Montana State Cross Country is scheduled to host the 32nd Annual Bozeman Running Company Montana State Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 17 at Bridger Creek Golf Course. The meet marks the season opener for the Bobcats and will feature 11 institutions including Big Sky Conference members Weber State and Montana.
The Bobcat Women come into 2011 with a sixth place Big Sky preseason ranking. MSU returns veterans Heather Demorest, Lauren Kuennen, ReBecca Sorenson and Keely West. Newcomers Emily Garneau, Nicole Tester and Sonia Antar will also vie for a spot in the top-five.
“This is a great opportunity to get a better idea of where our women stand,” said head coach Dale Kennedy. “They'll have some great competition, including some from the Big Sky.”
The Montana State men enter the meet with a preseason ranking of second in the conference and will face off with Utah State who heads into Saturday with a sixth place ranking in the Mountain Region. Trevor Polson and Seth Grossman return as the top competitors for the Bobcats along with Matt Tex, Forrest Jarvi and Jacob Kirk. Jake Turner will make his collegiate debut and is also expected to be a frontrunner for MSU.
“Our men are really motivated by their preseason rank,” said Kennedy. “They are excited to get out there and challenge their competitors, as well as each other.”
The meet also serves as the official Cat-Griz match-up for Montana State and Montana. Last year, the Bobcat men defeated the Griz, 38-19, while the MSU women fell, 44-15. The meet will include dual meet scoring and overall scoring for Division I programs and overall scoring for the smaller schools division.
The men's race will begin at 9:00 a.m. and follows a course of approximately five miles. The women take off at 9:40 a.m. on a three mile course. (Course Map)
