Cross Country Yote Notes 2014 - Edition 2

COMING UP: Idle until Montana Invitational (Missoula, Mont.), Oct. 4
 
LAST WEEK: at Idaho State Open, Pocatello – Men 2nd of 3 Teams, Women 2nd of 3 Teams
 
LADY YOTES TAKE SECOND AT IDAHO STATE: For the second-straight season, the Lady Yotes placed second at the Idaho State Open, hosted by Idaho State University, on the grueling Centennial Course.  C of I was paced by sophomore Lila Klopfenstein (Meridian, Idaho / Meridian HS), who placed fourth overall (16:05), while Amy Pfaff (Pasco, Wash. / Hanford HS) took sixth, running the second-fastest time by a C of I freshman at ISU in program history, clocking a time of 16:27.  The Yotes also got a great performance from Jocelyn Allen (Ashton, Idaho / North Fremont HS), who took nearly a minute off her top time on the course with her time of 16:32.
 
COYOTE MEN SECOND IN POCATELLO: Despite a pair of Top-5 finishes, the Coyote men could not overcome host Idaho State, falling by 11 points in the team completion on Saturday.  Max Hampton (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS) led the Yotes for a second-straight race, placing second (19:35) – over 20 seconds faster than any C of I runner raced on the Centennial Course last year.  Also running well was Dan Williams (Boise, Idaho / Bishop Kelly HS), who took fourth with a 6,000-meter time of 19:53.  Unlike the Roger Curran Invite, the Yotes gap between their No. 1 and No. 5 runner ballooned, as 68 seconds separated the scoring Coyotes.
 
WEEK OFF BEFORE LONG HAUL TO MISSOULA: The Yotes will take a week off from competition, racing next at the Montana Invitational, hosted by the University of Montana.
 
NAIA TOP-25 POLLS: The C of I remained at No. 18 in the first regular-season NAIA Men's Cross Country Top-25 Poll, released last Wednesday by the national office. The Coyotes received 244 voter points from the 21 conference and unaffiliated grouping raters. Oklahoma City was the unanimous No. 1 team, followed by Southern Oregon, Olivet Nazarene (Ill.), St. Francis (Ill.), and Aquinas (Mich.).  Eastern Oregon jumped to No. 11, Northwest Christian climbed to No. 16, with both Concordia and Oregon Tech each receiving votes.  Fueled off a team victory at the Roger Curran Invitational, the Lady Yotes jumped seven spots in the NAIA Women's Cross Country Top-25 Poll. C of I climbed to No. 17 in the poll, receiving 261 voter points from the 22 conference and unaffiliated grouping raters. Biola (Calif.) earned the top spot, followed by Dordt (Iowa), British Columbia, Lewis-Clark State, and Olivet Nazarene (Ill.).  Northwest Christian sits in the No. 6 spot, Southern Oregon is No. 15, with Concordia at No. 24.  The Top-25 polls will be released each Wednesday for the remainder of the season.
 
ABOUT THE COACH: Pat McCurry enters his 11th year at the helm of the cross country and track & field programs at the C of I. In 10 seasons (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 eight berths to the NAIA Championships, with the Lady Yotes advancing to six-straight NAIA meets, winning the 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2013 CCC titles, with the Lady Yotes coming off back-to-back national runner-up finishes. For his efforts, McCurry was named 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2013 CCC women's cross country Coach of the Year. Student-athletes have won 13 NAIA individual titles in cross country and track; claimed 49 individual CCC titles on the track; earned 66 NAIA All-America awards in cross country and track & field; earned seven All-NAIA Region I awards in cross country; 53 All-CCC awards in cross country - along with 101 NAIA All-America Scholar-Athlete awards. His 2013 and 2014 Lady Yote track team won the CCC title, earning him Coach of the Year honors, with the squad placing third at the 2014 and fifth at the 2014 NAIA Indoor Championships, and sixth at the 2014 and seventh at the 2013 NAIA Outdoor Championships.
 
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).