MSU Duo Completes Strong Showings at NCAA Cross Country Championships

Saturday, November 20

Tallahassee, FL (Apalachee Regional Park)

9:10 a.m.

Montana State University

NCAA Championships

Duncan Hamilton

MSU Duo Completes Strong Showings at NCAA Cross Country Championships

11/20/2021 10:41:00 AM | Men's Cross Country

NCAA XC Mens Results

Montana State’s Duncan Hamilton and Matthew Richtman each had solid performances representing the Bobcats at the NCAA Division I Men’s Cross Country Championships on Saturday

By: Andrew Pedersen

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Montana State's Duncan Hamilton and Matthew Richtman each had solid performances representing the Bobcats at the NCAA Division I Men's Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 20, at Appalachee Regional Park.

Hamilton had the Bobcats' highest finish as he placed 59th overall in the individual standings with a time of 29 minutes, 45.6 seconds, in the 10-kilometer race.

The Bozeman native never fell beyond the top 90 overall during the course of the race and steadily moved up throughout. He rose to as high as 55th overall by the 8K marker and was just eight seconds behind the All-America 40th-place slot with a kilometer remaining. He'd eventually settle for 59th as his overall showing made him the fourth highest ever individual finisher in MSU men's program history. Only Shannon Butler (1989-90), Casey Jermyn (2002) and Lyle Weese (2002) have completed higher individual finishes. His championship race time is the second fastest ever ran by a Bobcat, trailing only Butler's 1990 race time of 29:11 that led him to a runner-up effort.

"The quality of the field was really outstanding this year," said Lyle Weese, Montana State's Dale Kennedy director of the program. "It's good every year, but it just seemed to be especially strong this year. The race was fast and the times were really fast.

"It was a great experience for Duncan to get in there and compete among some great runners. A lot of guys that focus on the 10K on the track, he was right there with them. That was awesome to see."

Hamilton's finish was more than 50 slots higher than his appearance at the NCAA meet in the spring of 2021 when he took 110th overall. He officially completed his junior season of cross country eligibility.

Richtman followed through on his race plan moving up throughout the meet to end up finishing 112th with a time of 30:15.7. The first time NCAA participant sat outside the top 200 in the individual standings at the 2K mark but steadily moved up in the field. Richtman gained position every single kilometer over the duration of the race before crossing the line.

The Elburn, Ill., native completed the MSU men's team's eighth best finish at an NCAA Championship. His time recorded was the fourth fastest in program history.

"Matt doesn't seem to get overwhelmed in races," Weese said. "He tends to start a little more conservatively and work his way up. I think he felt confident doing that again today and that showed. He just continually moved up in the race like he has all year. For him to get this experience and to barely finish out of the top 100 was great."

Montana State's cross country season culminated with the NCAA Championships. Four Bobcats, including Ben Perrin and Camila Noe, earned USTFCCCA All-Region honors. The men's team's national ranking following the Pre-National Invitational served as a highlight for the program, while the final performances by Hamilton and Richtman provide a glimpse of just a sampling of the possibility for the team a year from now.

"I think they can take something from both Duncan and Matthew," Weese said of the entire program of distance runners. "Duncan hit another level last spring and that was exciting to see, but it was just one person. This year, with Matthew and Ben really breaking through, everybody else on the team is seeing it. I hope everybody on the team is seeing that and thinking 'why can't that be me to break through to the next level to be an NCAA competitor.'"