Montana State Heads West for Inaugural Frank Knott Classic

Saturday, October 3

Spokane Valley, Wash.

11 a.m.

Montana State University

Frank Knott Classic

Photo by: Pershelle Rohrer

Montana State Heads West for Inaugural Frank Knott Classic

10/2/2026 8:35:00 AM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

Women's 6k Map Men's 8k Map

Bobcats open busy October slate in Spokane Valley, Wash.

By: Pershelle Rohrer

BOZEMAN, Mont. – The Montana State cross country program opens a four-meet October slate with the first-ever Frank Knott Classic, hosted by Whitworth University, in Spokane Valley, Wash., on Saturday.

The Bobcats will compete at The Course Spokane Valley to kick off the first of three consecutive meet weekends for the team. The women's 6k will open the meet at 11 a.m. MT, with the men's 8k to follow at 11:45 a.m. as the Bobcat men and women each seek their third-straight team title to open the 2026 season.

Live results from the Frank Knott Classic will be available here. The meet will not be live streamed.

"The team is looking forward to racing on the new course in Spokane," Dale Kennedy Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Lyle Weese said. "This will also actually be our first overnight trip and morning races of the year after our two local evening races to start the year. Compared to the first two meets, this will be our first competition where we didn't have a bit of a short turnaround from a really challenging Tuesday workout before the Friday meets. So, the hope is we can have some breakthrough performances and carry that momentum into the Pre-NCAA meet in a couple of weeks."

The Competition: The Bobcats will compete as part of an 18-team field in Spokane Valley on Saturday. Montana State is one of five Division I teams set to compete at the meet, with Big Sky foes Eastern Washington, Idaho, and Montana all making the trip to Spokane Valley with the Bobcats, along with Pac-12 squad Gonzaga. Other teams competing in Washington include George Fox, La Verne, Lewis & Clark College (Oregon), Lewis-Clark State College (Idaho), Linfield, Pacific University (Oregon), Pacific Lutheran, Puget Sounds, Redlands, San Diego Mesa, Spokane Community College, Whitman, and meet-host Whitworth.

Bobcat Competitors: Twelve men and 11 women are set to make the trip west to compete at The Course Spokane Valley on Saturday.

The men's competitors for Montana State on Saturday include Tyler Blair, Eli Boppart, Harvey Cramb, Sam Ells, Ryan Harrington, Camden Houchin, Niko Mann, Kye McAbee, Race Morrell, Quinn Newman, AJ Ringert, and Blaise Snow.

On the women's side, Gianna Cicora, Caroline Fender, Samantha Geraets, Annie Kaul, Eva Koos, Sofia Ledermann, Addi Lilyquist, Niamh Motley, Claire Rutehrford, Kaitlyn Skinner, and Quinn Stranahan will take the starting line for the Bobcats.

Last Time Out: Montana State swept the men's and women's team titles for the second-straight meet at the Montana Invite in Missoula, Mont., on Sept. 18. Ells earned his second individual victory in a row to open the season with his time of 24:16.1 in the men's 8k to lead a Bobcat 1-2 finish alongside Harrington (24:20.8). Rutherford was the runner-up on the women's side with a 5k time of 18:03.7, securing her second top-two finish of the season after winning the MSU Bobcat Twilight to open the year. The Bobcat men tallied 19 points as a team, while the women posted 24 as both squads finished the day at the top of the team leaderboard. Ells took home the Bobcats' second Big Sky Athlete of the Week honor of the season following his race-winning performance, adding to Rutherford's weekly honor thanks to her win at the MSU Bobcat Twilight.

Bobcats in the Polls: The Bobcat men held steady at No. 9 in the week-two edition of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Mountain Region rankings, which were released on Monday. The Montana State women remained at No. 12 in the same poll, coming in as the second-ranked Big Sky squad in the region. The men's team sits in third in the conference in the most recent regional rankings.

Up Next: The Bobcats will travel east to Billings, Mont., for the Yellowjacket/Battlin' Bears Invite on Friday, Oct. 9, kicking off a stretch of three-straight meet weeks to conclude the regular season. Montana State will wrap up regular-season competition at the Pre-National Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind., on Oct. 16 before heading south to Flagstaff, Ariz., for the Big Sky Cross Country Championships on Oct. 30.

Follow the Bobcats
For the latest news, updates, and behind-the-scenes coverage of the Montana State cross country program, follow the Bobcats on Twitter and Instagram at @MSUBobcatsTFXC. Information on the Montana State athletic program can be found online at msubobcats.com or by following the Bobcats on Twitter at @MSUBobcats, Instagram at @MontanaStateBobcats, and on Facebook at Montana State Bobcats.