Men's Results (PDF)
Women's Results (PDF)
BOZEMAN, Mont. (Sept. 17) -- Central Washington University freshman Ryan Thompson (Edmonds/Edmonds-Woodway HS) finished seventh in the small school division of the Bozeman Running Company Montana State Invitational cross country meet, leading the Wildcats to a fourth-place men's team finish in the small-school division of the meet on Saturday. The CWU women also finished fourth, and were led by Connie Morgan (Hoquiam).
Thompson was the Wildcats' top individual finisher in the five-mile race, completing the course in a time of 26 minutes, 55 seconds. Sophomore Nathan Minor (Mount Vernon) and junior Jon Swanson (Veradale/Central Valley HS) were also among the top 20 in the small school division, while senior Manuel Santos (Yakima/A.C. Davis HS) -- generally the team's top finisher -- and sophomore Zach Armstrong (Breckenridge, Colo./Summit HS) were 29th and 30th in the division, respectively.
"Manu (Santos) hit a huge hole and turned his ankle at about the four-mile mark," CWU head coach
Kevin Adkisson explained, "but he still managed to be our fourth finisher. That setback was definitely the difference in us being able to push for second or third in our division today.
"Ryan Thompson is continuing to show that he will be a really great addition to the team, and was our top finisher in Manu's absence. He finished the course in under 27 minutes, which is a good time on pretty solid course despite dealing with altitude and soggy grass. It's exciting to see a freshman be able to do that. (Nathan) Minor and (Jon) Swanson also looked good, and our top four looked great in the middle of the race especially."
Among small schools, CWU finished behind three Montana institutions -- Rocky Mountain (45 points), Montana State Billings (51 points) and Carroll (65 points). The Wildcats accumulated 98 points to finish ahead of South Dakota Tech (104) and Dickinson State (138).
On the women's side, Morgan and sophomore Ashlee Sincraugh (Sumner) were 19th and 20th among small-school competitors, finishing the three-mile race in 19:32 and 19:36, respectively. The remainder of the Wildcats also finished in tight two-person groupings, as Taylor Kartes (Federal Way/Todd Beamer HS) and Ashley Rice (Cowiche/Highland HS) were 29th and 30th, Briana Barton (Evergreen, Colo./D'Evelyn HS) and Chelsea Dowdell (Everett) were 33rd and 34th, and Rose Cruze (Issaquah/Skyline HS) and Brienna Petersen (Oak Harbor) were 36th and 37th among the top CWU finishers.
"We're definitely showing our youth, especially with two seniors redshirting this season," Adkisson said of the CWU women. "Our inexperience is showing early on in the season, as we're running a bit tentative. We had some good times in general today ... Connie (Morgan) and Ashlee (Sincraugh) were looking solid, and we're expecting Taylor (Kartes) to continue to claw her way up the pack.
"Overall, we're working to solidify our pack and get all of the girls to emerge a little more as leaders and to be able to run towards the front. It should be an interesting season for the women (because of all the youth), but we have a lot of potential, so hopefully that will go the way we want and build up as the season progresses."
The CWU women finished in a tie for fourth among six teams in the small school division, matching Dickinson State with 118 points. Carroll College cruised to victory with five of the top eight finishes for 23 points, followed by Rocky Mountain with 60 and Montana State Billings with 73.
Central Washington's season, which has four more regular-season meets before the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships, will continue next Saturday (Sept. 24) at the Erik Anderson Memorial Invitational in Spokane.
