Ells, Kaul Lead Bobcats to Strong Results at NCAA Mountain Region Championships

Friday, November 13

Albuquerque, N.M.

11 a.m.

Montana State University

NCAA Mountain Region Championships

Photo by: Pershelle Rohrer

11/13/2026 4:32:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

Final Results

MSU men finish seventh, women take ninth to conclude 2026 campaign

By: Pershelle Rohrer

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. --- The Montana State cross country program concluded its 2026 season in Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday, with the Bobcat men finishing seventh and the women taking ninth for their best regional result since the 2013 season.

Fifth year Sam Ells and junior AJ Ringert crossed the finish line back-to-back in 34^th and 35^th place to lead the Bobcats to seventh as a team with 203 points. No. 1 New Mexico (35 points) and No. 2 Colorado (42) secured the two automatic-qualifying spots for the NCAA Championships, while No. 6 BYU (65), No. 20 Northern Arizona, (101) and Air Force (161) rounded out the top five teams. Utah State matched Montana State's 203 points and earned the tiebreaker for sixth place after winning three of five head-to-head battles down each team's scoring order.

Seniors Annie Kaul and Eva Koos finished just two tenths of a second apart for 40^th and 41^st place to lead the Bobcat women to their best finish at Regionals in 13 years. The Cats tallied 248 points to finish ninth as a team, with No. 7 New Mexico (45) and No. 6 Northern Arizona (67) finishing first and second to secure automatic bids to the NCAA Championships. No. 1 BYU (81), No. 16 Utah (100) and No. 9 Colorado (103) finished third through fifth in a tight battle at the UNM North Golf Course on Friday.

Ells clocked a 10k time of 30:23.9 to conclude his collegiate cross country career with a 34^th-place result. He was followed by Ringert, who took 35^th place in 30:24.9, shattering his 10k personal best by nearly two minutes. Eli Boppart was Montana State's third scorer in New Mexico, posting a personal-best time of 30:46.3 to take 44^th place, while Quinn Newman finished 2.5 seconds behind in 45^th place with a 30:48.8 in his first collegiate 10k race. Ryan Harrington rounded out the Bobcat scorers with a 50^th-place result, crossing the finish line in a personal-best 31:02.7.

Kaul clocked a 6k time of 21:29.4 to cross the finish line 40^th just ahead of Koos, who clocked a 41^st-place time of 21:29.6. Niamh Motley finished 50^th overall with a time of 21:39.8, while Caroline Fender posted a time of 21:40.3 for a 51^st-place result in her first NCAA Regional. Claire Rutherford was the Bobcats' fifth and final finisher with a time of 22:07.6, good for 66^th place.

Full results from the NCAA Mountain Region Championships can be found here.

Montana State turns it focus to the indoor track season, which kicks off in Bozeman with the Bobcat PReview on Thursday, Dec. 10.

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For the latest news, updates, and behind-the-scenes coverage of the Montana State cross country program, 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.