POCATELLO, Idaho – Idaho State cross country opened a new chapter on Friday, hosting the inaugural Bengal Invite on the newly renovated Centennial Cross Country Course, which has been in service since 2002 but officially debuted its updates this season. The Bengals made the most of their only home meet of the year, as the men's team claimed the team title, the women's team earned a strong runner-up finish, and senior Seth Babbel picked up his second straight individual win.
Babbel continued his hot start to the season, winning the 8k race in 24:48, just two weeks after topping the field at the Montana Invite. He was joined in the top 10 by teammates Jared Harden (7th, 25:15), Gavin Pollock (10th, 25:25), Ryan Estrada (12th, 25:36), and Chase Markunas (18th, 26:05), as the Bengals tallied just 20 points to easily outdistance College of Southern Idaho and Montana Tech.
"It was a beautiful day to debut our course," said head coach Zach Kughn. "We've had a lot of fun running practices here, but it was really cool to see the flags, other teams, and really the course being used for its purpose."
The women also made a statement on their home course, finishing second behind Big Sky rival Weber State with 43 points. Senior Ashley Reeck led the way with a podium finish, placing 3rd overall in 18:14. She was closely followed by Kamber Scott (6th, 18:22), Allie Lemons (13th, 18:45), Alivia Johnson (16th, 18:51), and Molly Connor (18th, 18:51) to round out the scoring.
Kughn noted that the women's performance showed both promise and room for growth. "The women's team didn't quite pack up and get out how they wanted, but our 1-7 time spread was the closest it's been in years," he said.
On the men's side, Kughn praised the Bengals' execution from start to finish. "The men's team got out hard, battled well in the middle, and closed well at the end," Kughn said. "They really all did well."
With the Centennial Course debut now in the books and both squads showing depth early in the season, the Bengals now look ahead to the Pre-Nats meet in Columbia, Missouri, where they'll get the chance to stack up against some of the best programs in the nation.
