2016 MSUB men's cross country team

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Birgitta Gray O: (406) 896-5917 E: birgitta.gray@msubillings.edu August 29, 2016 2016 MSUB men’s cross country season preview MSUB Cross Country on Facebook | MSUB Cross Country on ISSUU | Preview Interviews | Media Guide 2016 MSUB Men’s Cross Country Schedule | 2016 MSUB Men’s Cross Country Roster

The 2016 MSUB men’s cross country team is led by an experienced group of returners.

The NCAA Division II west region championships returns to Billings for the second time as the MSUB men’s cross country team is gearing up for a 2016 postseason that is taking place on their home course.

BILLINGS, Mont. – Although Montana State University Billings lost All-American Robert Peterson to graduation, the Yellowjacket men’s cross country team returns a healthy roster of experienced athletes to the 2016 roster. Among them are three seniors who will lead the team through the upcoming season.

The Yellowjackets will be without Peterson, the first MSUB men’s cross country runner to advance to the NCAA national meet, as well as the second senior from last season, Great Northwest Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Year Matt Winter. However, the team does return a very solid core of experienced athletes that have the potential to post a tophalf finish in the GNAC. The trio of senior leaders on the team will play a big role in setting the tone for this year’s squad.

Garrett Love, the first senior on the roster, posted four top-10 results last year for the Yellowjackets and finished second to Peterson at both the conference and west region championships. He holds the second-best time by an MSUB men’s

cross country runner at the 10,000-meter distance in 31.12, which he completed at the 2015 west region meet last year in Oregon.

Josh Panasuk redshirted last year during cross country, but hasn’t skipped a beat as he competed during last year’s track and field season and is primed for a standout senior outing. The Butte native, turned in three top-20 finishes his junior season and was eighth overall at the Yellowjacket Invitational, helping secure a win for the team in its home event.

Jacob Marshall rounds out the senior class for the Yellowjacket team. Like Panasuk, Marshall redshirted last year’s cross country season and is returning for his final year on the team. As a junior he posted two top-25 finishes. Including a 25th-place finish at the Black Hills State Invitational.

Last year’s team placed fifth at the GNAC championships and 10th at the west region championships in Monmouth, Ore. In last week’s preseason coaches’ poll the Yellowjackets were selected to finish sixth, but head coach Dave Coppock likes the team’s chances with such a strong core that trained hard over the summer to be ready for the upcoming season.

“Josh looks really strong after this summer,” Coppock said. “He ran the Montana mile and looked really sharp without having done much speed work. Garrett has been working really hard too. Those two should lead us this season. I will need them to step up and take a larger leadership role as seniors. We are going to miss Robert on the team, but the rest of the men will pull together and pack up really well which will help even things out after losing our top runner.

“Jacob has been a real big part of team,” Coppock said on the third senior. “He has helped us out a lot. He always has a great attitude which reflects on the team. He loves the sport and I think that influences the whole team.”

MSUB seniors Jacob Marshall (L-R), Garrett Love, and Josh Panasuk

The three juniors on the team are all seasoned veterans. Jorey Egeland, Mark Hovland, and Liam McKay have all been top-5 finishers for the ‘Jackets and bring quality racing experience to this year’s team. Egeland, a product of Billings Senior High School, completed three top-20 finishes last year. He was eighth at the Yellowjacket Invitational in 26:18.46 last season and had a top-40 finish at the GNAC Championships. Hovland, from Billings West High School, opened last year with a very strong fifth-place finish at the Moda Health Alaska Invitational and was just ahead of Egeland at the GNAC Championships in 45th with a time of 26:57.70. McKay began his sophomore campaign with two big third-place

results in Alaska. McKay finished the 8K in 27:19.9 followed by a time of 16:18.0 in the 5K. The native of Canada struggled with an injury during mid-season, but competed strong at the conference championships.

“All three are starting to develop as distance runners,” Coppock commented on the junior class. “I think they can run with our seniors. Cross country team placing is all about depth and how close they can finish together. From a team perspective, they have the potential to do really well. Jorey and Mark can be very consistent. They have been training hard this summer and putting in their mileage.”

Two sophomores are returning to the team this year. Ivan Colmenero and Tyus Mendoza made big strides in their first season on the team and with a full year of competition under their belt, both will be ready to take on the challenges of their sophomore year. Colmenero competed in seven events last year with a top-25 finish at his first collegiate race in Alaska. Mendoza began his career at the race in Bozeman and by the end of year was a top-5 finisher for the ‘Jackets at both the GNAC and west region championships.

New to the roster are freshmen Isaiah Girard (Dillon, Mont.), Kyle McLaughlin (Belgrade, Mont.), and Ronald Venema (Pinesdale, Mont.).

“Both Tyus and Ivan did really well as freshmen,” Coppock said. “They will add to our depth this year and have been developing really well. The two sophomores along with the new freshmen have been working hard. It takes a couple of years to get used to the collegiate training, but everyone is progressing really well.”

The 2016 Yellowjackets will begin their season on familiar ground at the South Dakota Mines Invitational in Rapid City, S.D., on Sept. 2, followed by meets in Spearfish at the Yellow Jacket Invitational on Sept. 9, and the Montana State Invitational in Bozeman on Sept. 17. All three challenges are a lead-up to the NCAA west region preview meet hosted by MSUB on Sept. 23 at Amend Park.

In October, the ‘Jackets return to the Rocky Mountain Shootout hosted by Colorado University in Boulder, Colo.

Although the program has been a participant at the event before, only one athlete has been there before as this will be a new venue for most of the current roster. The following week, MSUB is set to host the Yellowjacket Open at Riverfront Park. The team will use the smaller meet as a tune-up event for the GNAC Championships taking place on Oct. 22 in Bellingham, Wash., hosted by Western Washington.

“In the early races of the season I would like to see everyone work on packing together as a team,” Coppock said. “We will train through the first few races. At MSU they will have a chance to compete against some D1 competition which will help them prepare for a regional D2 meet in Colorado hosted by CU. “At the GNAC championships I would like to see us finish in the top-5,” Coppock said. “For the regional returning to Billings I know everyone is really excited this year. Our goal is to get into the top-5 to qualify for nationals.”

The NCAA west region championships return to the Magic City this year for the second time after the Yellowjackets hosted the event in 2014. MSU Billings resumes hosting duties on Nov. 5 at Amend Park. The men’s race kicks off the championships at 10 a.m. In 2014, MSUB hosted an event with 35 men’s cross country teams from around the west region. With home-course advantage again this season, the ‘Jackets are looking to earn one of five men’s team spots advancing to the national race taking place in Florida on Nov. 19.

2016 MSUB Cross Country Schedule September 2: South Dakota Mines Invitational | Rapid City, S.D. | 10 a.m.

September 9: Yellow Jacket Invitational | Spearfish, S.D. | Spearfish Canyon Country Club | 10 a.m.

September 17: Montana State Invitational | Bozeman, MT | Bridger Creek Country Club | 9 a.m.

September 23: NCAA West Region Preview Meet and Yellowjacket Invitational | Billings, MT | Amend Park | 10 a.m.

October 1: Rocky Mountain Shootout | Boulder, CO | Buffalo Ranch | 9 a.m.

October 8: Yellowjacket Open | Billings, MT | Riverfront Park | 10 a.m.

October 22: GNAC Championships | Bellingham, WA | Lake Padden Park | 10 a.m.

November 5: NCAA Division II West Region Championships | Billings, MT | Amend Park | 11 a.m.

November 19: NCAA Division II National Championships | Saint Leo, FL | 11 a.m.

All times local.

--@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--