Ingraham, Griz women win at Whitman Open

Saturday, October 4

Walla Walla, Wash.

12:00 PM (MT)

Montana

Whitman Open

Photo by: Ella Palulis/University of Montana

10/4/2025 5:13:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

Results

By: Montana Sports Information

It's been a breakout season for Kayla Ingraham. The 5^th year runner for Montana cross country missed what would have been her senior year with an injury and almost didn't come back to Missoula for the 2025 season.

She decided to give it one last go this year, and she couldn't be happier with that decision after winning the Whitman Open on Saturday morning and leading the Grizzlies across the finish line for the fourth straight race.

Ingraham ran a lifetime best time of 22:17.4 at the 6K distance to pick up the win for the Grizzlies. She also led the women's team to the Whitman Open title with a 22-point score. The women had five runners finish in the top 10 of the event.

The Grizzly men finished second behind a very strong Gonzaga team and had a trio of top 10 finishes.

"Solid work from both teams today," head coach Doug Fraley said. "Kayla had a very strong race leading from the gun to the finish in her win. Our women's top five has solidified behind Kayla and continue to progress well."

Ingraham's win comes exactly one year to the day of the last victory for a Grizzly runner. Abigail Case won the Yellowjacket/Battlin' Bears Open on Oct. 4, 2024.

Olivia Coll had her best finish of the season with a 3^rd place overall finish. She was second on Montana with a PR time of 22:46.0. Heidi Olson, who had finished second in all three races so far this season, rounded out the top five finishers on the women's side with a time of 22:53.3.

Shay Pederson and Libby Hartz also finished inside the top 10 for the women, finishing in 6^th and 7^th place.

Whitworth finished second in the women's competition with 66 points. Eastern Washington was also in the field, but had just three runners and didn't qualify for a team score.

The trio that has led the way all season for the Montana men once again had a good day as a group. Zachary Giesch was the top finisher for UM for the second time this season with his time of 24:32.0. Giesch finished 4^th overall in the race.

Luke Mest was next across the line for the Grizzlies, running a time of 24:44.3 to finish 6^th overall. Carson Steckelberg closed out the top finishes for Montana with a time of 24:48.3. Steckelberg was the Grizzlies' top finisher at the last race, but Mest and Giesch have also led the Grizzlies this year.

There was consistency in the group behind them with another trio. The freshman grouping of Albert Turner, Elliot Stimpson, and Henry Sund all had good races to finish in the top eight for Montana. Add in Lane Krautschun, Lane Cole, and Will Sandnes and Montana had nine runners populate the top 30 overall.

"Zach, Luke, and Carson continue to race well at the top of our men's order," Fraley said. "The freshman group of Turner, Stimpson, and Sund continue their improvement at 8K to give us solid depth."

The Grizzly men finished second in the team competition behind Gonzaga.

Montana will be back in action next week at the LC State Invitational in Lewiston, Idaho. The event will wrap up the regular season for the Grizzlies and give them two weeks off to prepare for the Big Sky Championships in Bozeman on Nov. 1.

MONTANA WOMEN'S RESULTS
1. Kayla Ingraham (22:17.4*, 1^st)
2. Olivia Coll (22:46.0*, 3^rd)
3. Heidi Olson (22:53.3, 5^th)
4. Shay Pederson (22:56.6, 6^th)
5. Libby Hartz (23:05.3, 7^th)
6. Ashtyn Wagner (24:32.7, 25^th)
7. Malia Bradford (24:33.2*, 26^th)

MONTANA MEN'S RESULTS
1. Zachary Giesch (24:32.0, 4^th)
2. Luke Mest (24:44.3, 6^th)
3. Carson Steckelberg (24:48.3, 8^th)
4. Albert Turner (25:39.3, 23^rd)
5. Elliot Stimpson (25:40.1, 25^th)
6. Lane Krautschun (25:41.5, 26^th)
7. Lane Cole (25:49.8, 28^th)
8. Henry Sund (25:50.6, 29^th)
9. Will Sandnes (25:52.9*, 30^th)
10. Colin Shaules (26:08.1, 33^rd)
11. Truman Thompson (26:55.3, 43^rd)
12. Morgan Amano (27:55.0, 67^th)

*denotes PR

WOMEN'S TEAM RESULTS
1. Montana (22)
2. Whitworth (66)
3. Puget Sound (71)
4. Southwestern Oregon (98)
5. Whitman (109)
6. Pacific Lutheran (154)

MEN'S TEAM RESULTS
1. Gonzaga (28)
2. Montana (43)
3. Whitworth (101)
4. Whitman (114)
5. Puget Sound (134)
6. Southwestern Oregon (164)
7. Northwest Nazarene (170)
8. Pacific Lutheran (237)