Runners Take Center Stage on Final Day of Potts Invitational

BOULDER, Colo. – Backed by Air Force Top-10 marks from seniors Ben Scheller (mile) and Jettason Rose (200-meter dash), the running half of the Falcons' track and field team wrapped up action at the 2026-opening Potts Invitational in Boulder on Saturday (Jan. 17). Rose and junior Liliane Aittama accounted for first-place finishes at the CU Indoor Practice Facility, as the team made 12 total improvements to the program's record book.

Rose picked up the men's first victory of the 2026 calendar year on Saturday, as he sprinted to a 21.24 finish in the 200-meter dash. Using a time of 21.24, he knocked 0.03 seconds off his previous best to lower his own No. 8 all-time mark and win the 31-runner event by 0.16 seconds. Scheller followed Rose's win with the top collegiate finish in the mile, as he clocked a raw time of 4:05.34 to finish second in the full 38-runner event. When converted for the altitude of Boulder, Scheller's new time of 3:59.36 is the fifth-fastest mile in Air Force history.

AIR FORCE TOP-10 MARKS

No. 5 – Ben Scheller, Mile Run (3:59.36a)

No. 8 – Jettason Rose, 200-Meter Dash (21.24)

Rose led the men to two of the four fastest times in the 200-meter dash, as sophomore Asher Jenkins placed fourth in a time of 21.65. Jenkins added a pair of third-place finishes to his day on the track, as he registered a 6.89 in the 60-meter dash and joined freshman Zachary DeWalt, sophomore Christopher Johnson and junior Zachary King on the 4x400-meter relay that combined for a time of 3.18.84.

In addition to leading of the relay, DeWalt earned a top-10 finish in the individual race at that distance, as he posted a time of 48.40 – the 21st-fastest time in program history – to place seventh in the 30-runner field. Fellow freshman Ryan Daly added a top-10 time in the 800-meter run (1:54.02), while sophomore Alex Pinckney accounted for a top-10 time in the 3000-meter run (8:43.86, 10th).

On the women's side, Aittama won the 800-meter run by more than one second, as she crossed the finish line in a time of 2:11.99 and helped Air Force to a pair of top-10 finishes (junior Rachel Fereday – 2:16.05, seventh). The women added another pair of top-10 distance finishes in the mile, as juniors Cam Bodine and Anna Harden finished sixth (4:59.33) and seventh (5:02.63), respectively – with Harden's altitude-adjusted time of 4:55.25 a career-best and the 24th-fastest time in program history.

Air Force made eight improvements to the program's sprint standings on Saturday, highlighted by multiple additions from sophomore Sarah Reynolds and the freshmen duo of Amaya Stepp and Eleanor Borchard. The entire trio impacted the Air Force Top-25 in the 200-meter dash, as Reyolds moved up to No. 16 all-time (25.75) and the freshmen debuted at No. 19 (25.83) and No. 24 (26.01), respectively. Reynolds (9.03, No. 14) and Borchard (9.25, No. 23) also impacted the 60-meter hurdles' standings, while Stepp debuted at No. 15 in the Air Force Record Book at 400 meters. Elsewhere, junior Kayla Beach posted a career-best time of 9.14 to match the 19th-fastest hurdles time in program history, while sophomore Ella Pears posted the 20th-fastest 400-meter time (57.74) during a fifth-place finish in the 20-runner final.

Air Force heads back to Boulder next weekend for the Colorado Invitational. As with all meets at the CU Indoor Practice Facility, the field events will take place on Friday (Jan. 23) and the running events will be held on Saturday (Jan. 24).

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