Griz welcome impressive field to Montana Invite

The University of Montana Golf Course will be the place to be on Friday night as the Montana cross country team welcomes nearly half of the Big Sky Conference to the Montana Invite.

Montana has put together a strong start to the season over the first two weeks and they now have a chance to perform in front of the home fans in Missoula in what should be the most competitive meet of the year.

In addition to Montana, the field will include Montana State, Idaho, Idaho State, and Eastern Washington. Nearly half of the Big Sky Conference, including many top-tier teams, will be running on Friday.

"It's always great because it is our only home meet of the season every year, but this year the field is the strongest that it has been since our staff has been here," head coach Doug Fraley said. "It's a great mix of Big Sky competition and all the top Montana schools, so it should be a fantastic meet on Friday."

Montana State was picked second in both the men's and women's preseason polls in the league. Idaho State, Montana, and Idaho were picked right in a group together on the men's side at 5-6-7, respectively. Idaho and Idaho State were also 5-6 on the women's side.

Eastern Washington was picked 9^th in the men's poll and 8^th in the women's poll. The five Big Sky teams will all face off to get an early look at where they stand ahead of the Big Sky Championship in Flagstaff, Ariz. on Oct. 30.

"It's a great checkpoint for the third race of the season to be able to go against some of the top tier Big Sky schools," Fraley said. "This should tell us a lot about where we are at when it is all wrapped up on Friday."

In the latest Cross Country Ratings Index, the five Big Sky schools that will be running on Friday rank between 86 and 151 on the men's side.

It's been a great start to the season for the Grizzly men. Luke Mest has led Montana to second-place finishes at both meets this year. Mest finished fourth individual at both the MSU Bobcat Twilight and the WSU Cougar Classic.

Mest broke 24 minutes at the 8K distance for the first time in his career last week, running against several of the top runners for a nationally ranked Washington State team. The Grizzlies have had five different runners finish second through fourth over the first two meets, showcasing the depth that Montana has on that side.

The Grizzlies scored 44 points in both meets.

Albert Turner has made a jump as a sophomore. He finished fourth on Montana and 15^th overall in the season opener but improved at the 8K distance last week with a personal best time of 24:24.9 to finish as the second Grizzly and 7^thoverall in Colfax.

Carson Steckelberg had a solid start to his senior campaign at the 8K distance with a 10^th place finish in 25 minutes.

The Grizzly women have been led by Olivia Coll in both races this year. She finished 12^th in Bozeman and then improved on her time from that meet by nearly a full minute in Colfax, finishing 13^th at the Cougar Classic.

Rose Conway, a freshman from Anchorage, Alaska, made her Grizzly debut last week and placed second on Montana with a time of 18:20, good for 15^th overall.

Fraley is still waiting for the arrival of more runners on both sides that should help Montana make a jump, and several of them could see their Grizzly debuts on Friday night.

"We should be getting closer to full strength on both sides, so that's a great thing," Fraley said. "We will have the chance to see a few people race for the first time this year so I'm looking forward to that. It really should just be a great environment and hopefully the weather will cooperate and we'll be able to have a great meet."

The weather on Friday evening calls for temperatures in the low 70s with a chance of rain. Race results will be available through live.athletic.net.

Montana will have a week off following the Montana Invite, which is the midway point of the season. They return to action on Oct. 3 with the Frank Knott Classic hosted by Whitworth in Spokane.

The final race of the regular season is on Oct. 17 at the LC State Invite in Lewiston, Idaho. The Big Sky Championship will be held in Flagstaff, Ariz. on Oct. 30.

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Players Mentioned

Olivia Coll

Rose Conway

Luke Mest

Carson Steckelberg

Albert Turner

University of Montana Athletics