MSU Cross Country Set to Compete This Fall Beginning Thursday

Thursday, October 29

Lewiston, ID (LCSC XC Trail)

11 a.m.

Montana State University

Idaho vs. Montana State Clash

MSU Cross Country Set to Compete This Fall Beginning Thursday

10/27/2020 3:33:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

The Bobcat cross country program is tentatively scheduled to compete in Idaho this week and in Utah next week

By: Andrew Pedersen

BOZEMAN, Mont. – The Montana State cross country program will take advantage of an opportunity to compete this fall as the Bobcats are tentatively slated to participate in two meets over the next two weeks.

MSU will travel first to Moscow, Idaho, for the Idaho vs. Montana State Clash on Thursday, Oct. 29, at the University of Idaho Golf Course. The Bobcats are also scheduled to participate in a meet on Friday, Nov. 6, hosted by Weber State at Round Valley Golf Course in Morgan, Utah. The opening to compete in both competitions resulted from a proposal by the Big Sky's head coaches, approved by conference athletic directors and school presidents, earlier this month to allow each team in the conference to compete in up to two meets this fall.

"We were really fortunate that the Big Sky Conference approved two meets for each team in cross country this fall," said Lyle Weese, Montana State director of cross country. "With indoor track scheduled over the months of January, February and March, fitting in cross country meets in that time is going to be really difficult.

"Like everything, there's a lot of uncertainty. We're just really excited about the chance to compete. It'll be the first time that anybody in our track and field program will have competed since the end of February. For these athletes that are used to competing in cross country, indoor and outdoor track, it's really been a long time for them."

The Idaho vs. Montana State Clash is scheduled to start at approximately 1 p.m. MDT Thursday. The Bobcat and Vandal men will run in an 8-kilometer head-to-head race, while the women's matchup course will feature a 5-kilometer layout.

"I think it'll be great to get those initial butterflies out of the way," Weese said. "It's been a long time since they competed. We won't take a large amount of people, it'll probably be six men and six women to the Idaho meet.

"We're excited to see where we stack up against Idaho, they're always a consistently strong team."

The Bobcat men's and women's teams finished third and fifth, respectively, at last fall's Big Sky Conference Championship meet. Idaho's men's and women's squads took finished sixth and second overall.