either ranked or receiving votes) – a program-record streak that dates back to the opening poll of the 2017 season.
QUARTET EARNS ALL-REGION ACCOLADES
11-10-23 | Four Falcons earned all-region honors after finishing within the Top 25 at the NCAA Mountain Regional on Nov. 10. Luke Combs (sixth), Max Sannes (19th) and Sean Maison (23rd) claimed the first all-region honors of their careers on the men's side, while Halle Hamilton earned all-region status for the second-straight year after finishing 21st in the women's race.
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
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