By Missoula, Mont. – The Fighting Saints Cross Country Team had a strong outing at the University of Montana Cross Country Invitational in Missoula, Mont. on Friday.
The No. 12 Saints men placed 4th overall behind only NCAA Division I schools. They beat Montana Tech, scoring 101 points to the Orediggers’ 129. Brycen Gardner was a highlight, running his second fastest 8k race of his career and quickest ever on the hilly Missoula course. He placed 12th followed by two other Saints runners in the Top 20 with Oliver Morris in 15th and Zack Gacnik in 17th. Three freshmen made strong debuts at the 8k distance (Logan Anderson, Conrad Schruth, and Harper Churape), and Wyatt Ehredt and Jack Jensen set personal records for 8k.
The No. 24 Saints women were 5th overall, falling to No. 23 Montana Tech scoring 124 to Tech’s 102. Carroll had a tight spread with all 5 scorers between 20th and 30th in Audrey vanWestrienen (21st), Ryah O’Dell (23rd), Madalen Shipman (27th), Jayna Boonstra (28th), and Nikki Nau (30th). Despite warm conditions, Shipman, Nau, and Amelia Mayes surpassed their times from last year on the same course.
“Both the men and women executed our race plans today well and worked smoothly together within their groups,” said Head Coach Shannon Flynn. “We’re really in the thick of training with various athletes responding differently to that,” she added, “but overall we saw many positives and will be able to carry both growth and momentum forward from this race.”
Full results are available HERE.
The Saints go to work again for the next few weeks before racing as a split squad Oct 10-11. A group will travel to the Yellowjackets/Battlin Bears Open in Billings, Mont. on Friday October 10 which will serve as the Frontier Conference Preview. Carroll’s top runners will race at the LC State Invite in Lewiston, Idaho on Saturday October 11.
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