Air Force Academy

Sept. 9, 2010

The Air Force cross country team opens the 2010 season on Saturday, Sept. 11, at the Rust Buster Invitational. The annual meet, hosted by the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, will take place at Monument Valley Park in Colorado Springs. The men's race will start at 9:15 a.m., while the women's race will begin at 10 a.m.

MEET INFORMATION
Three races will take place during the Rust Buster Invitational at Monument Valley Park. An "open" race, hosted by the Boulder Running Company, starts the day at 8:30 a.m. The collegiate races begin at 9:15 a.m., with the men's 6000-meter race. The women's 4000-meter race will close out the morning with an approximate start time of 10:00 a.m.

WHO'S WHO
Joining the Falcons at the season-opening meet will be runners from Crown College (Minnesota), Denver, Colorado College, Johnson & Wales, Metro State and host Colorado-Colorado Springs, as well as the women's team from Colorado State-Pueblo.

DIRECTIONS TO THE COURSE
The course is located in the north section of Monument Valley Park on the East side of I-25. Take the Uintah exit and go east for a couple of blocks until Cascade (stop light). Turn left. Proceed up Cascade a few blocks until Fontenero and go left (west). There is a gravel lot at the end of Fontenero for parking. The start and finish area are only a couple hundred feet from the street.

OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN...
Seniors Tyler Small and Justin Tyner will co-captain the men's team, while junior Auriele Fain and senior Katherine Ward will lead the women's squad. It is just the ninth time in the 33-year history of the women's program that two Falcons have shared the title of captain. The men's team has had multiple captains 19 times since 1956.

CLOSE TO HOME
While the Falcons aren't hosting any meets, they remain close to the Academy for a pair of competitions this season. Air Force opens the season in downtown Colorado Springs at the Rust Buster Invitational (Sept. 11) and will also travel to Boulder for the annual Rocky Mountain Shootout (Oct. 3).

WHO'S BACK
The Falcons return the 2009 men's MVP in senior Justin Tyner, as well as the 2009 Freshmen of the Year (Jeremy Drenckhahn and Jen Bremser) and last year's Most Improved Female Runner Katherine Ward. Air Force also returns both Freshmen of the Year from 2008 in Jim Walmsley and Auriele Fain.