TWIN FALLS, Idaho – The College of Idaho women's cross country team left no doubt Friday, racing to a convincing victory at the Dr. Thad Scholes Classic, while the men's squad earned a strong runner-up finish in their season debut.
On the women's side, Julia Gilbert set the tone from the gun, storming to the individual title with a 30-second margin of victory. Teammate Kylee Quinton followed closely in second, giving the Yotes a powerful 1-2 punch up front. Freshmen Ainsley Bowen and Paiten Braseth added key depth with sixth- and ninth-place finishes, while fellow rookie Josie Patton provided the performance of the day – gutting out a 13th-place effort to edge a pack of five College of Southern Idaho runners and lock down the team win.
The Yotes finished with 31 points, topping CSI by 12 and Northwest Nazarene by 18 to claim the team crown.
The men's race featured a youthful Yotes lineup squaring off against a veteran NNU squad. Oclan Ryan paced the effort with a fourth-place finish, just ahead of teammate Colin De Julio in fifth. Isaac Anttonen and Casey Crumley also cracked the top 10, but the Yotes' depth was not enough to overcome the Nighthawks, who secured the team win.
The College of Idaho returns to competition Sept. 19 at Northwest Nazarene – the closest thing to a home meet on this year's schedule.
