Bobcat Cross Country Returns to Competition at FSU Invite/Pre-Nationals

Friday, October 15

Tallahassee, FL (Apalachee Regional Park)

6 a.m.

Montana State University

FSU Invitational/Pre-National Invitational

Tickets

Bobcat Cross Country Returns to Competition at FSU Invite/Pre-Nationals

10/13/2021 12:27:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

Live Results

Montana State’s cross country teams get back to racing this Friday at a high-level competition when the Bobcats participate in the 2021 FSU Invitational/Pre-Nationals meet.

By: Andrew Pedersen

Montana State's cross country teams get back to racing this Friday at a high-level competition when the Bobcats participate in the 2021 FSU Invitational/Pre-Nationals meet. The event, which is hosted by Florida State in Tallahassee at Apalachee Regional Park, is the site of this year's NCAA Championships which are scheduled for Nov. 20.

Both teams were assigned to the Garnet fields of competition featuring the toughest competition at the meet. The men's 8-kilometer race is scheduled for 8 a.m. ET while the women's 6-kilometer race follows at 8:35 a.m.

"It's an incredibly strong field," said Lyle Weese, Montana State's Dale Kennedy program director. "I'm excited about our teams having a chance to go up against a field at this level. The race will be extremely competitive and have a lot of great teams, but also just have a giant field of competitors so it will be a different environment for us. We're looking forward to seeing how we stack up."

MSU's men's squad hopes to find its way into a spot among teams that are nationally ranked in the race. A total of 11 teams are ranked in the field among the 30 recognized weekly in the USTFCCCA coaches' poll. Another three are receiving votes. In all, the Bobcats will be competing against 38 other teams. The race includes Big Sky foes Northern Arizona (No. 1 nationally) and Weber State (No. 25), along with top five teams in the nation in Notre Dame (No. 2) and BYU (No. 5).

Montana State's women's team will also be racing in a large field with 36 teams set to appear in the 6K race. The field is nearly as impressive with 10 nationally ranked teams along with another seven that are receiving votes which the Bobcats will try to keep pace with.

"The men's team has a goal to be in the top 10," Weese said. "Hopefully they can finish even a little higher than that, but a top 10 showing would be a good one. Our women's team has struggled in years past at this meet, so I think we really want to just go in there and have a solid race and finish higher than we have recently. A finish in the middle of the pack would be an incredibly strong team performance."

Representing the Bobcat men in the race will be Riley Collins, Duncan Hamilton, Rob McManus, Ben Perrin, Matthew Richtman, Owen Smith, Levi Taylor and Cooper West. The Bobcat women's squad features Mya Dube, Grace Gilbreth, Samantha Kelderman, Alex Moore, Camila Noe, Hannah Perrin, Lauren Stanford and Elena Vandersloot.

Race results for the meet can be found on PrimeTime Timing. More information about the FSU Invite/Pre-Nationals meet can be found on their event central page.