Cross country dominates annual Twilight home opener

Bobcat cross country swept the competition Friday night with two perfect scores at the Twilight home opener. As thunderstorms loomed in the background, fans gathered at Dyche Field to see the dominant ‘Cats compete in the 5k event. 

The Twilight meet took place on Aug. 29 and featured 11 teams from across Montana, including MSU, University of Montana, Carroll College, Montana Tech, Montana Western, MSU-Billings, Dawson Community College, University of Providence, MSU-Northern, SunCube and Misfit Elite. The MSU men’s and women’s teams secured the top five places in their respective races, earning them both a perfect overall score of 15.

MSU sophomore Eva Koos (18:15.60) placed first for the women’s team and was followed by senior Hannah Perrin (18:17.80), sophomore Madi Siana (18:25.70), freshman Claire Rutherford (18:26.20) and sophomore Hailey Watkins (18:43.20). 

“My goal for this, for the first race, I guess, was just kind of a rust buster,” Koos said. “This is a different team than I raced with my freshman year, so I was excited to get out there and see what everyone else could do.”

Junior Sam Ells led the men’s team with a time of 14:54.90 and senior Owen Smith finished second at 14:59.40. An unattached runner — who ran for time but was not tied to a team and did not receive a score — split the top five Bobcats. Junior Harvey Cramb (15:05.00), sophomore Blaise Snow (15:08.20) and freshman Ryan Harrington (15:12.80) then followed in third, fourth and fifth.

“I'm most excited to just compete at home with the team,” Snow said. “Last year I redshirted, so it's gonna be really exciting.” He explained that in the offseason, the team focuses on lifting and getting in mileage. “Individually, you just got to prioritize recovery and make sure you’re feeling good throughout,” he said.

Ells added that the team is intentional with each workout day. “You know, easy days, we kind of tend to be a little bit more relaxed and hanging out, but then on those workout days, we really lock in and hit paces and try to be as focused as possible,” he said. 

“I'd say we focus on having more of a team aspect and just kind of being there for everyone during the harder days,” Koos said. “Then also just focus, like Sam said, focusing on having a good time on the easier days and not over-stressing on the little things.”

Both MSU teams were ranked second in the Big Sky Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, released at the start of each season and determined by votes from coaches in the league. 

The Bobcats finished second to Northern Arizona University at the last two Big Sky Conference Men’s and Women’s Championships. That guided the rankings for this season, according to the Big Sky Conference website. 

“I'd really like to win a conference team championship,” Snow said. “Our conference championship’s in Bozeman this year so that would be our goal. Our competition is looking maybe a little weaker.” Koos and Ells echoed this excitement for the home conference. 

“Thinking back to two years ago when we had outdoor track here in Bozeman, it’s just a really awesome atmosphere and the community brings a lot of that energy. If we can go and replicate that again this fall, I think that would be really awesome,” Ells said. “We've done a lot of hard workouts up here at altitude, so on race day you can definitely take a lot of confidence into that.”

The 2025 Big Sky Conference Championship will be held in Bozeman on Nov. 1. 

To follow the women’s team this season, visit https://msubobcats.com/sports/womens-cross-country.

To follow the men’s team this season, visit https://msubobcats.com/sports/mens-cross-country.