Photo by: Justin Tafoya, NCAA Photos
Cross Country Announces 2024 Award Winners
12/6/2024 2:38:00 PM | Cross Country
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – The Air Force cross country team celebrated the 2024 season this week, as it held its annual awards banquet at the Academy. Junior Zach Ayers and senior Ally Peterson claimed MVP honors for their respective squads, while six other Falcons were honored for their performance and dedication to the program.
Ayers and Peterson both captured all-conference honors this fall, while Peterson also garnered all-region accolades in 2024. The pair claimed the top Air Force finishes in each of the Falcons' final three meets (Pre-Nationals, MW Championships, NCAA Mountain Regional), while collecting their team's No. 2 finish at their respective Sept. 27 meets (Nuttycombe Invitational for Ayers, Gans Creek Classic for Peterson). After opening the season with a 25-second victory at the AFXC Classic, Peterson collected top-10 finishes at Pre-Nationals (eighth) and the Mountain West Championships (ninth), while adding a top-20 finish at the NCAA Mountain Regional. Ayers, who also accounted for a ninth-place finish at the conference meet for all-MW honors, finished 28th at the regional championship to lead the men.
Sophomores Ella Johnson and Josh Razo shared the Most Improved Award, with Johnson scoring for the women in three meets (Gans Creek Classic, Pre-Nationals, NCAA Mountain Regional) and Razo finishing first or second in his first two meets (AFXC Classic-first, Ted Castaneda Classic-second) and capping his season as a member of the men's conference and regional lineup. Saketh Rudraraju and Jasleen Sidhu capped off their strong freshman campaigns by taking home the Newcomer of the Year awards for their respective teams. Rudraraju was the Falcons' top finisher at the Woody Greeno / Jay Dirksen Invitational (12th our of 246 runners) and scored for the men at both the conference and regional meets, while Sidhu paced the women at the Colorado Springs XC Classic and added a top-10 finish (ninth) at the Ted Castaneda Classic.
Junior Tanner Lindahl and senior Tiaree Towler rounded out the program's list of award winners, as they claimed the two Coaches Award. Lindahl had a breakout year for the Falcons, scoring for the men in every race, including the conference and regional championships, while Towler concluded to be a vital member of the women's lineup – scoring for Air Force in every meet, including both postseason races.
Ayers and Peterson both captured all-conference honors this fall, while Peterson also garnered all-region accolades in 2024. The pair claimed the top Air Force finishes in each of the Falcons' final three meets (Pre-Nationals, MW Championships, NCAA Mountain Regional), while collecting their team's No. 2 finish at their respective Sept. 27 meets (Nuttycombe Invitational for Ayers, Gans Creek Classic for Peterson). After opening the season with a 25-second victory at the AFXC Classic, Peterson collected top-10 finishes at Pre-Nationals (eighth) and the Mountain West Championships (ninth), while adding a top-20 finish at the NCAA Mountain Regional. Ayers, who also accounted for a ninth-place finish at the conference meet for all-MW honors, finished 28th at the regional championship to lead the men.
Sophomores Ella Johnson and Josh Razo shared the Most Improved Award, with Johnson scoring for the women in three meets (Gans Creek Classic, Pre-Nationals, NCAA Mountain Regional) and Razo finishing first or second in his first two meets (AFXC Classic-first, Ted Castaneda Classic-second) and capping his season as a member of the men's conference and regional lineup. Saketh Rudraraju and Jasleen Sidhu capped off their strong freshman campaigns by taking home the Newcomer of the Year awards for their respective teams. Rudraraju was the Falcons' top finisher at the Woody Greeno / Jay Dirksen Invitational (12th our of 246 runners) and scored for the men at both the conference and regional meets, while Sidhu paced the women at the Colorado Springs XC Classic and added a top-10 finish (ninth) at the Ted Castaneda Classic.
Junior Tanner Lindahl and senior Tiaree Towler rounded out the program's list of award winners, as they claimed the two Coaches Award. Lindahl had a breakout year for the Falcons, scoring for the men in every race, including the conference and regional championships, while Towler concluded to be a vital member of the women's lineup – scoring for Air Force in every meet, including both postseason races.
2024 Cross Country Award Winners
Most Valuable Athletes: Zach Ayers, Ally Peterson
Most Improved Athletes: Ella Johnson, Josh Razo
Newcomers of the Year: Saketh Rudraraju, Jasleen Sidhu
Coaches' Awards: Tanner Lindahl, Tiaree Towler
Players Mentioned
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