Montana State men, women second at Big Sky championships; Ben Perrin makes Bobcat history

(Editor's note: Information provided by MSU Athletics, Montana Athletics and the Big Sky Conference.)

POCATELLO, Idaho — Montana State senior Ben Perrin made history on Friday, finishing third at the Big Sky Conference cross country championships to become the Bobcats' first four-time all-conference harrier.

Perrin led the Bobcats to a second place men's team finish. All-league finishes from seniors Kyla Christopher-Moody seventh, 16:59.7) and Grace Gilbreth (10th, 17:13.9) paced Montana State's women to a second-place finish, as well. The races were at Riverside Golf Course.

Perrin had company on the men's side. Sam Ells, an MSU sophomore, finished fifth at 23:37.8 and Bobcat senior Rob McManus grabbed fifth (23:39.8) to each earn all-conference honors. Senior Will Kelly finished 11th (23:50.9), while Harvey Cramb grabbed 23rd (24:51.5).

As was the case in the men's race, one Bobcat runner in the women's race narrowly missed all-league honors. Lindsey Paulson, a sophomore, finished 11th at 17:25.5. Senior Alex Moore was 14th at 17:41.1, while sophomore Annie Kaul finished fifth (17:51.1).

Freshman Eli Boppart finished 29th for MSU (25:12.3) and junior Michael Schumacher was 32nd (25:21.7) as non-scoring team members. Hannah Perrin (26th, 18:05.5) and Madi Siana (18:09.4, 29th) were the women's team's non-scorers.

Meanwhile, Northern Arizona secured its fourth-consecutive championship sweep.

The men’s 8K was the first of two races on the day, where NAU claimed the 33rd title in program history with a score of 25 points.

David Mullarkey became the ninth Lumberjack in a row to claim the Big Sky’s individual title, crossing the finish line in 23:06.6. NAU’s Colin Sahlman finished second at 23:14.2, followed by Montana State’s Perrin in third with a time of 23:14.9.

NAU placed six runners on the all-conference team, leading to a 24-point cushion in the standings. Montana State finished second with 49 points, and Weber State placed third with 68.

In the women’s championship 5K, the Lumberjacks secured their sixth-consecutive Big Sky title and 26th all time with a perfect score of 15 points.

After finishing in third place a season ago, NAU’s Ali Upshaw claimed this year’s Big Sky crown with a time of 16:10.4.

NAU had the top six finishers cross the finish line, including Elise Stearns in second place. Stearns, a Missoula Hellgate graduate, was the two-time defending Big Sky champion and hadn’t competed since the league’s indoor championship this past February.

For Montana State, this marks the second-consecutive season the Bobcats had both programs finish as runner-up to Northern Arizona.

Montana placed seventh in the men's team standings with 214 points. Carson Steckelberg put together the best race of his young career, running a time of 24:31.7 to finish in 17th place overall.

UM's women took 10th in the team standings with 270 points. Abigail Case led the Griz for the fourth time in six races this season, just missing out on the top 50 with a time of 18:47.5.

2024 Men’s Cross Country Team Scores

1. Northern Arizona – 25
   
2. Montana State – 49
   
3. Weber State – 68
   
4. Eastern Washington – 135
   
5. Idaho State – 143
   
6. Idaho – 159
   
7. Montana – 214
   
8. Sacramento State – 250
   
9. Portland State – 251
   
10. Northern Colorado – 257 

2024 Men’s Cross Country All-Conference Team

1. David Mullarkey, Northern Arizona (23:06.6)
   
2. Colin Sahlman, Northern Arizona (23:14.2)
   
3. Ben Perrin, Montana State (23:14.9)
   
4. Peter Visser, Weber State (23:22.4)
   
5. Santiago Prosser, Northern Arizona (23:29.6)
   
6. Sam Ells, Montana State (23:37.8)
   
7. Rob McManus, Montana State (23:39.8)
   
8. Ford Washburn, Northern Arizona (23:43.5)
   
9. Manny Perez, Northern Arizona (23:48.4)
   
10. Justin Keyes, Northern Arizona (23:50.2)

2024 Women’s Cross Country Team Scores

1. Northern Arizona – 15
   
2. Montana State – 54
   
3. Weber State – 78
   
4. Idaho State – 150
   
5. Eastern Washington – 151
   
6. Idaho – 164
   
7. Northern Colorado – 189
   
8. Sacramento State – 205
   
9. Portland State – 262
   
10. Montana – 270

2024 Women’s Cross Country All-Conference Team

1. Ali Upshaw, Northern Arizona (16:10.4)
   
2. Elise Stearns, Northern Arizona (16:27.4)
   
3. Anna Fenske, Northern Arizona (16:46.1)
   
4. Ava Mitchell, Northern Arizona (16:46.3)
   
5. Alexis Kebbe, Northern Arizona (16:53.2)
   
6. Emma Stutzman, Northern Arizona (16:59.0)
   
7. Kyla Christopher-Moody, Montana State (16:59.7)
   
8. Keira Moore, Northern Arizona (17:01.0)
   
9. Hayley Burns, Northern Arizona (17:03.1)
   
10. Grace Gilbreth, Montana State (17:13.9)