Air Force Academy

Oct. 8, 2008

Several members of the Air Force cross country team will travel to Hays, Kan., for the annual Fort Hays State University Tiger Open on Saturday, Oct. 11. The meet, which begins with the women's 5K race at 9:20 a.m. (CST), will take place at the Fort Hays State Cross Country Course at Gross Memorial Coliseum. The men's 8K race is slated to begin at 10 a.m.

Weekly Release 04: at Fort Hays State Tiger Open

ABOUT THE MEET
The women will run a 5k race, while the men will participate in the 8k event. The FHSU Cross Country Course is relatively flat with a grassy terrain.

HISTORY 101
Last year, Daniel Castle and Zach Nordahl led several members of the men's team at the Tiger Open. Castle clocked a time of 26:09 to finish 11th, while Nordahl finished 12th with a time of 26:37. The Falcons won three straight men's team title from 2004-06.

LAST TIME OUT
With four of its top five scorers finishing within the top-10 of the NCAA Division I field, the Air Force men's cross country team raced to a second-place finish at the Rocky Mountain Shootout on Oct. 4. Backed by five scoring freshmen runners, the women's team also earned a second-place team finish at the meet.

TAKING IT TO THE TOP
Senior co-captain Matt Williams paced the men's team at the Rocky Mountain Shootout with an 8K time of 25:44. That time was the fourth-best in the NCAA Division I field. Sophomore Justin Tyner finished eighth with a time of 26:25, while senior Brad Chronister and junior Zach Nordahl placed ninth and 10th, respectively, with times of 26:44 and 26:46.

FRESHMEN FREE-FOR-ALL
For the second time in three meets, freshman Auriele Fain led the women's program. Fain clocked a 5,800-kilometer time of 22:59, to place eighth in the NCAA Division I field. Classmate Elyse Willard finished 11th with a time of 23:47, while fellow freshman Katherine Carroll recorded a time of 24:09 to finish 13th. Two other freshmen rounded out the scoring runners, as Phaelen French and Meghan Prinkey finished 15th and 16th, respectively, with matching times of 24:20.

NEW DATE AND LOCATION FOR AIR FORCE OPEN
The Falcons have moved their annual Air Force Open cross country meet to Friday, Oct. 24 at 4 p.m. The location of the meet has also changed, as the Falcons will now be held at the Academy's Eisenhower Golf Course. (Information can be accessed on GoAirForceFalcons.com.)

ON THE HORIZON
Select members of the program will travel to Terre Haute, Ind., for the prestigious Pre-Nationals Meet on Saturday, Oct. 18. The race will take place at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center.