MOSCOW, Idaho - The Thunderbirds competed at the 2016 Big Sky Conference Championships on Friday in Moscow, Idaho, with the 20th ranked men's team finishing in second place and the women's team claiming third place.
The men's team entered the event as the defending champions, and were only outdone in the meet by the No. 1 ranked Lumberjacks from Northern Arizona.
SUU's charge to second place was led by Matt Wright, who finished in seventh place overall with a time of 24:39. This is the second straight meet that Wright has led the way for the Thunderbirds after also taking charge at the Wisconsin Invitational.
Josh Collins finished just behind Wright, running the 8K course in 24:44 to take eighth place overall. Freshman Aidan Reed was SUU's third finisher, landing in 10th overall with a time of 24:53.
Wright, Collins and Reed received All-Conference recognition for their finish at the Championships.
Kasey Knevelbaard was SUU's fourth finisher, ending up just one spot behind Reed with a time of 24:58. George Espino was also just one spot behind Knevelbaard, ending up in 12th with a time of 25:05.
Southern Utah and Northern Arizona combined for the top-12 finishers in the race.
Liam Kennel finished sixth for SUU and 18th overall with a time of 25:36 and Koy Moore was SUU's seventh finisher with a time of 25:49 to end up in 25th overall. Kyle Warrick rounded out the field for the T-Birds, as he finished in 26th overall with a time of 25:49.
After NAU in first and SUU in second Weber State finished third, Idaho State finished fourth and Idaho finished in fifth.
SUU head coach Eric Houle said he was very pleased with the performance from his men's team on Friday.
“I think all-in-all it was a very good race for us,” he said. “NAU did what they were supposed to do, and we did what we were supposed to do. So, it ended up being a very good day for us.”
Wright said the confidence of the men's team is high right now, and they're excited to keep that momentum going.
“We were excited that we were able to get that close to NAU,” he said. “We knew it would be a battle between us and them, and we were glad we were able to stick that close to them because they are so great.”
On the women's side the third place finish was led by senior Josie Riggs, who finished first for the T-Birds and fifth overall with a time of 17:43. Riggs also earned All-Conference honors with her finish in the 5K, with it also being her second straight first place finish for SUU.
Junior Angie Nickerson was SUU's second finisher, running the course in 18:15 to finish in 18th place overall. Ashley Tyndall was third for SUU and 22nd overall with a time of 18:21, and Sharlie Dimick landed in 25th overall with a time of 18:27 to finish fourth for SUU.
Emma Amundsen rounded out SUU's top-five with a 18:37 to finish in 29th overall.
Brighton Glassman finished sixth for SUU, running the 5K in 18:59 to finish in 44th overall. Julia Mahlke finished in 52nd overall with a 19:17, and Julieta Navarrete-Lamas rounded out the field for SUU with a 19:25 to finish in 59th.
In the Big Sky Preseason Coaches' Poll the Thunderbird ladies were tabbed as the ninth best team in the Big Sky, and were able to make a big statement on Friday to prove that they belong in the conversation as one of the best teams in the league.
Coach Houle was impressed by what the women's team was able to accomplish, and credited the hard work they put in during the course of the year.
“I think it took some of the coaches by surprise,” he said. “I think there are better things that lie ahead for them in the future.”
NAU completed a sweep of the Big Sky by claiming the women's title as well, followed closely by Weber State who finished in second place just ahead of SUU.
Tyndall said that despite some challenges, that included three T-Birds falling shortly after the start of the race, they were really proud of what they accomplished.
“It went really well,” she said. “We worked really well as a team. We had some trails at the beginning with three of our girls slipping and falling, but I feel like they recovered really well and we just kept our heads up and chased down the other teams.”
Next up for the Thunderbirds will be the NCAA Mountain Regionals, which will be ran in Logan, Utah, on November 11.
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