The 2010 Montana State men's and women's cross country teams will begin their season at home this fall by hosting the MSU Bozeman Running Company Cross Country Invitational at Bridger Creek Golf course on Saturday, September 18. The season opener will be followed by the traditional four to five meet schedule, culminating with the regional and national championships.
This year's men's team should be very competitive, and has the motivation and fire power to advance to the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana. Senior Nick Atwood and junior Patrick Casey will provide an exciting one-two punch for the Bobcats. Atwood is a three-time letter winner and two-time Big Sky All-Conference honoree. Casey has earned two letters and all- conference honors, and was nearly an individual qualifier for last year's national meet. They will lead what head coach Dale Kennedy calls the “Bobcat Chase Pack.” Three letterwinners and one returner, along with four newcomers, will make up the chase pack. Dan Jackson, Carl Nystuen, Tyler Noland, all letter winners, and returner Arick Zachman will be joined by junior Seth Grossman, a transfer from Wyoming via Kalispell, Seth Garbett, freshman from Darby, Jacob Kirk, freshman, Anchorage, AK, and Trevor Polson, freshman, Gillette, WY.
According to Kennedy, the key to team success will be the development of the “chase pack.”
“We plan to put eight runners in the top 20 at the Conference meet,” Kennedy said, “and seven in the top 50 at the Regional championships.”
The women's team has three returning runners from the 2009 team. Junior Heather Haug, two-time letter winner and last year's Top Gun award winner, returns along with letter winner ReBecca Sorenson and Tara Will. They will lead four freshman runners into their first season of collegiate competition.
“This is our best recruiting class in several years,” Kennedy said. “They will play an immediate and significant role in this season, as well as in the future of our women's distance running program. Each of these women bring solid high school running credentials to the program.”
This year's recruiting class includes Heather Demorest, Darby, Sierra Kamplain, Bozeman, Annelise Weinmann, Poulsbo, WA, and Keely West, Great Falls.
“Our goals will be to improve on last year's sixth-place team finish at the Conference meet and our 18th place finish at the Regional championships,” Kennedy said. “Our women engaged in a rigorous training schedule this summer to achieve their individual and team goals. We will be challenged with training hard and smart enough to make meaningful improvement, while staying healthy and injury free.”
Rosters for both teams will be completed after the Sept. 4 inter-squad run, Kennedy said.
