Women run to victory in Montana, men take third
The women’s cross country team used a strong performance by senior Amy Egan and good finishes by others to claim first place in the Montana State Cross Country Invitational on Saturday. In addition to the women’s win, the men’s team took home a third place finish.
Egan paced the women’s team to a first place finish while finishing eighth overall with a time of 17:28 for the three mile race. Finishing close behind was another senior, Stacie Dorius, who completed the course in a time of 17:37 and finished 11th overall.
In the next nine seconds, the next three Aggie women crossed the finish line, allowing the women to claim first place with a team score of 59. Sophomore Erin Stratton was the leader of the other three Aggies who would score for the women. She finished 13th overall with a time of 17:41. Coming in right behind for 14th was junior Caroline Berry, with a time of 17:42, and Alicia Holt rounded out the scoring for Utah State as she crossed the finish line with a time of 17:46 for an 18th place finish.
The University of Montana finished in second place, with a score of 73, followed closely by Weber State, which scored 78.
The Utah State men were led by junior Seth Wold, who finished in second place overall. The junior from Highland, Utah, completed the five-mile course in a time of 24:36. His time led the very young men’s team to a third place finish, falling just short of the University of Montana, with a team score of 79. Montana scored 76, and Weber State ran away with the race with a score of 29.
Nearly a minute passed before the next Aggie would cross the finish line. The next four who finished and contributed to the team score were all underclassmen. Sophomore Jason Holt came in with a time of 25:25, good enough for 13th place overall. Chio Lopez then led a trio of freshmen who would score for the team. He ran a time of 25:29 for 16th place and was followed across the finish line by Nick Bolinder, who finished with a time of 25:43 for 21st place, and Hunter Nelson, who came in 27th with a time of 25:53.
Both the men and women continue action on Sept. 29, when they travel to Oregon to compete in the Oregon Invitational.
-sam.bryner@aggiemail.usu.edu