Saturday, September 15
Bozeman, MT
M- 9:00 AM; W- 9:45 AM
Montana State University
vs
MSU INVITATIONAL
Emily Garneau is one of three veterans for the women's cross country team.
Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
Running Start
9/13/2012 9:31:00 AM | Cross Country
Cross Country kicks off 2012 season on home turf
Bobcat Cross Country boasts a lot of youth and new faces this season, but that doesn't mean they won't be a force to reckon with. They'll put the 2012 roster to the test on Saturday, Sept. 15, at the MSU Bozeman Running Company Invitational.
“We do have a very young group,” said head coach Dale Kennedy, now in his 31st season. “The group still brings a tremendous amount of depth to both rosters and as we adjust and adapt to our training regimen, I'll continue to expect some great things.”
The annual meet will take place at Bridger Creek Golf Course, marking MSU's lone home cross country meet of the year. The men's race begins at 9 a.m., with the women taking off at 9:45 a.m.
On the women's side, the Blue and Gold have three veterans that return to the course. Heather Demorest brings the most experience after a 16th place finish at the Big Sky Championship in 2011. Joining her are Emily Garneau and Taylor Rather who also logged plenty of miles in their rookie seasons.
A bevvy of new faces are featured on the 2012 lineup, including several local products. Transfer Heidi Turner, who graduated from Bozeman High in 2011 comes to MSU by way of Washington State. Her prep resume boasted three individual state cross country titles and three Gatorade Player of the Year awards.
Michelle Cline, a teammate of Turner's for the Hawks, also brings a wealth of experience from her high school career, following a sixth place individual finish her senior season at the Class AA State Championship. Megan Beam, also a transfer, will look to make a large impact in her debut cross country season with the Bobcats. Beam spent last fall at Rocky Mountain College and competed for MSU in track in the field this past spring.
Rounding out Kennedy's crew are Rachel Atwood, Sarah Reiter, Kaylee Schmitz and Rachel Sullivan; all of which he has high expectations for as they begin their collegiate careers.
For the men, five Bobcats return with a good deal of experience at this level. Jacob Kirk, a 2011 All-Big Sky Conference selection, along with junior Trevor Polson, Seth Garbett, Forrest Jarvi and Matt Tex will provide the upperclassmen leadership among a roster of four newcomers. Kirk returns as the only all-conference selection while Polson, Garbett, Jarvi and Tex all competed for most, if not all, of the 2011 season.
Two transfers will be expected to make a deep impact for the Bobcat runners this fall. Michael Asay, who came to MSU in January 2012, and competed at the conference level in track and field for Montana State. Cristian Soratos, the 2011 Coast Conference Cross Country Champion while at Hartnell College in California, will also be expected to be at the front of the pack.
Grant Grosvenor, who sat out for the 2011 season, will also compete for cross country this fall. He was both the indoor and outdoor Big Sky champion in the 800 in 2012.
The lone true freshman for MSU this season is Jakob Woodland, who also hails from Bozeman and was the 2011 Montana Gatorade Runner of the Year.
In addition to Montana State, 11 different programs will be participating in the 33rd installment of the MSU Invitational, including seven NCAA Division I institutions. Montana, Montana State, Northern Colorado, Utah, Utah State, Weber State and Wyoming represent the Division I programs, while Carroll, Great Falls, MSU-Billings, Rocky Mountain and South Dakota School of Mines will compete in the smaller school division.
Last year, Montana State's men placed third overall and in the Division I scoring, while the women placed third in Division I and fifth overall.
“We do have a very young group,” said head coach Dale Kennedy, now in his 31st season. “The group still brings a tremendous amount of depth to both rosters and as we adjust and adapt to our training regimen, I'll continue to expect some great things.”
The annual meet will take place at Bridger Creek Golf Course, marking MSU's lone home cross country meet of the year. The men's race begins at 9 a.m., with the women taking off at 9:45 a.m.
On the women's side, the Blue and Gold have three veterans that return to the course. Heather Demorest brings the most experience after a 16th place finish at the Big Sky Championship in 2011. Joining her are Emily Garneau and Taylor Rather who also logged plenty of miles in their rookie seasons.
A bevvy of new faces are featured on the 2012 lineup, including several local products. Transfer Heidi Turner, who graduated from Bozeman High in 2011 comes to MSU by way of Washington State. Her prep resume boasted three individual state cross country titles and three Gatorade Player of the Year awards.
Michelle Cline, a teammate of Turner's for the Hawks, also brings a wealth of experience from her high school career, following a sixth place individual finish her senior season at the Class AA State Championship. Megan Beam, also a transfer, will look to make a large impact in her debut cross country season with the Bobcats. Beam spent last fall at Rocky Mountain College and competed for MSU in track in the field this past spring.
Rounding out Kennedy's crew are Rachel Atwood, Sarah Reiter, Kaylee Schmitz and Rachel Sullivan; all of which he has high expectations for as they begin their collegiate careers.
For the men, five Bobcats return with a good deal of experience at this level. Jacob Kirk, a 2011 All-Big Sky Conference selection, along with junior Trevor Polson, Seth Garbett, Forrest Jarvi and Matt Tex will provide the upperclassmen leadership among a roster of four newcomers. Kirk returns as the only all-conference selection while Polson, Garbett, Jarvi and Tex all competed for most, if not all, of the 2011 season.
Two transfers will be expected to make a deep impact for the Bobcat runners this fall. Michael Asay, who came to MSU in January 2012, and competed at the conference level in track and field for Montana State. Cristian Soratos, the 2011 Coast Conference Cross Country Champion while at Hartnell College in California, will also be expected to be at the front of the pack.
Grant Grosvenor, who sat out for the 2011 season, will also compete for cross country this fall. He was both the indoor and outdoor Big Sky champion in the 800 in 2012.
The lone true freshman for MSU this season is Jakob Woodland, who also hails from Bozeman and was the 2011 Montana Gatorade Runner of the Year.
In addition to Montana State, 11 different programs will be participating in the 33rd installment of the MSU Invitational, including seven NCAA Division I institutions. Montana, Montana State, Northern Colorado, Utah, Utah State, Weber State and Wyoming represent the Division I programs, while Carroll, Great Falls, MSU-Billings, Rocky Mountain and South Dakota School of Mines will compete in the smaller school division.
Last year, Montana State's men placed third overall and in the Division I scoring, while the women placed third in Division I and fifth overall.
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