The 11th-ranked College of Idaho women's cross country team, led by defending CCC champion Stephanie Helm (above), will face a stiff test at the Roger Curran Invitational Saturday in Nampa, Idaho.
C of I Harriers to Open Season in Nampa at Roger Curran Invite
CALDWELL, Idaho -- It starts for real Saturday. The Coyotes will open their season by matching up with four other teams for the Roger Curran Invite in Nampa. The women’s race is loaded – as Boise State will bring WAC Champion Breanna Sande to lead their contingent, while host Northwest Nazarene is ranked No. 5 in the NCAA Division II West Region poll and Eastern Oregon is ranked No. 13 in the NAIA national poll. The men’s race should be solid as well – with Boise State, Eastern Oregon, and the Coyotes battling it out with NNU. The women will race over a 4,000-meter course, while the men will race over a 6,000-meter course.
COMING UP: at Roger Curran Invitational, Saturday, West Park, Nampa – Women’s 4,000-meters at 12:45 p.m., Men’s 6,000-meters at 1:25 p.m.
YOTES RUN WELL IN INTRASQUAD MEET: After a week of vigorous training, The College of Idaho cross country teams raced each other in the annual Purple and White Intrasquad race on the Caldwell campus last Friday night – impressing head coach, Pat McCurry. On the women’s side, Stephanie Helm (Challis, Idaho / Challis HS) won the race for the second year in a row, while true freshman Kayloni Jones (Nine Mile Falls, Wash. / Lakeside HS) finished in second. The skipper was also pleased with the racing of Chantel Varland (Meridian, Idaho / Mountain View HS), who placed fourth. McCurry was ecstatic about the men’s team, as the top-five runners were separated by a mere 24 seconds – led by Kiprotich Langat (Nairobi, Kenya / United World College-USA).
MORE ON THE ROGER CURRAN INVITE: Northwest Nazarene has expanded the former Fall Harrier Classic into the first major local cross country meet of the season – trying to rival the Bob Firman Invite at Eagle Island State Park later in the month. The meet will feature high school races, junior high races, along with run/walk events for the community – all at West Park in Nampa.
PRESEASON NATIONAL POLL: For the first-time ever, The C of I women were ranked in the NAIA Top-25 Preseason Coaches Poll, as the Lady Yotes achieved the No. 11 spot in the polling released by the national office in Kansas City, Mo., on Thursday. It marks the highest-ever ranking by the Coyotes in program history, eclipsing the No. 14 mark they notched midway through the 2007 season. They are joined in the Top-25 by fellow CCC rival, Eastern Oregon (No. 13), with Corban receiving votes. On the men's side, the Yotes received five voter points, or ranked No. 37 in the presesason poll. Eastern Oregon (No. 8) and Concordia (No. 21) were the other two CCC teams in the poll. Last season, the Coyote men were ranked No. 14 in the preseason poll.
ABOUT THE HEAD COACH: Pat McCurry is in his fifth season has the head coach for The C of I cross country and track programs. In just four seasons (after the Coyote running programs were dormant for nearly 30 years), he has built the Coyote men and women into NAIA Top-25 programs, with the men's team achieving berths to the 2005 and 2007 NAIA Championships. Both programs have also had at-large runners at nationals each of the first four seasons. He has also coached three NAIA All-Americans, and numerous All-Cascade Conference and All-NAIA Region I competitors. A native of Boise and graduate of Bishop Kelly High, McCurry came to C of I after serving as the assistant coach at Eastern Oregon University, his alma mater, for two years. He helped the Mountaineer men achieve a No. 1 ranking in the 2003 NAIA preseason poll. As a head coach, he led North Powder High to a track and field state championship. He also competes at a high-level post-collegiately, running for the Nike-Portland Track and Eastside Club, having won the 2005 Race to Robie Creek and the City of Trees marathon. McCurry and his wife Andrija live in Caldwell.