LEWISTON, Idaho - The College of Idaho women's cross country team won the Cascade Collegiate Conference championship Friday, putting five runners in the top 10 and scoring 31 points to beat Lewis-Clark State by 53. The CI men finished third in the 12-team field with 76 points, behind Trinity Western (57) and Southern Oregon (66).
The Yotes women raced as a pack from the front. Senior Rozzlyn Cazier led the group in third place in 21:18.9 over 6,000 meters, and freshman Talia Bonville (21:24.2) and senior Kylee Quinton (21:25.1) followed in fourth and fifth. Sophomores Josie Patton (21:44.5) and Paiten Braseth (21:50.4) finished ninth and 10th to round out the scoring five, with 31.5 seconds separating CI's first and fifth runners.
The depth went further. Senior Julia Gilbert was 11th in 21:52.4 and freshman Josie Roy 13th in 22:09.9, giving the Yotes seven of the top 13 finishers. Cazier, Bonville, Quinton, Patton, Braseth and Roy all ran personal bests, as did Cadence Mitchell (20th) and Kiely Munson (26th).
Lewis-Clark State (84) edged Eastern Oregon (85) by one point for second. Evergreen State's Alauna Carstens won the individual title in 20:46.5, and Southern Oregon's Alyssa Johnson was second in 21:12.7.
In the men's 8,000-meter race, freshman Emiliano Diaz-Garcia led CI in eighth place with a personal-best 24:41.1, and sophomore Everett Metier was right behind him in ninth (24:45.9). Junior Isaac Anttonen placed 16th (24:53.1), senior Elmer Olaco-Castillo 21st (25:01.9) and sophomore Matt Wilde 22nd (25:05.6). Senior Oclan Ryan (23rd) and freshman Ben Hugaboom (25th) completed a CI top seven that finished within 31 seconds of each other.
The difference was up front. Trinity Western's Justin Kiplagat won in 24:00.5, and Southern Oregon put three runners in the top five with Mason Weisgerber (third), Carter Stedman (fourth) and Andrew Rush (fifth). CI's top runner was eighth, and the Yotes finished 10 points behind Southern Oregon for second.
