Underclassmen Lead Coyote Men to Ice Chipper Title
CALDWELL, Idaho - Returning to the course for the first time in three months, The College of Idaho men's cross country team turned to their underclassmen, who put together an outstanding performance to claim the team title of the C of I Ice Chipper at Mallard Park.
Competing on a 6-kilometer course with two tough climbs on each 1,500-meter loop, the Yotes put five runners inside the Top-8 and all seven displacing runners inside the Top-12. C of I finished with 26 place points, ahead of Division II Northwest Nazarene (37) and NAIA rival Eastern Oregon (67).
Four underclassmen were among the front-runners, as freshman Logan Hunt had a monster collegiate debut, placing second overall with a time of 19:45.30, just ahead of sophomore Brennan Donahue (20:13.21). The lone upperclassman - senior All-American Cole Campbell, took sixth (20:25.80), with a pair of freshmen right behind him - as Elias Everist took seventh (20:35.07) and Daniel Butler eighth (20:41.28).
In all, 26 competitors were on the course, with NNU's Tyler Shea dominating the field to earn the win in a time of 19:26.46 - 19 seconds clear of Hunt. Eastern Oregon was paced by a ninth-place effort from Hunter Nichols (20:48.19) and Alaska's Zaphan Oztrgut placed 15th (21:11.97).
C of I will compete next in three weeks at the Lewis-Clark State Winter Open in Lewiston.