COMING UP: Season Complete
LAST WEEK: at NAIA National Championships – Men (11th of 31 teams)
MONTGOMERY CAPS CAREER WITH RECORD RUN: In his final collegiate cross country race,
Greg Montgomery (Boise, Idaho / Boise HS) did all he could – recording a school record time over the 8,000-meter distance, finishing second at the NAIA Championships. The senior, who saw his five-race win streak snapped, clocked a time of 24:06 on the muddy course, trailing only The Master’s John Gilbertson, who finished in 23:56. For Montgomery, it capped an amazing career that saw him earn four NAIA All-America honors in cross country – including his second-straight Top-10 finish, as a career which had him win nine races, the only C of I men’s runner to win a cross country race in program history.
BOLIN HELPS TEAM TO 11TH: Also having a career day was senior
Dominic Bolin (Payette, Idaho / Payette HS), who capped his career by earning All-America honors with a 28th-place finish, clocking a time of 25:14 – the best of his career. The two All-America efforts helped the Yotes finish in 11th-place, one spot behind their best finish in program history – but finishing second among the four CCC teams in the event.
THEIR BEST SEASON: Though the Yotes failed to crack the Top-10 at Nationals, 2012 could go down as the best season ever for The C of I. The Coyotes finished first or second in their five regular-season meets, including a win over Idaho State and a team title at the Adidas Classic. It also closed out the careers of four key seniors – Greg Montgomery, Dominic Bolin,
Nick Hampton (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS), and
Jason Hunt (Meridian, Idaho / Mountain View HS).
ABOUT THE COACH: Pat McCurry is in his ninth year at the helm of the track & field and cross country programs at The C of I. In nine years (after the Coyote running programs were dormant for nearly 30 years), McCurry has built the Coyote men and women into perennial NAIA Top-25 programs - with the men’s cross country team earning seven berths to the NAIA Championships, with the Lady Yotes advancing to five-straight NAIA meets, winning the 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2012 CCC titles, with the women’s squad placing second in 2012 and seventh in 2009 and 2011. For his efforts, McCurry was named 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2012 CCC women's cross country Coach of the Year. Student-athletes have claimed 22 individual CCC titles on the track, 24 NAIA All-American awards in cross country and track & field, seven All-NAIA Region I awards in cross country, 49 All-CCC awards in cross country - along with 80 NAIA All-America Scholar-Athlete awards. He led the 2012 Lady Yote track team to a second-place finish in the CCC Championships, earning Coach of the Year honors, with the squad finishing tenth at the NAIA Championships. Prior to his arrival at The C of I, McCurry was an assistant coach at his alma mater, Eastern Oregon University, helping EOU to a national runner-up finish at the 2002 NAIA Men’s Cross Country Championships and the 2003 CCC title in men’s track & field. As an athlete at EOU from 1997-1999, McCurry claimed two consecutive CCC titles at 5000-meters and finished eighth at the NAIA Championships at 10,000-meters. His best athletic years came after college while running for Nike Portland, and later the Eastside Track Club - where at the 2003 University of Oregon Preview Meet, the Coyote skipper took home the title in the 3000-meters and has a personal best of 8:13 at that distance. He also holds the Willamette Invitational meet record and Charles Bowles track record at 10,000-meters from his 2004 performance there. McCurry has also claimed the title at many Treasure Valley area races, including the infamous Race to Robie Creek in 2005, 2009. and 2010, along with the City of Trees marathon. He and wife Andrijia live in Caldwell.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more on C of I cross country, head to the official homepage of the Coyote men’s program (
http://yoteathletics.com/index.aspx?path=mcross) and the official homepage of the Lady Yotes
http://yoteathletics.com/index.aspx?path=wcross).
