Montana State University
MSU Bobcat Twilight
Bobcat cross country teams make regional and national polls ahead of season opener
8/31/2022 12:02:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
BOZEMAN, Mont. – Kicking off the 2022 cross country season with the MSU Bobcat Twilight 5K this Friday, both Montana State University cross country programs made U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association regional and national polls this week.
NCAA cross country coaches slotted the Bobcat men fifth in the Mountain Region and 24th in the national poll. This is the first time MSU has been nationally ranked since the week of October 19, when the team was 30th. Prior to that, the Bobcats weren't ranked in 17 years.
As for the women's team, the Bobcats were ranked 15th in a stacked Mountain Region field; last year, the region was responsible for three of the top four teams at the national championships.
The USTFCCCA rankings come ahead of the Bobcats' season-opening MSU Bobcat Twilight race: a low-key dress rehearsal 5K race held at Dyche Field, which is southeast of Brick Breeden Fieldhouse. Both University of Montana and Carroll College are expected to attend. The men's 5K is set to start at 7:15 p.m. and the women's 5K is at 7:35 p.m.
Montana State's men's team placed seventh at the Mountain Region championships last season. The Bobcats return all seven runners from that squad, which sent individuals Duncan Hamilton and Matthew Richtman to the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Meanwhile, for the women's team, the Bobcats bring back top runner Camila Noe and fellow Mountain Region competitors Mya Dube, Kendra Lusk, Hannah Perrin and Grace Gilbreth.
Earlier this month, the Bobcat men were picked second in the Big Sky Preseason Cross Country Coaches Poll, while the women were picked fourth.
