SALEM, Ore. — The College of Idaho Yotes men's cross country team triumphed at the 49th annual Charles Bowles Willamette Invitational, defeating a competitive field of 281 runners and 25 teams. The women also made impressive strides in a field of 216 runners and 21 teams with both fields representing all levels of competition, including NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA, and CC. The Yote men secured the team title with a score of 43 points, finishing 15 points ahead of second-place UC Irvine while the women took fourth.
Daniel Butler led the Yotes with a personal-best time of 23:47.4, finishing first overall. He was closely followed by teammates Elias Everist and Hayden Bostrom, who finished second and third, respectively, with times of 23:48.1 and 23:51.8. The depth of the team was evident, with Brevin Vaughan (24:40.7) and Cyress Wilson (24:49.0) rounding out the scoring five by taking 18th and 21st respectively.
In the women's 5K race, the College of Idaho team finished fourth overall with a score of 107. Julia Gilbert led the Yotes, placing 13th with a time of 17:53.8. Kahea Figueira (18:02.2) and Kylee Quinton (18:04.2) followed closely, finishing 17th and 19th, respectively. The Yotes were competitive against their fellow Cascade Conference teams, showcasing their development throughout the season.
The dominance of the entire field, but specifically the CCC opponents on both sides speaks to the Yotes' overall strength. They will look to build on this gap before the upcoming championships this fall.
