FLAGSTAFF, Arizona – Idaho State cross country far exceeded expectations at the Big Sky Cross Country Championships, as the men's team finished 6th and women's team finished 7th against the newly-shaken up conference teams, and now look ahead to NCAA Mountain Regionals in two weeks time.
The Idaho State men led the racing off first, scoring 183 points and finishing ahead of in-state rivals Idaho, among 4 other Big Sky teams. Senior Jacob DeTemple had a breakthrough race at high elevation, in a season's best 25:07.9 for 27th place. Jackson Koontz continued to show his consistency with a 37th place finish for second on the team in 25:22.8. Juniors Sam Jeppsen and Kaleb Burnett came through next for the Bengals, packing up at 45th and 46th in 25:36.3 and 25:36.9. Freshman Champ Ransom rounded out the scoring five in 26:00.3 to finish 54th. George Karamitsos and Tayvien Biancuzzo completed the team's 7, with Brent Clark rounding out the rest of the team. In a meet at high elevation and consistent depth, the men came away with a respectable 6th place finish and will look to improve upon this in Albuquerque.
On the women's side, the weather started to deteriorate but the Bengals continued to shine, with Allie Lemons leading the pack in 17:43.3, followed closely by Kamber Scott in 17:45.7 for 35th and 36th place. Senior Alivia Johnson came in third for the team, as she ran 17:49.5 to place 43rd and keep Idaho State's team spread tight. Natalya Babcock and Ava Berg rounded out the scoring pack for ISU, as the finished in 18:21.6 and 18:26.4 for 61st and 67th. Reagan Borg and Elise Wright concluded the rest of the team grouping. The women finished with 213 points and finished 7th ahead of Eastern Washington and three other Big Sky Teams. They now turn their focus towards NCAA Mountain Regionals in two weeks time.
The Bengals once again came away with a better than seeded finish at the Conference Championships and now look ahead to the NCAA Mounatain Regionals in Albuquerque on the 13th of November.
