Women's Cross Country | 10/09/21 | 12:02 AM
Billings, Mont. – The Fighting Saints women made a statement with their 1
st place cross country finish at the Yellowjacket/Battlin' Bears Open, and the men had a strong day placing 4
th overall and 1
st out of NAIA teams.
The women stormed back from a tough race in Missoula to oust the competition by 50 points in the 5k race. Four runners placed in the Top 10 (
Reghan Worley – 4
th,
Madison Harmer – 5
th,
Natalie Yocum – 7
th, and
Andria Mourich – 9
th).
Katelyn McKay and
Elly Machado were integral in leading the women's pack through the first mile, and three women set personal records on the day (Harmer, Mourich, and
Nicole Morgen).
"I'm so proud of what these women accomplished today," shared Head Coach
Shannon Flynn. "They ran with confidence and power and grit, and I'm excited to see them use that momentum as we move into several competitive races over the next few weeks. I think they feel that they have something to prove, and it's fun to watch them bond together to chase that goal."
The men's overall placing did not reflect their success over the flat, grass 8k course.
Spencer Swaim placed 7
th in a deep field filled with many current and former NCAA competitors. Seven men set personal records (Swaim,
Zach Rector,
Mark Richter,
Aidan Jarvis,
Clayton Ryerson,
Van Gottwals, and
Hunter Gregoire), and Patrick Keeley had a stellar debut while breaking into the team's Top 5 with a fervent finishing kick.
"The men have so much to celebrate today," said Coach Flynn. "They executed our race plan, and I believe that allowed them to stay engaged and competitive throughout a course that can be easy to zone out on due to its lack of hills and landmarks. It was evident that they were digging deep and getting uncomfortable today."
This meet marks the beginning of a busy few weeks of racing for the Saints. They will travel a small group to Lewiston, ID next weekend and Rocklin, CA the following weekend. Both meets will boast NAIA competitors currently ranked in the Top 15 in the nation.
See full results below:
https://competitivetiming.com/msu-billings-yellowjacket-invitational-results/#unique-id-2021
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