C of I's Helm Wins Roger Curran Invite, Both Yote Teams Finish 2nd
NAMPA, Idaho - A dominating performance by College of Idaho women's standout Stephanie Helm set the tone for the day, as both Coyote cross country teams placed second at the Roger Curran Invitational, hosted by Northwest Nazarene University, at West Park.
Helm outdistanced a star-studded field by 12 seconds in 14:46.50, the second-fastest 4,000-meter race in school history. She defeated Breanna Sande, the 2007 Western Athletic Conference champion from Boise State, Ashley Puga, an NCAA Division II All-American from Northwest Nazarene, and Marcella Bosch, the top runner from Eastern Oregon.
Balance was the key in the team race, as the Coyotes next four finishers were piled from seventh to 12th-place, separated by just 12 seconds. Freshman Kayloni Jones was solid in her debut, finishing seventh overall. Boise State took the title, but the Lady Yotes were just six points behind the D-I squad, but 32 points ahead of NNU - ranked No. 5 in the D-II West Region, and 58 points ahead of EOU, ranked No. 13 in the NAIA.
The Coyote men were just as impressive, finishing just 11 points behind first-place Boise State. However, the Yotes, unranked in the NAIA preseason poll, destroyed No. 8 ranked Eastern Oregon, topping the Mountaineers by 44 points - with four C of I runners finishing before the first EOU scorer.
True freshman Zeke Wilson was the story, taking fourth-place overall with a time of 19:29.84. Just 12 seconds separated the Yotes next three finishers from Wilson, as Kiprotich Langat finished sixth, Sam Hardy eighth, and Paul Sartin tenth.
The Coyotes will take a week off for training in preparation for their next race, Sept. 20 at the Bob Firman Invitational at Eagle Island State Park.