Greg Montgomery ran the fastest 8,000-meter time in C of I history
CALDWELL, Idaho - Both nationally-ranked College of Idaho cross country teams came up with victories this evening at the Second-Annual Coyote Twilight at Fairview Golf Course.
The Lady Yotes, ranked No. 7 in the NAIA, picked up a decisive head-to-head win over Eastern Oregon, winning the team title with 25 points. The C of I was led by Kristine Smith, who placed second overall with a time of 18:33, one of eight Coyotes in the Top-15. Colleen Smith had her best race as a collegian, placing fourth (18:47), with Kayloni Jones (18:51) in sixth on the fast 5,000-meter course. The squad had a mere 29-second split between their No. 1 and No. 5 runners and just a 37-second split between all of their scoring positions.
Karlee Coffey of EOU dominated the race for the second-straight year, winning the individual title with a time of 17:38. The Mountaineers were second with 44 team points, followed by NCAA Division I Boise State with 75, Northwest Nazarene with 99, and Treasure Valley Community College with 153.
The men’s 8,000-meter race was a barn-burner, as the No. 9 ranked Coyotes won a slim 28-29 decision with EOU. D.J. Flores took advantage of a fall by C of I runner Greg Montgomery late in the race to outkick the Coyote speedster, winning the race with a time of 24:57. Montgomery took second with a school-record time of 25:01. The Yotes won, thanks to the running of their pack, as Paul Sartin took third (25:23), Dominic Bolin took sixth (25:54), and Andrew Hugill took seventh (25:55).
Eastern, who placed second as a team for the second-straight year, got a fifth-place finish from Forrest Lumpry (25:54).
Boise State took third with a score of 80, followed by Northwest Nazarene (104), and Treasure Valley CC (144).
Both The C of I and Eastern Oregon will next compete at the Cascade Conference Championships in Klamath Falls, Ore., on Nov. 6.