Jayden Nats

Photo by: Austin Hutchings

Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Highlands Ranch, Colo.
Squadron:
19 Starship 19
High School:
Mountain Vista

JUNIOR YEAR | 2024: Did not compete.

SOPHOMORE YEAR | 2023: Competed in six races…member of the Falcons’ postseason lineup…posted a career-best 8K time of 24:13.3 for a top-25 finish at the Mountain West Championships (25th)…also raced that distance in two Colorado-based meets…finished second out of 111 runners at the UCCS Open (25:03.9)…added a 25:14.68 finish at the Roadrunner Invitational, placing sixth out of 108 runners and helping Air Force to the team title as the Falcons’ No. 2 runner…made 10K debut at the NCAA Mountain Regional…posted a time of 30:43.8 to finish within the top half of the field (57th)…added a 31:13.3 finish at the NCAA Championships (166th)…opened the season with a five-mile time of 26:33 at the Air Force Classic (10th).

FRESHMAN YEAR | 2022: Participated in the first-two meets of the season…made collegiate debut at the Air Force Classic, finishing 15th with a four-mile time of 21:18…clocked an 8K time of 26:46.5 at the Woody Greeno/Jay Dirksen Invitational (116th).

MAJOR TRACK AND FIELD HIGHLIGHTS: Broke the Air Force Junior Class Record in the 10,000-meter run during a 28:22.06 performance at the 2025 Payton Jordan Invitational…that time is the second-fastest in Academy history…also accounted for the program’s third-fastest 5000-meter run (13:39.88, adjusted for altitude) and 10th-fastest 3000-meter run (7:57.85a) at the Mountain West Indoor Championships that year.

HIGH SCHOOL: Mountain Vista High School…two-time all-state honoree in cross country…claimed top-10 finishes in the Colorado 5A state meet as a junior (10th) and senior (fifth)…led MVHS to back-to-back state titles in cross country (2020, 2021)…finished third in the 3200-meter run at the Colorado 5A Championships as a senior…earned a top-10 finish in that event as a junior (ninth).

PERSONAL: Full name is Jayden Timothy Nats…son of Tim and Susan Nats…has a twin brother, Kyler…also has two older siblings – Jamie, a former member of the swim team at Boise State, and Kaitlin, a 2022 Academy graduate and former member of the swim team at Air Force…majoring in systems engineering…member of the A2 Staff (intel)…named to the Dean’s List…hobbies include the pogo stick…member of the Highlands Ranch Backwards Walking Club…worked Basic Cadet Training over the summer…member of Cadet Squadron 19.