FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Birgitta Gray O: (406) 896-5917 E: birgitta.gray@msubillings.edu November 21, 2016 Recap: men’s cross country 2016 season MSUB Cross Country on Facebook | MSUB Cross Country on ISSUU | MSUB Cross Country Records 2016 MSUB Men’s Cross Country Results
Garrett Love was MSUB’s top runner in his final five races for the Yellowjackets.
The MSUB men’s cross country team had the benefit of three seniors on its roster for the 2016 season with Garrett Love leading the way as the top finisher for the ‘Jackets in the final five events. BILLINGS, Mont. – The MSUB men’s cross country team had the benefit of six upperclassmen for the 2016 season. The Yellowjackets were led by Garrett Love in the final five events of the season as the local product of Billings West High School finished his career strong posting two top-10 all-time records in his final season. “We had our seniors really step-up this year,” said MSUB head coach Dave Coppock. “They have improved each season and returned after putting in a solid summer, which is the key to success in cross country. I think just by their example, the rest of the team followed suit and committed to their off-season training. Garrett, especially, had an outstanding season. He’s developed into a very competitive collegiate distance runner and has come a long way from his high school days.”
Love was the No. 2 runner for the Yellowjackets in the opening three events, but closed out his season strong, finishing as the ‘Jackets top placer in the remaining five meets. Love had four top-10 finishes, including a fourth place result at the NCAA preview meet and a fifth place result at the Yellowjacket Open. At the NCAA preview meet, Love competed to a fourth place finish, completing the 10,000 meter course in 32:28.03. On the four-mile course at Riverfront Park, Love turned-in a time of 20:01 to take fifth place overall. At the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships, Love was the top-finisher for MSUB in 16th place overall, covering the 8K distance at Lake Padden Park in 25:55.40. At the home-hosted NCAA Division II west region championships, Love placed 51st in 31:42.23. Both of Love’s times on the 10K course at Amend Park were MSUB all-time top-10 finishes with the finish of 31:42 coming-in at No. 5 all-time and 32:28 tying for the eighth fastest by a Yellowjacket at the 10,000 meters. Love also holds the second fastest time in program history at the longer 10K distance, completing a time of 31:12 in 2015. Junior Jorey Egeland posted top-times for MSUB in three races and was the No. 2 runner for the Yellowjackets in the remainder of the meets. Egeland and Love led the team all season and were often just steps apart at the finish line. A product of Billings Senior High School, Egeland completed his best result at the Gage McSpadden Invitational with a third place finish of 20:29. He had four-top 10 finishes during the season and has the sixth fastest time in program history at the 10,000 meters from the NCAA west region championships of 31:57. “Jorey has really improved since high school and I attribute that to the increase in mileage over the years as well as the consistency of his training,” Coppock commented. “We’re really going to be looking to him next year as he steps into more of a leadership role after losing this year’s seniors.” Mark Hovland, Josh Panasuk, and Tyus Mendoza all completed to least one third place finish for the Yellowjacket team. Hovland placed third five times with three top-20 finishes. Also, from Billings West High School, Hovland completed two eleventh place results, first at the Gage McSpadden Invitational (21:01) and then the Yellowjacket Invitational (33:25). Panasuk, a senior from Butte, Mont., placed third twice for MSUB. The senior had his breakout race during the Yellowjacket Open, finishing in 12th place (20:50) and carried that momentum onto the GNAC championships, finishing in 40th place overall in 23:36.20. Sophomore Tyus Mendoza improved his finishes all the way through the season. At the GNAC championships, Mendoza raced to a fourth place result for the team in 41st place overall (26:43.30) and saving his best finish of the season for the last race, placed third for the team and 87th overall (improving his finish by three places) at the west region championships in 32:41.48. “Josh, being a senior, really provided some great leadership for the team this season,” Coppock said. “He worked very hard in the off-season. Mark and Tyus were pretty consistent this season and should be the core of the team next year.” Liam McKay and Jacob Marshall complete the upperclassmen on the Yellowjacket roster. Marshall, a senior from Seward, Alaska, claimed his top finish in the opening meet at South Dakota Mines with a 32nd overall finish in 29:47. McKay, a junior from Surrey, B.C., was 23rd at the Yellowjacket Open in 20:51. Sophomore Ivan Colmenero missed the opening two races for MSUB, but did compete in the two postseason events, including a fifth place team finish for the Yellowjackets at the west region championships (106th, 22:06.18). Three freshmen complete this season’s roster. Ronald Venema, from Pinedale, Mont., was a boost in the standings for the team. The 5-foot-10 product of Corvallis High School placed fourth once for MSUB and fifth four times. Venema had two top-20 finishes in his first collegiate season, including a 12th place overall finish at the Yellowjacket Invitational in 33:34.10. Isaiah Girard and Kyle McLaughlin competed in seven total races in their first season at MSUB. Girard was 28th at the Gage McSpadden Invitational (22:50) with McLaughlin finishing 33rd (23:31).
The Yellowjacket team placed fifth out of 11 teams at the GNAC championships and 13th of the 25 teams competing at the west region championships in Billings. For the second time in three years, the NCAA Division II west region championships were held at Amend Park in south Billings. MSUB hosted 405 individual men’s runners on the 10,000 meter course, all looking to advance onto the national race in Florida. “I’m pretty happy with the way the men’s team performed this year,” Coppock commented “We still finished in the top5 in the GNAC, which is a pretty tall order; there are about four teams in that mid-range of the conference which are very competitive. I was also pleased with their regional performance over the 10,000 meter distance. I think that, as a group, that was probably the best 10k race we’ve ever had. I think with the returners we have for next year, we’re setting up for another good season.” Four Yellowjackets were named to the GNAC all-academic team for the 2016 season. McKay was the top honoree, holding a cumulative grade point average of 3.56 in chemistry. Egeland was named to the team with a cumulative grade point average of 3.37 in biology. Colmenero earned a spot with a cumulative grade point average of 3.31 majoring in criminal justice. Panasuk earned a spot on the all-academic team with a cumulative grade point average of 3.31 majoring in criminal justice. --@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--