Friday, September 4
Colorado Springs, CO
10:00 am MT
Air Force Academy
vs
AFXC Classic
Photo by: Gary DeVore, Cadet Wing Media
Falcons Open Season Hosting AFXC Classic
9/2/2026 1:46:00 PM | Cross Country
Air Force Cross Country, which includes the 23rd-ranked men's team, will kick off the 2026 campaign this Friday (Sept. 4), when it hosts the annual AFXC Classic in Colorado Springs.
MEET INFORMATION
The AFXC Classic will take place at North Monument Valley Park in Colorado Springs and is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. (MT). Spectators driving from the Academy should take I-25 south to Fillmore Street (exit 145). After exiting the interstate, turn left onto W. Fillmore Street, right onto N. Cascade Avenue, and right onto E. Fontenaro Street. Parking is located along Fontenaro and the start is located down the hill. The men will run five miles in the first race, while the women will follow with a three-mile race.
LOOK WHO'S BACK
Air Force returns one all-conference and all-region runner in Ella Johnson – a 2025 NCAA participant, and four members of the men's team that finished 20th at the 2025 NCAA Cross Country Championships.
MEN START SEASON RANKED NO. 23 IN NATIONAL STANDINGS
09-01-26 | For the second-straight year, the men earned a No. 23 placement in the USTFCCCA Preseason Coaches Poll – marking the ninth-straight year that they have opened the season listed in the national conversation. Closer to home, the men were fifth and the women were sixth in the Mountain Region's preseason standings.
MEN, WOMEN PICKED SECOND IN MOUNTAIN WEST PRESEASON RANKINGS
08-26-26 | The men and women were picked second in their respective preseason conference polls – with the latter earning their highest preseason selection ever from the Mountain West. The men tallied 43 points and one first-place vote in the eight-team prediction poll, while the women earned one first-place vote and 70 points in their 10-team field.
SAY HELLO TO THE CLASS OF 2030
Air Force welcomed 17 freshmen to its roster for the 2026 season, with the addition of Aiden Allen, Bode Becker, Walker Elrod, Owen Hintz, Izzy Illian, Ryder Keeton, Sean Lawson, Gabriel Marshall, Emma Mathis, Shayla Miller, Kruz Mogel, Mallory Old, Alex Roberts, Brooke Samuelson, Nick Sanders, Kevin Torres, and Makenna Wolmer.
SENIOR SALUTE
The Falcons have a large, 14-member senior class that includes Liliane Aittama, Cam Bodine, Benjamin Davenport, Rachel Ferday, Scarlet Fetterolf, Anna Harden, Jonah Hochstetler, Ella Johnson, Patrick Lawson, Brenton Maddox, Josh Razo, Dominykas Remeikis, Roman Thomas, and Joseph White.
WHEN I GROW UP…
The Class of 2027 received their first assignment after graduation earlier this fall. Seven Falcons – Liliane Aittama, Benjamin Davenport, Jonah Hochstetler, Ella Johnson, Patrick Lawson, Dominykas Remeikis, Roman Thomas – will all head to pilot training while two – Cam Bodine, Joseph White – will work in the acquisition field, while Rachel Fereday will work in logistics, Scarlet Fetterolf will serve as an Air Battle Manager, Anna Harden will become an electrical engineer, and Josh Razo will commission int the Space
LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE LOCALS
Nine Falcons hail from the state of the Colorado, including three locals in Matthew Edwards (Monument), Cody Kelley (Cascade) and Shayla Miller (Colorado Springs). The roster also boasts a pair of runners from Breckenridge (Dominykas Remeikis, Josh Shriver) and two from Longmont (Bode Becker, Ryder Keeton). Ella Johnson (Glenwood Springs) and Keeton's Niwot High School teammate Gabriel Marshall (Boulder) round out the Falcons' Centennial State roster.
FAMILY TIES
While Air Force lost a set of sisters, with the graduation of Scarlet Fetterolf's sister, Ricky, the program gained two pairs of brothers with freshmen Owen Hintz and Sean Lawson joining their older brothers (Parker Hintz, Patrick Lawson) on the Falcons' roster.
THE NEXT COURSE
Air Force is back in action on Saturday, Sept. 19, when the squad splits for a pair of meets. Part of the team will head to Terre Haute, Ind., for the John McNichols Invitational, while the rest will make their annual trip to Lincoln, Neb. For the Woody Greeno / Jay Dirksen Invitational.
MEET INFORMATION
The AFXC Classic will take place at North Monument Valley Park in Colorado Springs and is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. (MT). Spectators driving from the Academy should take I-25 south to Fillmore Street (exit 145). After exiting the interstate, turn left onto W. Fillmore Street, right onto N. Cascade Avenue, and right onto E. Fontenaro Street. Parking is located along Fontenaro and the start is located down the hill. The men will run five miles in the first race, while the women will follow with a three-mile race.
LOOK WHO'S BACK
Air Force returns one all-conference and all-region runner in Ella Johnson – a 2025 NCAA participant, and four members of the men's team that finished 20th at the 2025 NCAA Cross Country Championships.
MEN START SEASON RANKED NO. 23 IN NATIONAL STANDINGS
09-01-26 | For the second-straight year, the men earned a No. 23 placement in the USTFCCCA Preseason Coaches Poll – marking the ninth-straight year that they have opened the season listed in the national conversation. Closer to home, the men were fifth and the women were sixth in the Mountain Region's preseason standings.
MEN, WOMEN PICKED SECOND IN MOUNTAIN WEST PRESEASON RANKINGS
08-26-26 | The men and women were picked second in their respective preseason conference polls – with the latter earning their highest preseason selection ever from the Mountain West. The men tallied 43 points and one first-place vote in the eight-team prediction poll, while the women earned one first-place vote and 70 points in their 10-team field.
SAY HELLO TO THE CLASS OF 2030
Air Force welcomed 17 freshmen to its roster for the 2026 season, with the addition of Aiden Allen, Bode Becker, Walker Elrod, Owen Hintz, Izzy Illian, Ryder Keeton, Sean Lawson, Gabriel Marshall, Emma Mathis, Shayla Miller, Kruz Mogel, Mallory Old, Alex Roberts, Brooke Samuelson, Nick Sanders, Kevin Torres, and Makenna Wolmer.
SENIOR SALUTE
The Falcons have a large, 14-member senior class that includes Liliane Aittama, Cam Bodine, Benjamin Davenport, Rachel Ferday, Scarlet Fetterolf, Anna Harden, Jonah Hochstetler, Ella Johnson, Patrick Lawson, Brenton Maddox, Josh Razo, Dominykas Remeikis, Roman Thomas, and Joseph White.
WHEN I GROW UP…
The Class of 2027 received their first assignment after graduation earlier this fall. Seven Falcons – Liliane Aittama, Benjamin Davenport, Jonah Hochstetler, Ella Johnson, Patrick Lawson, Dominykas Remeikis, Roman Thomas – will all head to pilot training while two – Cam Bodine, Joseph White – will work in the acquisition field, while Rachel Fereday will work in logistics, Scarlet Fetterolf will serve as an Air Battle Manager, Anna Harden will become an electrical engineer, and Josh Razo will commission int the Space
LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE LOCALS
Nine Falcons hail from the state of the Colorado, including three locals in Matthew Edwards (Monument), Cody Kelley (Cascade) and Shayla Miller (Colorado Springs). The roster also boasts a pair of runners from Breckenridge (Dominykas Remeikis, Josh Shriver) and two from Longmont (Bode Becker, Ryder Keeton). Ella Johnson (Glenwood Springs) and Keeton's Niwot High School teammate Gabriel Marshall (Boulder) round out the Falcons' Centennial State roster.
FAMILY TIES
While Air Force lost a set of sisters, with the graduation of Scarlet Fetterolf's sister, Ricky, the program gained two pairs of brothers with freshmen Owen Hintz and Sean Lawson joining their older brothers (Parker Hintz, Patrick Lawson) on the Falcons' roster.
THE NEXT COURSE
Air Force is back in action on Saturday, Sept. 19, when the squad splits for a pair of meets. Part of the team will head to Terre Haute, Ind., for the John McNichols Invitational, while the rest will make their annual trip to Lincoln, Neb. For the Woody Greeno / Jay Dirksen Invitational.
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