Air Force Academy

Oct. 18, 2006

While part of the team gears up for the Mountain West Conference Championships, the rest of the Air Force cross country team will host the 2006 Air Force Open on Saturday, Oct. 21, at the North Monument Valley Park in Colorado Springs. The race is slated to begin at 10 a.m.

Cross Country Notes: Air Force Open
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MEN'S PRE-NCAA RECAP: Finishing within the top half of the 241-competitor race, Richard Elmore led the Falcons with a 97th-place finish, clocking a time of 24:53 on the 8k course. Josh Van Wyngaarden placed 131st with a time of 25:04, while Matt Williams clocked 25:14 to finish 152nd.  Sean Houseworth and Ian McFarland rounded out the Air Force scorers, as Houseworth crossed the finish line in 25:20 (166th) and McFarland recorded a time of 25:25 (176th).

WOMEN'S PRE-NCAA RECAP: Kelly Robinson posted the top time for Air Force, clocking 22:33 to finish 184th. Brittany Morreale finished just two places behind Robinson, while recording the same time of 22:33.  Margaret Frash placed 214th with a time of 22:56, while Allison Romanko clocked in at 22:58 to place 216th.  Kate Papenberg rounded out the Air Force scoring runners, clocking 23:53 to finish 244th.

BALCAO WINS WEEKLY HONOR: Scott Balcao was named the Mountain West Conference men's cross country athlete of the week, the league office announced Oct. 10. He was the first Falcon to cross the finish line at the Fort Hays State Tiger Invitational, leading the Air force to its third straight team title at that meet. Clocking a time of 26:18, Balcao finished ninth in the 122-member race.

STILL ROLLING: For the third-straight season, the Air Force men won the Fort Hays State Tiger Invitational.  Backed by a ninth-place finish from sophomore Scott Balcao, the Falcons totaled 78 points to win the 11-team meet.

MORE FROM FORT HAYS: Scott Balcao clocked 26:18 to finish ninth in the 8k race.  Thomas Richter placed 17th, with a time of 27:09, while Zachary Nordahl was close behind with a time of 27:17 to finish 19th. Daniel Castle and Ryan Workman place 22nd and 23rd, with respective times of 27:16 and 27:18 to round out the Falcons' scoring runners. The Falcons sent just two runners to Kansas in the women's field.  Freshman Sara Juback finished 30th in 20:19, while sophomore Jamie Illig placed 53rd with a time of 21:18.

ON THE HORIZON: Air Force returns to Salt Lake City on Saturday, Oct. 28, for the 2006 Mountain West Conference Championships.