Idaho women’s cross-country took home the victory, while the men took second at the Montana Invitational in Missoula Sept. 28.
The women grabbed the victory over six other Division I competitors, including three Big Sky squads, to finish with a score of 20.
The men’s squad was the top Big Sky team, taking down Montana State, Montana and Eastern Washington. The men fell to Gonzaga, ranked eighth in the West Region ahead of the invitational. The Gonzaga men won with 15 points, taking the first through eighth top places in the men’s 8k.
Senior Skylar Ovnicek led the way in ninth place with a time of 25:32.40.
Junior Fabian Cardenas finished in 11th with a time of 25:40.50, followed closely by sophomore Michael McCausland in 12th with a 25:40.80.
Junior Dwain Stucker took 17th overall with a 25:51.00. Junior Grayson Ollar rounded out the competition for the Vandals with a time of 25:51.40.
The women took the team victory; Junior Kara Story led the women, grabbing the individual victory in the women’s 5k. Story took the win with a time of 18:05.60, almost a full 12 seconds ahead of the closest com- petition. Senior Andrea Condie took second overall with a time of 18:17.50. Sophomore Malaina Thacker placed third with a time of 18:31.20.
Senior Erin Hagen and sophomore Faith Dilmore took sixth (18:46.60) and eighth (18:57.90), respectively.
Idaho will take a few weeks off before traveling south to the Bronco Invitational Oct. 13 in Santa Clara, California.
Meredith Spelbring can be reached at [email protected]