Yellowjacket Runners Picked Near Top of HLC (8/17/06)
Click here for Coach Coppock's
comments on the
Heartland Conference cross-country poll
BILLINGS, MT – In a poll of
conference coaches and sports information directors,
both Montana State-Billings cross-country teams have
been picked to finish in the top half of the
Heartland Conference this year. The Yellowjacket
men were tabbed second in the six-team league while
the Lady Yellowjackets were picked third in a
seven-team race.
“Both our men’s and women’s
teams made significant progress in their
conditioning between last season and this season,”
says Yellowjacket head coach Dave Coppock, who is
entering his 18th season at the helm.
“They put in good winter and spring training, and
I’m expecting them to be greatly improved.”
The Yellowjacket men finished
second to Western New Mexico at the conference
championship meet in Dallas last year. MSU Billings
edged Dallas Baptist by two points in that race, but
the Patriots are the favorites in this year’s
preseason poll. Following DBU and MSUB in the
preseason poll are Incarnate Word, St. Edward’s,
Oklahoma Panhandle State, and St. Mary’s.
The Yellowjackets return their
top three runners from last year. Sam Hartpence
(Custer, SD) finished seventh at the conference
championships. MSU Billings will also return Matt
Roseberry (Chinook, MT) and Jarred Rensvold (Wolf
Point, MT), who finished eighth and ninth
respectively.
The Yellowjacket women were
picked to finish behind Dallas Baptist and Lincoln.
They finished fourth at last year’s Heartland
Conference championships. The women’s poll is
rounded out by St. Mary’s, Incarnate Word, St.
Edward’s, and Oklahoma Panhandle State.
The Jackets’ top runner last
year, Susan Kocab (Billings, MT), will not return
this year. She finished seventh at the conference
championships. MSUB’s top returnees will be Cierra
Dornfeld (Woodbury, MN) and Tiffany Piplica
(Riverton, WY). They finished 17th and
18th respectively at the conference race
last year. Coppock also expects freshman Teri Lea
McCormick of Hardin to fill one of the top spots in
the Lady Jackets’ lineup.
Women’s Heartland
Conference XC Poll
1-Dallas Baptist
2-Lincoln
3-Montana State – Billings
4-St. Mary’s
5-Incarnate Word
6-St. Edward’s
7-Oklahoma Panhandle State
Men’s Heartland Conference XC Poll
1-Dallas Baptist
2-Montana State – Billings
3-Incarnate Word
4-St. Edward’s
5-Oklahoma Panhandle State
6-St. Mary’s |
