Griz start season at MSU Twilight meet

The Montana cross country team will begin its season on Friday night in Bozeman at the MSU Bobcat Twilight meet. The grass course will host a 5K for both the men and the women competing. The first race will begin at 7:20 p.m.

It's the first of five regular season races for the Montana program this fall. They will be on the road for the first two before hosting the UM Invite on Sept. 20. The race in Bozeman is the typical season starter for the Grizzlies, and will serve as a good point of entry to see where the team stands following the summer.

"It's a low-key meet with a few Montana schools, which is great to be able to see some other jerseys at this early date," head coach Doug Fraley said. "The biggest thing is that it's just a time trial to see where our kids are at coming off the summer training and to just lay a foundation for the season to come."

Montana will compete against a very talented Montana State squad. The Bobcat men were ranked 25^th in the national preseason poll following a trip to the National Championship in 2023. There will also be some smaller schools in Montana in attendance, along with the Boise State Broncos.

This will be the first taste of collegiate athletics for many on Montana's roster. There are 19 total underclassmen on Montana's roster out of 26 total men and women. There are 14 new faces, including 10 true freshmen, that have not competed in a collegiate race.

"We're excited about the newcomers that we have and it will be fun to see them in a Griz uniform and see what kind of shape they are in arriving here. It will be good for them to get one under their belt and it always helps calm down anxieties of being a freshman and getting that first race out of the way so they can move forward into the real season."

Montana will enter nine men and eight women into the event on Friday night. There will be 11 total debuts, including seven of the eight runners on the women's side. It will be a good first experience, but also shows just how young this Montana squad will be in 2024.

It's the first step for the young Grizzlies as they look to the future. There is plenty of potential for Montana in the years to come, but the youth movement starts this Friday night at the in-state rivals home course.

For a full season preview, click HERE.

Montana Men's Entries
Morgan Amano – FR
Henry Ballinger – SO
Keagen Crosby – FR
Zachary Giesch – SO
Lane Krautschun – FR
Luke Mest – FR
Colin Shaules – JR
Carson Steckelberg – SO
Truman Thompson – SO

Montana Women's Entries
Abigail Case – JR
Olivia Coll – FR
Libby Hartz – FR
Sofia Hinderman – FR
Abigail Kotran – FR
Iris McKean – JR
Heidi Olson – FR
Lucy Thompson - FR

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Morgan Amano

Henry Ballinger

Abigail Case

Olivia Coll

Keagen Crosby

Zachary Giesch

Libby Hartz

Sofia Hinderman

Abigail Kotran

Lane Krautschun

Iris McKean

Luke Mest

Heidi Olson

Colin Shaules

Carson Steckelberg

Lucy Thompson

Truman Thompson

University of Montana Athletics