Bobcats Set to Host Big Sky Cross Country Championship on Saturday

Saturday, November 1

Bozeman, Mont.

11 a.m.

Montana State University

Big Sky Championships

Photo by: Bobcat Creative Services

Bobcats Set to Host Big Sky Cross Country Championship on Saturday

10/31/2025 1:42:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

Live Results

Women’s 5k set for 11 a.m., men’s 8k at 11:35 a.m. at Bridger Creek Golf Course

By: Pershelle Rohrer

BOZEMAN, Mont. – The Montana State cross country program opens postseason competition on its home turf on Saturday, playing host to the Big Sky Cross Country Championship at Bridger Creek Golf Course in Bozeman.

Saturday marks the first time the Bobcats have hosted the conference meet since 2013. The meet is scheduled to begin with the women's 5k at 11 a.m. with the men's 8k to follow at 11:35 a.m. The meet will conclude with an awards ceremony near the clubhouse and driving range at approximately 12:20 p.m. Parking and course maps can be accessed through the meet central page here.

The Big Sky Championship will air live on ESPN+ with live results available through Competitive Timing.

"Hosting the conference championships is always special and exciting for our student-athletes, the university, and the community," Dale Kennedy Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Lyle Weese said. "Cross Country is such a strong sport for our conference. We want to host the meet in a fashion that is worthy of the outstanding student-athletes in the conference. The student-athletes have been putting in work all summer and fall, and the conference meet is certainly one of the major focuses of our season. Most from our team have run the course in high school or college, so there will be a lot of familiarity with the course and the surroundings."

Montana State will join the other nine Big Sky cross country programs at Bridger Creek Golf Course on Saturday. Northern Arizona, which has won the last six women's titles and four-straight men's championships, leads the field with national rankings of No. 7 for the men and No. 17 for the women. Four teams in each race are ranked in the top 15 of the most recent U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Mountain Region rankings, released on Oct. 20, with the Bobcat men placing third and the MSU women checking in at fourth among Big Sky teams on the list. For the men, Northern Arizona (No. 3), Weber State (No. 8), Montana State (No. 9), and Idaho State (No. 12) enter Saturday's meet regionally ranked. On the women's side, Northern Arizona (No. 5), Idaho State (No. 11), Weber State (No. 12), and Montana State (No. 14) are all ranked in the top 15 in the Mountain Region as postseason competition begins. Rounding out the field include the men's and women's teams from Eastern Washington, Idaho, Montana, Northern Colorado, Portland State, and Sacramento State.

Ten Bobcats are entered in each championship race on Saturday. The Bobcats set to compete in the women's 5k include Stella Diaz, Samantha Geraets, Annie Kaul, Eva Koos, Niamh Motley, Hannah Perrin, Claire Rutherford, Madi Siana, Kaitlyn Skinner, and Hailey Watkins. Eli Boppart, Harvey Cramb, Sam Ells, Ryan Harrington, Niko Mann, Quinn Newman, AJ Ringert, Ben Saelens, Owen Smith, and Blaise Snow are all expected to toe the starting line in the men's 8k.

"The women's team is very excited to compete against a smaller field size of about 90 competitors versus the last two meets that had a huge number of competitors," Weese said. "Over the years, our team has really thrived in meets with more feeling of a head-to-head competition, and we have put our best effort forward at the conference championships. The men's team built some momentum with a solid Pre-NCAA meet in Missouri two weeks ago. They hope to take that into the conference meet and continue taking steps forward. This group has built a tradition of competing well over the past number of years against the strong competition in the conference."

The Bobcats are back in Bozeman following two-straight meets at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo. Montana State wrapped up the regular season at the Pre-National Invitational on Oct. 17 as the men's team placed 11^th with 296 points and the women's team tallied 918 points to finish 36^th. Owen Smith and Sam Ells both posted top-25 finishes in the men's 8k, with Smith clocking a 23:32.3 to finish 17^th and Ells completing the race in 23:44.7 to place 21^st. Madi Siana led the Bobcat women across the finish for the second-straight meet with her 6k time of 21:10.7, finishing 110^th overall.

Following the Big Sky Championship, the Bobcats will head south to Salt Lake City, Utah, for the Mountain Region Championships on Friday, Nov. 14. The meet will be held at the Regional Athletic Complex with the men's 10k set for 10:30 a.m. and the women's 6k slated to begin at 11:30 a.m. The top-two teams plus the top-four finishers not on an advancing team per gender will automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships, which will take place in Columbia, Mo. on Saturday, Nov. 22. An additional 14 teams and two individuals per gender will receive at-large bids to the championship meet. Those selections will be announced as part of the NCAA's selection show on Saturday, Nov. 15, at 3 p.m. MT.

Follow the Bobcats
For the latest news, updates, and behind-the-scenes coverage of the Montana State cross country teams, follow the Bobcats on Twitter and Instagram at @MSUBobcatsTFXC. Information on the Montana State athletic program can be found online at msubobcats.com or by following the Bobcats on Twitter at @MSUBobcats, Instagram at @MontanaStateBobcats, and on Facebook at Montana State Bobcats.