2021 Men's Cross Country Season Review

COMING UP: Season Complete
 
COYOTES TAKE FIFTH AT NATIONALS: For the 15th-straight year, College of Idaho competed on the biggest cross country stage, one of 36 teams at the NAIA Men's Cross Country National Championships in Vancouver, Wash. Behind five racers that finished within the Top-100 and two All-America performances, C of I finished fifth overall in the team standings and the top finisher among all West Coast schools. Coupled with a fifth-place finish by the women's team, the Yotes earned the bronze medal in the team combined standings.
 
HISTORY OF TOP-5 / TOP-10 FINISHES: It marked the third Top-5 finish for the Coyotes in program history, joining the fourth-place effort in 2016 and a fifth-place finish in 2019. It was C of I's seventh Top-10 finish at Nationals since the program was reinstated in 2004.
 
HUNT HAS BREAKOUT 2021: The Yotes top runner throughout the season closed out a remarkable 2021, as Logan Hunt won the bronze medal at the NAIA Championships – joining Greg Montgomery and Alex Martin as the only C of I runners to earn a podium finish at Nationals. Hunt joined Montgomery as the only Coyote to win 3-or-more races in a season – claiming victories at the Central Washington Invite, the Eastern Oregon Invitational and the Cascade Conference Championship – earning CCC Runner of the Year honors. He set a school record in October at the Steve Reeder Memorial, as his time of 21:29 was the fastest 7,000-meter mark in school history – helping the Yotes upset Utah State to win the title. Hunt finished in the Top-5 of all six races this season.
 
BUTLER EARNS ALL-AMERICA HONOR: Middle distance standout Daniel Butler made strides on the trails this fall and closed the season with a huge effort in Vancouver. The sophomore placed 12th at the CCC Championships, but was the sixth finisher among CCC runners at Nationals – taking 33rd overall, earning his first All-America award. Butler finished the 2021 season with three Top-15 finishes among the five races he competed.
 
FRESHMAN STEPS UP: True freshman Hayden Bostrom closed out an outstanding rookie season with a 66th-place effort at Nationals – the third scoring runner for the Yotes. Bostrom posted three Top-20 finishes during the season and was a member of the All-CCC Team following the league championships.
 
VETERAN RACERS KEY TO YOTES SUCCESS: C of I got key contributions from their upperclassmen in Vancouver, as both Braden Heath and Ian Jackson posted Top-75 times. Heath, who placed tenth at the CCC Championships, recorded his second-consecutive Top-75 finish at Nationals, while Jackson rebounded from a tough conference meet to place 74th overall – his best finish ever at the NAIA Championships.
 
CONFERENCE CHAMPS: For the third time in the last four years, the Coyotes claimed the Cascade Conference title – defeating six teams who would join C of I at the NAIA Championships. Logan Hunt blitzed the field for a 13-second win, with all five of the Yotes scoring runners earning All-CCC honors (Hunt, Braden Heath, Daniel Butler, Brevin Vaughan and Hayden Bostrom. For his efforts, head coach Austin Basterrechea was named CCC Coach of the Year.
 
2021 REWIND: The Yotes did not compete locally during the season – but raced in four different states – recording five podium finishes. C of I opened the season with back-to-back silver medal finishes, taking second to Western Washington at the Central Washington Invite and second to Lewis-Clark State at the Eastern Oregon Invite – with Logan Hunt winning the individual title in both races. The Yotes claimed their first team title of the season to open October, upsetting Division I Utah State on their home course to win the Reeder Memorial, before traveling to California, placing second overall at the Warrior Invite in Rocklin – setting the stage for their win at the CCC Championships in Klamath Falls, Ore.
 
ACADEMIC AWARDS: Nine members of the men's cross country team were honored as part of the CCC All-Academic Team – being at least a sophomore in academic standing and maintaining a 3.20 cumulative grade point average. Earning the distinction were Lukas Brown, Daniel Butler, Brennen Donahue, Elias Everist, Braden Heath, Logan Hunt, Ian Jackson, Will Kracaw and Connor Vrooman.
 
TRACK SEASON A MONTH AWAY: Training has begun for the upcoming indoor track season, which will kick off during the month of January. With Boise State not hosting meets in Nampa, the Yotes will travel to Pocatello for a trio of events, along with hosting the second Polar Vortex Classic in February.