Saturday, November 18
Charlottesville, VA
8:20 am MT
Air Force Academy
at
NCAA Championships
Photo by: Jim Daves, University of Virginia
Luke Combs’ All-American Finish Leads Falcons at NCAA Championships
11/18/2023 3:02:00 PM | Cross Country
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Highlighted by an All-America finish from senior Luke Combs, the Air Force men's cross country team captured the second-highest national finish in 20 years this morning (Nov. 18), as it placed 12th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The men, who entered the meet ranked 22nd in the USTFCCCA national standings, finished 10 spots higher than their ranking, as they tallied 368 points for their sixth top-20 NCAA finish in seven years – and the program's second-highest finish since 2003.
Combs, making his fourth-straight appearance at the NCAA Championships, completed the 10K circuit around Panorama Farms in a time of 29:38.2, finishing 28th in the 254-runner event and becoming the 18th Falcon to earn All-America honors at the Division I championship meet – and marking the third-straight year a member of the men's team has captured the honor. The senior moved into the top 30 after the first kilometer and remained within the chase pack throughout the completion of the race.
Classmates Sean Maison and Eli Bennett added top-70 finishes in the race, as just three seconds separated the pair. Maison crossed the finish line in a time of 30:09.4 to finish 64th in the overall field, while Bennett was three spots back (67th) after finishing in 30:12.2. Junior Jason Renze finished within the top half of the field after clocking a time of 30:44.8 (122nd) and sophomore Jason Renze rounded out the Falcons' scoring lineup with a 166th-place time of 31:13.3. Fellow sophomore Will Allen finished the 10K course as the team's No. 6 runner, finishing 179th in a time of 31:21.9.
On the women's side, junior Halle Hamilton finished her second-straight national championship race with a 6K time of 20:53.3 to finish 131st.
While the cross country season has come to a close, the indoor track and field season is right around the corner. Air Force will open the 2023-24 campaign at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Opener in Boston on Dec. 2, while the rest of the squad kicks off the season with the Air Force Holiday Open on Dec. 8.
The men, who entered the meet ranked 22nd in the USTFCCCA national standings, finished 10 spots higher than their ranking, as they tallied 368 points for their sixth top-20 NCAA finish in seven years – and the program's second-highest finish since 2003.
Combs, making his fourth-straight appearance at the NCAA Championships, completed the 10K circuit around Panorama Farms in a time of 29:38.2, finishing 28th in the 254-runner event and becoming the 18th Falcon to earn All-America honors at the Division I championship meet – and marking the third-straight year a member of the men's team has captured the honor. The senior moved into the top 30 after the first kilometer and remained within the chase pack throughout the completion of the race.
Classmates Sean Maison and Eli Bennett added top-70 finishes in the race, as just three seconds separated the pair. Maison crossed the finish line in a time of 30:09.4 to finish 64th in the overall field, while Bennett was three spots back (67th) after finishing in 30:12.2. Junior Jason Renze finished within the top half of the field after clocking a time of 30:44.8 (122nd) and sophomore Jason Renze rounded out the Falcons' scoring lineup with a 166th-place time of 31:13.3. Fellow sophomore Will Allen finished the 10K course as the team's No. 6 runner, finishing 179th in a time of 31:21.9.
On the women's side, junior Halle Hamilton finished her second-straight national championship race with a 6K time of 20:53.3 to finish 131st.
While the cross country season has come to a close, the indoor track and field season is right around the corner. Air Force will open the 2023-24 campaign at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Opener in Boston on Dec. 2, while the rest of the squad kicks off the season with the Air Force Holiday Open on Dec. 8.
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
Ryan Cole interview Sept 9, 2025
Tuesday, September 09
Ryan Cole Interview - October 29th, 2024
Tuesday, October 29
Ryan Cole Interview - October 1st, 2024
Tuesday, October 01
Ryan Cole Interview - November 28th, 2023
Tuesday, November 28
