Luke Combs Wins 5000-Meter Run at Drake Relays

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Highlighted by senior Luke Combs winning the men's 5000-meter run and junior Ally Peterson having an Air Force Top 5 performance in that distance on the women's side, a small contingent of Falcon runners kicked off the 114th Drake Relays this evening (April 25) in Des Moines, Iowa.

DRAKE RELAYS CHAMPION

Luke Combs, Men's 5000-Meter Run

Combs captured the program's 20th championship flag from the Drake Relays, as he won the seeded section – and his first 5000-meter outdoor race in nearly two years – with a time of 13:54.76. Combs, who managed his time within the chase pack before taking control of the race, led the Falcons to a 1-2 finish in the 20-runner event. Senior Eli Bennett also made a late push, taking down the early hometown leader to finish second in 13:56.41 – as the Air Force duo bettered the pack by three seconds.

Air Force sent four runners to the line of the 5000-meter run – and saw the full quartet finish within the top 10 of the overall field. Sophomore Zach Ayers added a time of 14:09.58 to finish sixth, while classmate Max Sannes posted a season debut of 14:14.25 to finish 10th.

AIR FORCE TOP 10 MARKS

No. 4 - Ally Peterson, Women's 5000-Meter Run (16:10.60)

Improving her overall 5000-meter time by 15 seconds, Peterson crossed the finish line in a time of 16:10.60 – a finish that moved the junior up five spots to No. 4 on the program's all-time standings. Racing in the 27-runner seeded section, Peterson finished fifth amongst collegiate runners and 12th overall.

Freshman Anna Harden, competing in the open section of the 5000-meter run, deleted 26 seconds off her previous best to finish third in her 20-runner section with a time of 16:35.53. With that time, Harden moved up 10 spots to No. 11 on the Academy's all-time standings. Senior Rachel Crytser, the Falcons' only non-5000-meter runner of the night, battled back after getting knocked down early in the 3000-meter steeplechase to finish within the top half of the field (10:41.51, 15th).

With the Distance Carnival complete, the rest of the Falcons head to Drake Stadium tomorrow (April 26) for their second day of action at the Drake Relays. Air Force gets underway with the 4x1600-meter relay finals at 10:30 a.m. (CT).

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