Boise State Athletics
Broncos Set to Host MW Championships
10/26/2016 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
| Championship Central | Live Results
The Boise State cross country program will host the 2016 Mountain West Cross Country Championships this Friday, Oct. 28 at Falcon Crest Golf Club in Kuna, Idaho. The women's race will go off first at 10 a.m., and the men will follow at 10:45 a.m.
The last time the Broncos hosted a cross country league championship was the 2005 WAC Cross Country Championships at Eagle Island Cross Country Course in Eagle, Idaho. Both the men's and women's teams finished in fourth place with Ty Axtman (fifth) and Rebecca Guyette (10th) leading the way individually for each team.
WHERE: The course at the Falcon Crest Golf Club is a 2-kilometer loop that the women will run three times and the men will run four times for 6-kilometer and 8-kilometer races, respectively. The race will be run at roughly 2,700 feet elevation on a course that will feature rolling hills and gradual inclines that should make for a competitive race.
WHEN: The women's race will go off first at 10 a.m., and the men will follow at 10:45 a.m.
WHO: The No. 24 Boise State men's team is the second-highest ranked team in the field behind the favorite, No. 17 Colorado State according to the most recent USTFCCCA National Coaches' Poll. Air Force also received a national ranking, entering the championships at No. 28. Other competing teams include Fresno State, New Mexico, San Jose State, Utah State and Wyoming.
The No. 28 Bronco women and the No. 7 New Mexico Lobos will both contend for the title. Air Force was also in the receiving votes category in the most recent poll. Other competing teams include Colorado State, Fresno State, Nevada, San Diego State, San Jose State, UNLV, Utah State and Wyoming.
COMPETING BRONCOS:
MW PRE-CHAMPIONSHIP COACHES' POLL: Both the Boise State men's and women's teams were picked to finish in second according to the Mountain West Men's and Women's Cross Country Pre-Championships Coaches' Poll. The men's team received one first-place vote and accumulated 41 points and the women racked up one first-place vote and 87 points. Colorado State (48 points) was picked to win on the men's side and New Mexico women (100 points) were picked to repeat for what would be their ninth-straight title.
LAST YEAR AT THE MOUNTAIN WEST CHAMPIONSHIPS: Allie Ostrander was victorious at the 2015 conference championships, winning the individual title to become the second freshman in Mountain West history to accomplish the feat. The Bronco women's team took second place with 71 points and the eventual national champions, New Mexico, took first with just 24 points.
The men took third place in what was a heated three-team battle between the Broncos, Air Force and Colorado State. Air Force won with 49 points, Colorado State was second with 53 and Boise State was close behind in third thanks to 56 points.
TIME FOR A TEAM TITLE: The men's team last won a conference championship in 2010 in their last year in the WAC, and the women last won one in 1997 when they captured the Big West title thanks to Melinda Campbell's first-place finish.
