Griz conclude regular season at Lewis-Clark Invitational

The Montana cross country teams have enjoyed a two-week break from competition, but are ready to return to action for the regular season finale this weekend. The Grizzlies will run in the Lewis-Clark Invitational in Lewiston, Idaho.

The women's race will begin at 10:30 a.m. followed by the men at 11:30 a.m. They will both run the same distances as the Big Sky Championship with the women going 5,000 meters and the men 8,000. The race will not have live results.

It's the first action for Montana since the Dellinger Invitational back on Sept. 22. Since then, the Grizzlies have had a longer training period than normal for a regular season. It was the perfect set up for head coach Doug Fraley to allow his team to get a high-level test in Oregon, and then use the following weeks to apply those lessons to their race and training plans.

"Our last meet was a really high caliber contest at the University of Oregon where we had some kids run well and some others that learned a lot from being in a high-quality race like that," Fraley said. "Since then, we've had a good, solid training block to use that experience and get ready for the next contest."

In a regular season that features just four races, Montana is looking to make every single one count. The Big Sky Championships loom large in the distance with the Grizzlies hosting the race on Oct. 27. Any time you can take the course in a live event against competition it's exciting, but perhaps more so knowing it's the last time in the regular season.

Fraley wants the excitement that the runners are feeling to turn into a positive race on Saturday. In particular, Fraley is hoping that the middle of the roster shows improvements from September. The Grizzly women have had the same top three runners in every race so far, while the men have had four men with top three finishes.

"The kids are training hard and I think that the focus for them is to try to continue to improve, especially with this being the last meet of the regular season before the Big sky Championships," Fraley said. "All of the kids are excited to race. Those 4-5-6 runners have had an opportunity to get another training block in and hopefully close the gap with the top three runners on each side."

Montana heads to a course that has been fast for them in past years. The men and women both finished third out of seven teams at this race last year. There are five women on this year's team that will return to Lewiston with experience. They will look to improve upon 2022 times, and this year's top two runners Jade and Jaylyn Hallgrimson will run it for the first time.

The men raced six at the event last year, and all six are back in 2023. Similar to the women, the top two runners so far this year missed it in 2022. A fast course with plenty of familiarity will hopefully result in good times for the Griz.

"This course is a very gradual uphill and downhill, but it's very fast and very fair," Fraley said. "Our athletes, the last couple of years there, have run some of their best times of the season and a lot of PR's on that course. I think the athletes that are returning look forward to it because it's a good venue to run a fast time."

The field will include Idaho and Eastern Washington from the Big Sky along with some bigger schools from the northwest. It won't be the same level as the Dellinger Invite, but should still give Montana a good gauge against a pair of talented league opponents.

This will be the third 8K race of the year for the men after running a shorter distance in the opener. The women return to the 5K distance after running a longer race in Oregon. The Big Sky meet in two weeks will be the same distance, giving both sides an important opportunity to make any last adjustments to race strategy

"I think this is the time of year where you want to start peaking toward the championships," Fraley said. "We're excited to be going to a really good venue and it looks like the weather is going to be good. It's a really good opportunity for our student-athletes on both sides to make those last regular season tune-ups to their racing strategies and go out and challenge themselves after a nice two-week training period."

It is also a final chance for some runners to make a case to be on the Big Sky Championship roster, which can include up to eight. Jade Hallgrimson, Jaylyn Hallgrimson, and Iris McKean have run 1-2-3 in all three meets so far for the women. Kayla Ingraham has been fourth twice and fifth once, but will not run in Idaho. Shay Pederson has finished 6-5-4 and shown improvement as the year has progressed.

There is a collection of younger runners and some veterans competing for the final spots. Layne Lathrop and Bridget Boyle finished in the top eight in every race this year, while Ella Rubel has been there once.

For the men, Maxwell Scott, Cooper Morris and Nathan Carter have solidified themselves as a top trio. Senior Rogelio Mares has been in the top five in every race, Lane Cole has been top six, as has freshman Carson Steckelberg.

Freshman Truman Thompson should also compete for a Big Sky spot with fellow freshman Henry Ballinger and Zachary Giesch, along with sophomore Colin Shaules.

This is the final opportunity for those on the bubble to run a good time and work their way onto the Big Sky team.

"We will be allowed to race eight at the conference meet, so there will be competition at the back end of the rosters to see who is going to be able to make the conference roster," Fraley said. "It's very important for a lot of our athletes to prove that they deserve a spot on the home course here on October 27."

Griz conclude regular season at Lewis-Clark Invitational

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Henry Ballinger

Bridget Boyle

Nathan Carter

Lane Cole

Zachary Giesch

Jade Hallgrimson

Jaylyn Hallgrimson

Kayla Ingraham

Layne Lathrop

Rogelio Mares

Iris McKean

Cooper Morris

Shay Pederson

Ella Rubel

Maxwell Scott

Colin Shaules

Carson Steckelberg

Truman Thompson

University of Montana Athletics