Bobcat Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Both Picked Second in Big Sky Preseason Poll
8/24/2023 11:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
MSU returns most of men’s squad that took 25th at NCAA's last year along with five of the seven top finishers on the women’s side
FARMINGTON, Utah – Montana State's men's and women's cross country teams were both picked second in the 2023 Big Sky Preseason Coaches' Polls, the league office announced on Thursday.
The polls are voted on by the league's 10 coaches.
On the men's side, three-time defending national champion Northern Arizona was selected as the favorite heading into the upcoming season, while on the women's side, defending Big Sky champion Northern Arizona was also picked to defend their crown.
The Bobcat men's cross country team looks to follow up on their runner-up finish last season at the Big Sky Championships, which marked the fourth time in the last five years the men have placed in the top-four in one of the toughest distance conferences in the country.
The men placed second with 41 points behind No. 3 Northern Arizona, which won the meet with 19 points. Duncan Hamilton (3rd, 23:05.0), Ben Perrin (6th, 23:23.9) and Matthew Richtman (8th, 23:39.6) led the way as the Bobcats' All-Big Sky honorees.
For the first time since 2002, Montana State made a trip to the NCAA National Championships and rose to as high as No. 18 in the national rankings.
The historic season ended with a 25th place finish at the NCAA Championships in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
In 2023, the Bobcats bring back five of the seven men who toed the line in Stillwater, while adding four freshmen and one transfer.
The women's squad placed third last year at the conference meet in Cheney, Washington, finishing with six Bobcats inside the top-32 to mark the fifth time under head coach Lyle Weese that they had earned a top-three finish. The Bobcats placed third with 92 points, finishing behind No. 4 NAU's 22 points and runner-up Idaho's 69 points.
Camila Noe (10th, 16:43.2) earned her fourth All-Big Sky Conference honor to help the Bobcats place third.
MSU's four all-conference award winners were the program's most since 2019, when the Bobcats also placed four on the All-Big Sky team.
The Bobcat women return standouts Mya Dube and Lindsey Paulson to highlight a group that features five of their top seven finishers from last year's Big Sky Championships.
The 2023 cross country season kicks off with the annual MSU Bobcat Twilight on September 1. The races will be held on the MSU grass practice field next to Brick Breeden Fieldhouse and will get underway with the men at 7:20 p.m. and the women at 7:45 p.m.
2023 Men's XC Preseason Coaches' Poll
1) Northern Arizona (10) – 100
2) Montana State – 89
3) Weber State - 80
4) Idaho – 69
T5) Eastern Washington – 47
T5) Idaho State – 47
T7) Montana – 39
T7) Portland State – 39
9) Sacramento State – 25
10) Northern Colorado – 15
2023 Women's XC Preseason Coaches' Poll
1) Northern Arizona (10) – 100
2) Montana State – 87
3) Idaho - 81
4) Weber State – 71
5) Idaho State – 42
6) Portland State – 41
T7) Eastern Washington – 39
T7) Northern Colorado – 39
9) Montana – 31
10) Sacramento State – 19
() – Indicates First-Place Votes
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