Bobcat Cross Country has prepped for the Centennial Course throughout the fall and is ready to fly out of the gates at the Big Sky Championships in Pocatello, Idaho. With a diverse array of meets under their belts, they are ready to go the distance.
Montana State last competed at the Big Sky meet in Pocatello back in 2002, which yielded some fairly hefty results, namely, a men's championship title for both the team and individual. The women weren't too far behind in their own race with a bronze medal finish as a squad.
While none of the current men's squad members have run at Centennial, they've put in plenty of time around Bozeman training for this uniquely challenging race that features several hills and more dirt and sand-based footing.
“The Centennial Course layout presents one of the most challenging courses we'll face this year,” said head coach Dale Kennedy. “We've been doing a lot of workouts around town, at spots like Peet's Hill to really prepare for this.”
Montana State's top four, led by Seth Grossman and Jacob Kirk, who have been the top finishers for the Blue and Gold through their first three meets this season. Grossman finished ninth at the season-opening Bozeman Running Company Invitational (Sept. 17) and placed fourth at the Montana Invitational just two weeks later (Sept. 30).
Kirk clocked in just two spots behind Grossman at the BRC Invite in 10th place and was MSU's top finisher at the Montana Invitational, taking third overall.
Most recently, at the Penn State National meet Grossman and Kirk helped pace MSU to an fifth place finish out of 27 teams. Grossman crossed the finish line in 11th place while Kirk came in 15th.
“Even though none of our men have run this course before, we have a lot of history here,” said Kennedy. “Our top four have been really impressive this season and it should have a pretty significant impact on our outcome.”
Joining Grossman and Kirk in the race for a Big Sky title are Seth Garbett, Forrest Jarvi, Daniel Pfeifer, Trevor Polson, Matthew Tex and Jacob Turner.
Last year, the Montana State men placed second in the meet and came into 2011 with a second place preseason ranking.
Despite a sixth place rank headed into the season and has begun to prove those votes wrong throughout 2011.
Heather Haug comes in as the Bobcat frontrunner after a breakout year on the course. She won her first collegiate cross country race at the Montana Invitational. At the Penn State National, she paced herself to a 27th place finish out of over 250 athletes. The Livingston, Mont. native will seek her first-ever All-Big Sky finish (top 10) in Pocatello.
Joining forces with Haug are Heather Demorest, ReBecca Sorenson and Keely West, all of which have been among some of the top finishers in MSU's meets this fall. Rounding out the roster for Montana State are Emily Garneau, Lauren Kuennen, Taylor Rather, Mesa Starkey and Nicole Tester.
“I can honestly say, this is one of the best women's teams we've had in about a decade,” said head coach Dale Kennedy. “We have the personnel to compete with some of the top runners from the Conference and really make a statement.”
Last year, MSU placed sixth at the Big Sky Championship. Northern Arizona took the men's title and Montana was named the women's champion.
The women's 5,000 meter race is slated to being at 10:00 a.m. with the men's 8,000 meter race following at 11:00 a.m.
