Men's Cross Country | 09/07/23 | 11:24 PM

Great Falls, Mont. – Saints Cross Country won both the men's and women's races at the Conference Preview on Thursday.

The women's 6k race was highly competitive with Carroll scoring 32 points to narrowly edge out Rocky Mountain College at 33 points. It was the first 6k race in their careers for all of the women as this is the first year the NAIA Conference and National Championship races will use the longer distance. The Carroll men scored 36 points in the 8k race to outpace Montana Tech in second at 46 points.

Five women placed in the Top 10 for the Saints: Isabelle Ruff (2nd), Anna Terry (6th), Renae Parker (7th), Hannah Sempf (9th), and Erika Arthur (10th). Ruff, Terry, and Parker are freshmen in their first collegiate season. The men also placed five individuals in the Top 10 including Zack Gacnik (5th), Zach Rector (6th), Connor O'Hara (7th), Brycen Gardner (8th), and James Normandeau (10th). Rector, O'Hara, and Gardner ran personal records for 8k, as did Peter Rehberger and Daniel Koralewski.

"I was really pleased with how the athletes worked together and stayed engaged in competing today," said Head Cross Country Coach Shannon Flynn. "It's a great starting point that showed us our strengths and areas to improve, and it's fun to know we're in a conference with multiple teams that will push each other," she added.

Full results are linked below:

Women - http://competitivetiming.com/results/2023/235260W 

Men - http://competitivetiming.com/results/2023/235260M 

The Saints will race again next Friday at the Montana Open in Missoula, Mont.

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