Montana State University
UM Invite
Bobcat Cross Country Cruises To First Place Finishes in Missoula
9/15/2023 3:29:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
MSU Dominates UM Invite, with Kyla Christopher-Moody and Matthew Richtman leading the way
MISSOULA, Montana -- Montana State cross country controlled both men's and women's races and turned in a strong showing in their first outing against multiple opponents on Friday morning, as both teams placed first at the UM Invite in Missoula.
MSU's men, ranked 26th in the Preseason USTFCCCA Coaches' Poll, recorded a perfect team score of 15, going 1-5 and maintaining a strong pack throughout nearly the entire 8-kilometer race, which was held on the same course that will host the Big Sky Championships on October 27.
Matthew Richtman bounced back from a quick fall on the opening loop and looked comfortable in crossing the line first overall with a time of 24:04.69.
The All-American was one of a handful of Bobcats that took command of the race early, running alongside a strong pack of Owen Smith, Ben Perrin, Sam Ells, and Rob McManus that hung together through the early going.
Smith placed second overall with a PR of 24:08.38, and credited the squad's aggressive start and willingness to race as a group as keys to success.
"A big thing coming off last season is we figured out that we need to focus on just getting out in good position, getting out hard," the junior said. "At nationals last year we really struggled with that, so coming into this season we just really wanted to emphasize being aggressive at the start, and being okay with being uncomfortable in that first mile. Last year we tried to run as a pack at times, but this year we're more committed as a team to running as a pack and getting aggressive, and acting as a national-caliber team is a big emphasis."
MSU's first five men were separated by just 34 seconds in grabbing the top five individual spots. Ben Perrin placed third, Sam Ells placed fourth, and Rob McManus battled through some physical discomfort to place fifth.
Ben Saelens placed eighth, while Harvey Cramb took 12th and Michael Schumacher finished 30th. Eli Boppart, racing unattached, finished 44th.
The women placed first as a team in the 5-kilometer race with 29 points, followed by Weber State in second with 61 points. CSU-Pueblo, Eastern Washington, and Montana rounded out the top five.
The Bobcats finished the latter-half of the race strong, going 1-5-6-7-11 to easily outpace their Big Sky opponents.
Kyla Christopher-Moody quickly separated from the rest of the field and coasted to an individual victory, placing first by a margin of 24 seconds.
"It was really fun," Christopher-Moody said. "I am excited with where we are as a team and I'm looking forward to what we do as the season progresses and we get in some more good work together."
Mya Dube was the second Bobcat to cross, placing fifth overall, with Alex Moore and Grace Gilbreth right behind in sixth and seventh, respectively.
Hannah Perrin, racing unattached, finished ninth overall. Emma Tate turned in a time of 18:06.46 as the fifth and final scoring MSU runner to place 11th, with Kendra Lusk finishing 14th overall.
Eva Koos finished 16th, Elena Vandersloot finished 17th, Annie Kaul finished 22nd, and Sierra Read finished 47th.
"It was great to be able to compete on the conference course and get some experience," head coach Lyle Weese said. "It's a really good course and we like racing there. The men's team competed really well and had a really good day. The women's team also competed really well—some of the other teams were really aggressive at the start so I think it was a good experience for them to kind of buffer that a little bit and then work their way up as the race progressed."
UP NEXT
MSU will return to the highly-anticipated Joe Piane Invite in South Bend, Indiana, on Friday, September 29. The meet, hosted by Notre Dame, will feature several ranked and Power Five teams and will be a crucial measuring stick and opportunity to earn points towards potential NCAA Championship qualification.
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