Men's Cross Country | 11/06/24 | 6:15 PM
Billings, Mont. – The Saints Cross Country Men won their 4th Consecutive Frontier Cross Country Championship while the Saints Cross Country Women placed 2nd, ahead of #23 Rocky Mountain College.
The Carroll men edged out #25 Rocky Mountain College by a score of 32 to 33 in a thrilling race throughout. Zack Gacnik won the individual title earning All-Conference and Runner of the Year. Oliver Morris continued his breakout season with a 2nd Place finish and All-Conference honors. Connor O'Hara placed 5th in his final Frontier Championship for his 3rd consecutive All-Conference selection.
Carroll's women scored 47 points coming up against a strong #24 Montana Tech squad who scored 26 points for the win. Isabelle Ruff was the top placer for the Saints in 6th. Hannah Sempf (8th) and Anna Terry (9th) rounded out the All-Conference selections for the women. All three women were also All-Conference selections last year making it two straight earning honors.
A tremendous set of conditions and strong competition led to a slew of personal records for the Saints. On the men's side Morris, Peter Rehberger, Marco Gonzalez-Sosa, and Scotty McIntyre ran their best 8k times ever. For the women, Sempf, Madalen Shipman, Sydney Lamb, Nikki Nau, and Nina Badger ran their fastest times over 6k.
"We're just really proud of how the athletes showed up for each other and leaned into battling for every place out there today," said Head Coach Shannon Flynn. "There were some real personal successes, but it's evident the group cares more about the team result, and it is great to see that culture piece come through."
The men earned an automatic bid to the NAIA Championships with their win. "We talked a lot about having an opportunity today to make a great story," said Coach Flynn. "The men as a unit rose to that occasion which is what makes sports so fun and meaningful."
With the 2nd place finish, the women will not receive an automatic berth to the NAIA Championships for the first time since 2019. However, a head to head win over #23 Rocky and eight personal records could provide enough evidence for the Saints to move up in the National rankings and receive an at-large bid to the meet.
"The women executed their plan well today and stayed focused on the process just the way we wanted them to," said Coach Flynn. "Tech really went for it up front and ended up having a great day, but the women should certainly be proud that they gave their own strongest efforts out there."
Full results are available at this LINK.
In post-race awards, Luke Decker and Erika Arthur were recognized as Carroll's Champions of Character. Shannon Flynn was named Men's Cross Country Co-Coach of the Year. A large portion of the roster - 19 athletes - were recognized as Academic All-Conference selections with a full press release to come at a later date.
The Saints men will compete on Friday November 22 at the NAIA National Cross Country Championships. The women will wait for national rankings to come out with announcements of at-large qualifiers on Monday November 11 at 5:00 pm Mountain Time. Isabelle Ruff will race regardless at the women's championships as one of the top 2 individuals in the Frontier's top 8 not on an automatic qualifying team.
Follow Carroll Athletics on Twitter and Facebook and Carroll Track & Field/Cross Country on Facebook and Instagram for race and season updates.
