Peterson clocked a 6K time of 20:42.9, to pace the Falcons to five top-50 finishes in the 213-runner B race. Classmate Halle Hamilton added a top-20 finish to Air Force’s lineup, as she placed 19th with a time of 20:56.7, while junior India Jones posted a time of 21:19.4 to finish 33rd. Senior Tiaree Towler and sophomore Ella Johnson rounded out the Falcons’ scoring lineup, as they finished 40th (21:27.9) and 48th (21:42.8), respectively.
The women tallied 148 points to finish second out of 28 teams at Pre-Nats. Washington State won the race with 77 points, while Air force distanced itself from third-place Vanderbilt by 28 points. Northeastern (189) and Ohio State (199) rounded out the top-five – and the only teams in the field to finish sub-200 in terms of points.
Three other sophomores also competed in the race, making their first appearance on the Zimmer Championship Course. Anna Harden and Liliane Aittama finished within the top 100, as they placed 84th (21:56.5) and 88th (21:59.0), respectively, while Scarlet Fetterolf rounded out the field with a time of 22:54.8 (151st).
Junior Zach Ayers led the men’s team to a 32nd-place finish in the men’s A race, as he posted an 8K time of 33:53.6 to finish 99th in the 251-runner event. Classmate Tanner Lindahl finished 140th with a time of 24:14.0, while sophomore Benjamin Davenport clocked a 162nd-place time of 25:23.1. Senior Jason Renze clocked a 24:30.6 in his season debut (183rd), while sophomore Patrick Lawson rounded out the Falcons’ scoring field with a 24:44.3 (203rd).
Freshman Saketh Rudraraju made his travel team debut with a 25″49.2 finish (206th), while sophomore Dominykas Remeikis and junior Ben Scheller rounded out the full list of Air Force runners by placing 223rd (25:10.4) and 225th (25:16.0), respectively.
The Falcons return to action on Friday, Nov. 1, when they host the 2024 Mountain West Cross Country Championships at Eisenhower Golf Course.
