Bengals Wrap up Final Non-Conference Meet, Shift Focus to Big Sky Championships

Men's Results

Women's Results

Lewiston, ID - The talent on hand at LC State College on Saturday was apparent, and Idaho State Cross-Country, fresh off an explosive result at the Notre Dame Invitational, was aiming to keep the momentum rolling.

Despite a team score that left some to be desired, the Bengals provided plenty of reason to be excited about the upcoming Big Sky Championships, namely, recording the best times of any Big Sky athlete over the weekend. 

The day began with Cassandra Vasquez continuing what has been a strong senior campaign. Her fourth-overall time of 17:09 in the 5K was a personal best by over 12 seconds and the best marked by any athlete in the Big Sky Conference over the weekend. Olivia Kendell also had a career race in Lewiston, as the sophomore finished 18th overall with a PR time of 17:41. Alivia Johnson also continued a breakout campaign with 18:05, just one second off of her personal record in the 5K.

On the men's side in the 8K, Sunny Gunn saw Vasquez go the distance (literally) and did the same, finishing third overall with a time of 24:06, which was a sizeable PR, the best time among conference runners in the meet, and the second best 8K time in the entire Big Sky over the weekend. Gunn and Seth Babbel, who crossed the finish line in sync, are now tied for the 25th-best 8K time in the conference this season. As the runners in front of them competed unattached, the junior duo was credited with the first and second-place finishes among attached athletes. The top finishers for ISU earned kudos from their head coach for a strong weekend.

"Having the top Big Sky runners in both races was very exciting. Huge races from Cass and Sunny, and for Sunny and Seth to go 1 and 2 was awesome," remarked coach Zach Kughn.

Senior Brandon Walker rounded out the top-18 with a mark of 24:57, and Jared Harden, who has enjoyed steady improvement all season, had a career outing with a time of 25:31, a personal best by nearly a full minute. 

Kughn has seen consistent improvement from the Bengal runners in his inaugural year with the program. As the teams turn their attention to the big one, his message is the same as it's always been.

"The focus from the get-go has been the conference championship. We are hosting, and that means everyone else has to travel to us and run at our altitude. We need to take advantage of that, keep our goals high, and be focused the next two weeks on what we've set out to do all season."

UP NEXT
The Bengals are back in action at the Big Sky Conference Championships, which will take place in Pocatello on November 1, 2024. For meet information and things to know for teams and spectators, fans are encouraged to check out ISU's Big Sky Championship Central.