Saturday, November 22
Columbia, MO
8:20 am MT
Air Force Academy
at
NCAA Championships
Photo by: Gary DeVore, Cadet Wing Media
Falcons Set for NCAA Cross Country Championships
11/20/2025 3:35:00 PM | Cross Country
The 2025 cross country season comes to a close this weekend, as Air Force's 27th-ranked men, senior India Jones, and junior Ella Johnson travel to Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, for the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships.
MEET INFORMATION
The NCAA Championships will be contested on the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., for the first time. The women will kick off the day with a 6K race at 9:20 a.m., while the men will follow with a 10K race at 10:10 a.m. (both times Central). Real-time results will be available via Prime Time Timing, while the meet will be broadcast live in its entirety on ESPNU and ESPN app.
NCAA Cross Country Championships
Saturday | Nov 22
Columbia, MO | Gans Creek Cross Country Course
Women's 6K: 9:20 am | Men's 10K: 10:10 am
Results | Watch | Tickets | Parking | Meet Central
SPECTATOR INFORMATION
Tickets for the NCAA Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course are $23, while parking options range from $6-18. Tickets and parking must be purchased online at MUTigers.com.
COURSE INFORMATION
Gans Creek Cross Country Course, which opened in 2019, is a 320-acre park that features 2K and 3K loops. The course, which is irrigated and graded for drainage, can accommodate up to 42 teams with a width of at least 10 meters throughout. The 2K loop, as well as the first 1200 meters of the 3K loop, includes lightly rolling hills and graded turns, while the last 1800 meters has sweeping turns, with a slightly uphill 300-meter finish with an elevated viewing berm.
WEATHER WATCH
Saturday's forecast in Columbia currently features sunny conditions, with a high of 57 and low of 40.
WEATHER WATCH
Following nine regional meets on Nov. 14, a total of 32 teams and 38 individuals were selected to compete in each race at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. The top two teams from each region earned automatic bids into the national meet, while 14 teams received at-large selections.
MEET INFORMATION
The NCAA Championships will be contested on the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., for the first time. The women will kick off the day with a 6K race at 9:20 a.m., while the men will follow with a 10K race at 10:10 a.m. (both times Central). Real-time results will be available via Prime Time Timing, while the meet will be broadcast live in its entirety on ESPNU and ESPN app.
NCAA Cross Country Championships
Saturday | Nov 22
Columbia, MO | Gans Creek Cross Country Course
Women's 6K: 9:20 am | Men's 10K: 10:10 am
Results | Watch | Tickets | Parking | Meet Central
SPECTATOR INFORMATION
Tickets for the NCAA Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course are $23, while parking options range from $6-18. Tickets and parking must be purchased online at MUTigers.com.
COURSE INFORMATION
Gans Creek Cross Country Course, which opened in 2019, is a 320-acre park that features 2K and 3K loops. The course, which is irrigated and graded for drainage, can accommodate up to 42 teams with a width of at least 10 meters throughout. The 2K loop, as well as the first 1200 meters of the 3K loop, includes lightly rolling hills and graded turns, while the last 1800 meters has sweeping turns, with a slightly uphill 300-meter finish with an elevated viewing berm.
WEATHER WATCH
Saturday's forecast in Columbia currently features sunny conditions, with a high of 57 and low of 40.
WEATHER WATCH
Following nine regional meets on Nov. 14, a total of 32 teams and 38 individuals were selected to compete in each race at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. The top two teams from each region earned automatic bids into the national meet, while 14 teams received at-large selections.
AIR FORCE ALL-AMERICANS
Eighteen Falcons have captured All-America honors a total of 22 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 is Luke Combs, who finished 28th at the 2023 championship meet, while Mahala Norris was the last member of the women's team to capture that distinction after placing fourth at the delayed 2020 championships (held in spring of 2021).
DID YOU KNOW?
The men have qualified as a team in seven of the last nine championship meets.
MEN'S HISTORY 101
The 2025 season marks the 21st time that Air Force has sent a full men's squad to the NCAA Championships – the 35th time that the Academy has been represented in the championships field. The Falcons' program boasts the 1968 national champion (Mike Ryan), the top American finisher in 1995 (Eric Mack), five top-10 individual finishers, and the runner-up team in 1967.
WOMEN'S HISTORY
Air Force has had at least one runner in the women's championship race during nine of the last 10 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 NCAA DII champion (Callie Calhoun), and 18 All-America honors.
TRIO EARNS ALL-REGION ACCOLADES
Three Falcons earned all-region honors after placing within the Top 25 at the NCAA Mountain Regional on Nov. 18. Jayden Nats led the trio with a third-place finish in the men's race, while India Jones and Ella Johnson placed 11th and 12th, respectively, in the women's race.
Players Mentioned
Ryan Cole Interview - November 20th, 2025
Thursday, November 20
Ryan Cole interview Sept 30, 2025
Tuesday, September 30
Katie Ryan- Mike Ryan AF Athletics Hall of Fame Induction video
Monday, September 29
Katie Ryan - Hall of Fame SPEECH
Monday, September 29
