Montana State University
MSU Bobcat Twilight
MSU Cross Country Starts Season With Wins at Twilight Meet
8/30/2024 10:08:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
Nationally ranked men cruise to perfect score, women earn hard-fought victory over Boise State on Friday night in first meet of the fall
BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Montana State cross country began their 2024 season with a pair of satisfying wins on campus Friday night, placing first in both races at the annual MSU Bobcat Twilight meet on a muggy evening in Bozeman.
Montana State's No. 25-ranked men went 1-2-3-4-5 to finish with a perfect score of 15, also adding runners 6-7-8 to assert dominance over a field that included Boise State, Montana, Carroll, Carleton, Montana Tech, and Montana Western.
Montana finished with 79 points, while Boise State placed third with 80 points.
Last fall's Big Sky Freshman of the Year, Sam Ells, crossed the line first in 14:48.80, followed by Levi Taylor (14:49.30), Owen Smith (14:53.40), Ben Perrin (14:55.10), and Rob McManus (14:56.40).
Will Kelly, a graduate transfer Division III All-American from St. Olaf, finished sixth (14:58.10), while two MSU freshmen running unattached in Ryan Harrington (15:02.40) and A.J. Ringert (15:03.70) finished seventh and eighth, respectively.
"The men's team put together a nice race," head coach Lyle Weese said. "We had six run under 15 minutes and the most we had ever had in the three previous years on the course was two, so that is a great sign."
After a 13th place finish at the 2023 NCAA Championships, the Bobcat men checked in at No. 18 in FloTrack's preseason power rankings, No. 22 in The Stride Report's preseason poll, and No. 25 in the USTFCCCA National Coaches' Poll and backed up those expectations with a perfect showing on Friday.
Montana State's women also placed first on Friday, edging out Boise State 26-29. Montana finished a distant third with 86 points.
The Cats went 1-4-5-7-9, while the Broncos went 2-3-6-8-10, combining to comprise all top ten spots.
2023 All-Big Sky honoree Kyla Christopher-Moody defended her Bobcat Twilight title from a year ago, winning in a course-record time of 17:18.60.
Lindsey Paulson finished fourth (17:34.50), Alex Moore fifth (17:41.70), Grace Gilbreth seventh (17:57.20), and Hannah Perrin ninth (18:16.80) to make up the scoring runners for the Bobcats.
Madi Siana placed 11th (18:35.60), Annie Kaul took 14th (19:04.40), and Ada Nelson finished 15th (19:04.40)
"The women's team was faster as a team than a year ago and competed well in what ended up a really close team race," Weese said. "This competition was a great experience and something we can take into future races."
The traditional season-opener included five laps around a one-kilometer loop set up in Dyche Field, taking place as the sun set on the Bridger Mountains.
"The Bobcat Twilight is such a fun way to start the season," Weese said. "It takes place in a relatively small area so spectators can watch the entire race play out. From top to bottom, the teams did a great job of competing in front of the home crowd."
UP NEXT
Montana State's women travel to Minneapolis, Minnesota, for the Griak Invite on September 20.
Montana State's men will next be in action in Madison, Wisconsin, for the Wisconsin Nuttycombe Invitational on September 27.
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