Richtman and Christopher-Moody Sweep Big Sky XC Athletes of the Week
9/19/2023 10:06:00 AM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
Bobcats earn recognition after dominant showing at Montana Invitational this past Friday
FARMINGTON, Utah – Montana State cross country swept the Big Sky Conference's weekly awards, the league office announced on Tuesday. Matthew Richtman earned Big Sky Men's XC Athlete of the Week, while Kyla Christopher-Moody took home Big Sky Women's XC Athlete of the Week.
It marks the first time the Bobcats have swept the weekly awards since Ben Perrin and Camila Noe were selected on October 4, 2022.
Richtman, a 2022 All-American, won the men's 8-kilometer race this past Friday at the Montana Invitational with a time of 24:04.69, his second straight victory to open up the season after also placing first at the MSU Bobcat Twilight on September 1.
The native of Elburn, Ill., was part of a Bobcat contingent that recorded a perfect team score of 15 on Friday, going 1-5 to dominate the men's meet held at University Golf Course in Missoula, the future site of the 2023 Big Sky Championships on October 27.
Christopher-Moody, a graduate transfer from Colorado, won the women's 5-kilometer race on Friday in Missoula, crossing the finish line in 17:08.57, a full 24 seconds before the next-closest competitor. It was the second straight win for the product of Royal Oak, Mich., after she won the MSU Bobcat Twilight by a 28-second margin on Sept. 1.
Behind Christopher-Moody's dominant race, the Bobcat women placed first as a team at the Montana Invitational, collecting 29 points while going 1-5-6-7-11. MSU finished comfortably ahead of second-place Weber State (61 points) as well as Big Sky-foes Eastern Washington (81 points) and Montana (119 points).
MSU held serve in Monday's latest USTFCCCA Regional Rankings, with the men checking in at No. 5 and the women at No. 11.
Montana State will be back in action on Friday, September 29, for the Joe Piane Invite in South Bend, Indiana. The meet, hosted by Notre Dame, is one of the premier college cross country events on the calendar and will feature several ranked and Power Five opponents.
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