MSUB Cross Country Gears Up for Dual with Rocky

BILLINGS, Mont. – The 2009 Montana State Billings cross country season gets underway Saturday morning, Sept. 5 at Riverfront Park starting at 10 a.m. The men’s and women’s team will both compete in a dual meet against cross-town rival, Rocky Mountain College. MSUB returns a much-improved team from last season and looks to be competitive right out of the gate.

“Overall, the team deserves a lot of credit for the work they did this summer, which is key for a successful season,” said head coach Dave Coppock. “The meets come up so fast, there’s little time to catch up and get in shape. They looked like they were ready to go when they arrived on campus this week. I think most of the team did their homework this summer, so we’ll be ok.”

The women’s team looks especially strong with four juniors, one senior and two graduate students. They’ll be led by Lisa Minnehan, a GNAC qualifier in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters last spring. “Lisa put in a solid summer and looks even stronger than she did last spring,” said Coppock.

MSUB also gets a great deal of experience from graduate students Leah Thompson, who competed for Montana State in Bozeman as an undergrad, and Kristen Yeley, a senior transfer from Minnesota State-Moorhead.

 Juniors Sarah Jackson, Katie Thiel, Malori Woodford and Mykel Ler will also add depth to the team. Freshman Mary Owen also looks to be competitive and could be one of the top five runners on the team.

On the men’s side, redshirt freshman Daniel Lombardi will look to lead the team. Returning sophomores Travis Hutchinson, Tyson Vanderby and Taylor Canfield all reported back in top condition and should make a jump in their top times from last season.

Newcomers Mark Bolt, a junior, and freshmen Ryan Blomback and Travis Buttelman could be running in the top five on the team by season’s end. “Right now our men’s team looks like a pretty solid pack from our number one runner through the number seven spot, which is very important in cross country,” Coppock said.