Air Force Men, Women Take Second at Bill Dellinger Invitational

SPRINGFIELD, Ore. – The Air Force cross country team picked up a pair of runner-up finishes on Friday (Oct. 10), as the women and 23rd-ranked men placed second in their respective races at the Bill Dellinger Invitational in Springfield, Oregon.

Junior Ella Johnson picked up the Falcons' best finish of the day, as she completed the women's 6K circuit around the Pine Ridge Golf Club in a fifth-place time of 20:09.26. Johnson, the only finisher in the top six not from host Oregon – the fourth-ranked team in the nation, was one of two Falcons to place within the top 10 of the 100-runner meet. Senior India Jones clocked a time of 20:34.07 to finish 10th in the field, while junior Anna Harden crossed the finish line close on her heels to place 11th (20:37.93). Senior Ricky Fetterolf picked up a top-20 finish after posting a time of 20:56.25, while sophomore Carrigan Eberly rounded out the squad's scoring lineup with a 30th-place time of 21:19.6.

As Johnson's finish broke up a sweep of Oregon finishers, the Ducks won their home meet with 16 points. The Falcons tallied 72 points in their runner-up finish, claiming a 15-point advantage over third-place Oregon State. Power 4 teams from UCLA (99) and California (148) rounded out the top five, while UC Irvine (155), Weber State (204), UC Davis (215), UC Riverside (242), conference opponent San Diego State (263), and Central Washington (324) completed the 11-team field.

On the men's side, top-10 finishes from senior Jayden Nats and sophomore Saketh Rudraraju headlined a 9-10-11-12-13 finish from the Falcons' scoring lineup. Nats posted an 8K time of 23:31.05 to place ninth in the 88-runner race, while Rudraraju crossed the finish line in 10th, with a time of 23:31.29. Just over one second separated the final three scoring finishers for Air Force, as senior Zach Ayers (23:42.58, 11th), sophomore Junior Allen (23:43.23, 12th) and senior Ethan Ashley (23:43.69, 13th) completed the Falcons' five-man finish.

The 23rd-ranked men accounted for 50 points to finish second in the 10-team field. Host team Oregon, ranked 14th in the national standings, won its home meet with 16 points, while the Falcons easily distanced themselves from the rest of the field – Weber State (103), UC Davis (120), UCLA (135), St. Mary's (144), California (165), UC Riverside (249), UC Irvine (267), and Central Washington (281)

The Falcons are off from competition until Friday, Oct. 31, when they travel to Fresno, Calif., for the 2025 Mountain West Cross Country Championships at Woodward Park.

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