Rachel Fereday

Photo by: Rayna Schmidt

Class:
Junior
Events:
Middle Distance, Distance
Hometown:
Baton Rouge, La.
Height:
5-5
High School:
Dutchtown
Squadron:
02 Deuce

SOPHOMORE YEAR | 2024-25: Competed in the 800-meter run during nine meets…accounted for Air Force Top 10 marks in that distance during both the indoor and outdoor seasons…recorded the fifth-fastest indoor time in program history (2:11.08, adjusted for altitude) during a seventh-place finish in the finals of the Mountain West Indoor Championships…first debuted on the top 10 during the prelims (2:11.38a, No. 7)…posted a career-best time of 2:09.28a – the eighth-fastest time in Air Force history – to finish third at the Doug Max Invitational…added a 2:11.45 to finish 19th out of 171 runners at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic…also competed in the 1500-meter run twice…accounted for the 15th-fastest time in Air Force history (4:29.57) at the Bryan Clay Invitational…also ran on a pair of scoring relays at the conference championships…ran the 800-meter leg of the distance medley relay that clocked the fifth-fastest time in Air Force history (11;36.21a) to finish fifth at the MW Indoor Championships…ran the third leg of the 4x400-meter relay that produced the program’s eighth-fastest time (3:45.52) to finish eighth at the MW Outdoor Championships.

FRESHMAN YEAR | 2023-24: Member of the all-conference distance medley relay team…ran the 800-meter leg of the DMR that used the fourth-fastest time in program history (11:32.91, adjusted for altitude) to finish third at the Mountain West Indoor Championships…ran on the 4x800-meter relay that clocked an Academy Record time of 8:54.51 at the Drake Relays…also anchored the sprint medley that posted the second-fastest time in program history (4:03.43) at that meet…debuted on the program’s all-time standings of the 800-meter run during both the indoor and outdoor seasons…clocked a career-best time of 2:14.02a at the conference meet to finish the indoor season at No. 15 in the Air Force Record Book…first debuted on the program’s all-time rankings at the Colorado Invitational…picked up a first-place finish at the Ralph Lindeman Classic during the indoor season…debuted at No. 24 on the program’s outdoor standings in first race of the season (2;16.09, Bobcat Invitational)…moved up to No. 15 at the Kit Mayer Classic after posting a time of 2:14.53a to finish fourth out of 26 runners.

HIGH SCHOOL: Dutchtown High School…four-time Louisiana state 800-meter champion…won both the Division I indoor and 5A outdoor as a junior and senior…finished third in both championships as a sophomore…six-time all-state selection (three indoors, three outdoors)…three-time all-metro honoree in outdoor track and field…set the state’s outdoor class and composite record in the 800-meter run (2:11.75)…also set the Indoor State Championship Meet Record in that event at 2:14.50…school record holder as a sophomore…also lettered three years in cross country…named to the all-academic teams for both cross country and track & field as a senior…two-time AP Scholar…Student of the Year finalist in 2022…graduated with a weighted 4.4 GPA.

PERSONAL: Full name is Rachel Elizabeth Fereday…daughter of Thomas and Laura Fereday…father was a member of the football team at LSU…has two older brothers – Mason, a 2020 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, who commissioned as a cryptologic warfare officer, and Jacob, who recently graduated from Memphis Law School and currently serves as a lawyer in Chattanooga…also has one younger brother…majoring in geospatial science…served as the squadron’s executive…most important things are faith and family…hobbies include playing guitar, painting, and reading…favorite music is classic rock…traveled to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., over the summer for Operation Air Force…received in a C-17 ride over Mount Rainier and trained with the Tactical Air Control Party while on Ops…member of Cadet Squadron 02.