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Montana State men, women second at Big Sky Championships; NAU sweeps again

Posted on by Vaseline

(Editor’s note: Information provided by MSU Athletics, Montana Athletics and the Big Sky Conference.)

POCATELLO, Idaho – Montana State senior Ben Perrin made history Friday by finishing third at the Big Sky Conference cross country championships, becoming the Bobcats’ first four-time all-conference harrier.

Perrin led the Bobcats to a second-place finish on the men’s team. All-league finishes from seniors Kyla Christopher-Moody in seventh, 16:59.7) and Grace Gilbreth (10th, 17:13.9) also moved the Montana State women to a second-place finish. The races were at the Riverside Golf Course.

Perrin had company on the men’s side. Sam Ells, an MSU sophomore, finished fifth with 23:37.8 and Bobcat senior Rob McManus was fifth (23:39.8) to earn all-conference honors. Senior Will Kelly finished 11th (23:50.9), while Harvey Cramb finished 23rd (24:51.5).

As was the case in the men’s race, a Bobcat runner narrowly missed out on all-competition honors in the women’s race. Lindsey Paulson, a sophomore, finished 11th in 17:25.5. Senior Alex Moore placed 14th in 17:41.1, while sophomore Annie Kaul finished fifth (17:51.1).

Freshman Eli Boppart finished 29th for MSU (25:12.3) and junior Michael Schumacher was 32nd (25:21.7) as non-scoring teammates. Hannah Perrin (26th, 18:05.5) and Madi Siana (18:09.4, 29th) were the women’s team non-scorers.

Meanwhile, Northern Arizona secured its fourth straight championship win.

The men’s 8K was the first of two races on the day, with NAU claiming its 33rd title in program history with a score of 25 points.

David Mullarkey became the ninth straight lumberjack to claim the Big Sky individual title, crossing the finish line in 23:06.6. Colin Sahlman of NAU finished second in 23:14.2, followed by Perrin of Montana State in third place with a time of 23:14.9.

NAU placed six runners on the all-conference team, leading to a 24-point lead in the standings. Montana State finished second with 49 points and Weber State was third with 68.

In the women’s 5K championship, the Lumberjacks captured their sixth consecutive Big Sky title and 26th all-time with a perfect score of 15 points.

After finishing in third place a season ago, NAU’s Ali Upshaw claimed the Big Sky crown this year with a time of 16:10.4.

NAU had the top six finishers cross the finish line, including Elise Stearns in second place. Stearns, a Missoula Hellgate graduate, was a two-time defending Big Sky champion and had not competed since last February’s indoor championship.

For Montana State, this marks the second consecutive season in which the Bobcats have finished both programs as runner-up in Northern Arizona.

Montana placed seventh in the men’s team standings with 214 points. Carson Steckelberg turned in the best race of his young career, running a time of 24:31.7 to finish in 17th place overall.

UM’s women finished 10th in the team standings with 270 points. Abigail Case led the Griz for the fourth time in six races this season, just missing the top 50 with a time of 18:47.5.

2024 men’s cross country team results

  1. Northern Arizona – 25
  2. State of Montana – 49
  3. Weber State – 68
  4. Eastern Washington – 135
  5. State of Idaho – 143
  6. Idaho-159
  7. Montana – 214
  8. Sacramento State – 250
  9. Portland State – 251
  10. Northern Colorado – 257

2024 Men’s Cross Country All-Conference Team

  1. David Mullarkey, Northern Arizona (23:06.6)
  2. Colin Sahlman, Northern Arizona (23:14.2)
  3. Ben Perrin, Montana State (23:14.9)
  4. Peter Visser, Weber State (23:22.4)
  5. Santiago Prosser, Northern Arizona (23:29.6)
  6. Sam Ells, Montana State (23:37.8)
  7. Rob McManus, Montana State (23:39.8)
  8. Ford Washburn, Northern Arizona (23:43.5)
  9. Manny Perez, Northern Arizona (23:48.4)
  10. Justin Keyes, Northern Arizona (23:50.2)

2024 women’s cross country team results

  1. Northern Arizona – 15
  2. State of Montana – 54
  3. Weber State – 78
  4. State of Idaho – 150
  5. Eastern Washington – 151
  6. Idaho – 164
  7. Northern Colorado – 189
  8. Sacramento State – 205
  9. Portland State – 262
  10. Montana – 270

2024 Women’s Cross Country All-Conference Team

  1. Ali Upshaw, Northern Arizona (16:10.4)
  2. Elise Stearns, Northern Arizona (16:27.4)
  3. Anna Fenske, Northern Arizona (16:46.1)
  4. Ava Mitchell, Northern Arizona (16:46.3)
  5. Alexis Kebbe, Northern Arizona (16:53.2)
  6. Emma Stutzman, Northern Arizona (16:59.0)
  7. Kyla Christopher-Moody, Montana State (16:59.7)
  8. Keira Moore, Northern Arizona (17:01.0)
  9. Hayley Burns, Northern Arizona (17:03.1)
  10. Grace Gilbreth, Montana State (17:13.9)