Men's Cross Country | 08/31/24 | 12:52 PM

Bozeman, Mont. – Carroll College Cross Country opened the 2024 season with top placings in the Frontier Conference at the Bobcat Twilight Meet on Friday evening.

Carroll's men placed 4th overall and 1st of small schools, scoring only 14 points more than regional NCAA Division I competitor University of Montana. Zack Gacnik was the top Carroll and Frontier placer, mixing it up with racers from 25th ranked NCAA Division I Montana State University and breaking into the Top 10 in 9th. Connor O'Hara, Brycen Gardner, Daniel Koralewski, and Oliver Morris rounded out the scoring 5 for the Saints.

The Saints women knocked off No. 19 Montana Tech, placing 1st out of smaller schools. Freshman Hailey Watkins had a strong debut and was the first scorer for Carroll and top finisher in the Frontier in 18th overall. Anna Terry, Hannah Sempf, Isabelle Ruff, and Nikki Nau also scored points for the Saints.

Multiple Carroll athletes set outright personal records despite the early season race and the high elevation in Bozeman. On the men's side this included Morris, Peter Rehberger, Luke Decker, Wyatt Ehredt, and Marco Gonzalez-Sosa. For the women, Watkins, Nau, and Sydney Lamb ran their fastest times ever while Madalen Shipman and Nina Badger ran collegiate personal records.

"It was so fun to get the season going and the twilight event gives the race a great atmosphere," said Head Coach Shannon Flynn. "Both teams showed strong composure and competitiveness, and I think that really speaks to the work and growth they've put in over the last year. This is just a beginning and a stepping stone, so we're looking forward to where we can go from here," she added.

Full results are available HERE.

The Saints race again on Monday September 9 at the Tony Banovich Invitational in Butte, Mont.

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