Friday, October 26
San Diego, Calif.
TBA
Boise State
vs
Mountain West Championships
Photo by: Justin Tafoya/NCAA Photos
Men's Conference Title Leads Broncos to Historic Day
10/26/2018 5:13:00 PM | Cross Country
Men claim team championship with 50 points, Broncos land 10 on All-Conference teams
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Boise State cross country experienced a historic day at the 2018 Mountain West Cross Country Championships, Friday at Balboa Park. The men successfully claimed the Mountain West team title – scoring 50 points – while the women took second to New Mexico, falling by two points (33-35).
The victory, made in San Diego, is the sixth conference title for the men in program history, second since joining the Mountain West.
In addition, 10 Broncos landed on the All-Mountain West teams, including six women. Both are program records. Freshman Maxine Paholek was also named the Freshman of the Year on the women's side, while head coach Corey Ihmels was named the Men's Coach of the Year.
First-team honorees – given to those who placed in the top seven – included Allie Ostrander (fourth), Emily Venters (sixth), Alexis Fuller (seventh), Ahmed Muhumed (fourth) and Addison Dehaven (sixth). Kyra Clare O'Brien (eighth), Maxine Paholek (10th), Kyra Lopez (12th), Elijah Armstrong (12th) and Miler Haller (13th) landed on the second-team.
The men captured their second conference title in the past three years (2016) by placing all five scorers in the top fifteen. They out-paced Air Force by 13 points, and placed seven runners across the line before any team was able to place their five scorers.
Boise State's men got off to a slow start on the 8-kilometer course, with only Yusuke Uchikoshi cracking the top 15 at the 2-kilometer split, putting the Broncos in sixth place in the eight-team field. The Blue and Orange displayed their resiliency on the tight course, showing they could remain even keeled in a high-pressure situation.Â
Muhumed, the 2017 Mountain West Freshman of the Year, led the Broncos for the first time in his career, placing fourth in 24:43.0, getting ahead of Air Force's Mickey Davis by 1.6 seconds. Boise State again showed their depth with a spread of 25.2 seconds between their fiver scorers, and 44.6 seconds between their top seven.
"I thought the men did a nice job of battling. It was a hard fought battle – which we knew it would be," Ihmels said. "I think they were trying to be patient, and it got us a little out of it here and there. We were able to run so well as a pack a couple weeks ago, and we just got a little disjointed. They battled back and found each other at the end. It was good for them to stay patient in a high-pressure situation, and I think that will bode well for us in a couple weeks."
"I want to make sure I did my part," Muhumed said of his performance. "We are so good and so deep that there are a lot of people to rely on. But the best person to rely on is myself. I wanted to make sure I did my part for the team. We worked very hard for this trophy and this success so far. It's incredible and a great feeling, but it's just the beginning for us."
The day began with the women getting off to a good start in their 6-kilometer race. The pack of Ostrander, Venters, Fuller and O'Brien kept the Broncos in contention at the front during the first 2-kilometer loop.
The defending champions, New Mexico, were able to grab the top three spots, but the Broncos showed their strength over the Lobos was their depth. Ostrander finished fourth in 20:14.3, and was followed by Venters in sixth (20:45.7). Fuller was phenomenal in the last 800 meters, moving from ninth to seventh to assist the Broncos to a 4-6-7-8-10 finish.
Despite falling in the team race, the women's two-point loss is hard to fathom when taking into account the history of the Mountain West. With six members landing on the all-conference teams, the Broncos scored 35 points – their lowest at the conference meet since they joined the Mountain West.
Boise State was the only school to place their top five scorers in the top 10, and their two-point loss is the closest any Mountain West school has come to defeating New Mexico – the 10-time defending conference champions – since BYU was also two points shy of the victory in 2008, the first year that began the streak.
"At the end of the day and looking back on it, they ran really well," Ihmels said. "We lost focus a little bit out there, and it came down to just a couple points. We'll learn from it and hopefully be a better team because of it."
The Broncos will continue the championship portion of the season two weeks from now at the NCAA West Regional – the final qualifying meet for the NCAA National Championships. Boise State will toe the line, Nov. 9, in Sacramento, Calif. The top two teams at the regional meet will receive automatic bids to the national championships, leaving 13 at-large spots for the remaining teams in the nation.
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Men's 8-kilometer
1. Boise State- 50 points
4. Ahmed Muhumed- 24:43.0Â First-Team All-Mountain West
6. Addison Dehaven- 24:49.3Â First-Team All-Mountain West
12. Elijah Armstrong- 25:06.6Â Second-Team All-Mountain West
13. Miler Haller- 25:07.0Â Second-Team All-Mountain West
15. Yusuke Uchikoshi- 25:08.2
17. Jeff Lautenslager- 25:12.3
20. Riley Campbell- 25:27.6
35. Andrew Rafla- 25:51.1
41. Leif Everson- 26:03.5
Women's 6-kilometer
2. Boise State- 35 points
4. Allie Ostrander- 20:14.3Â First-Team All-Mountain West
6. Emily Venters- 20:41.3Â First-Team All-Mountain West
7. Alexis Fuller- 20:45.7Â First-Team All-Mountain West
8. Clare O'Brien- 20:51.3Â Second-Team All-Mountain West
10. Maxine Paholek- 21:05.3Â Second-Team All-Mountain West & Mountain West Women's Freshman of the Year
12. Kyra Lopez- 21:12.5Â Second-Team All-Mountain West
20. Claire Graves- 21:40.5
32. Jordan Jacob- 22:14.8
38. Kristie Schoffield- 22:30.5
Men's Student-Athlete of the Year:Â Paul Roberts, Jr., Wyoming
Men's Freshman of the Year:Â Reece Donihi, New Mexico
Men's Coach of the Year:Â Corey Ihmels, Boise State
Women's Student-Athlete of the Year:Â Weini Kelati, So., New Mexico
Women's Freshman of the Year:Â Maxine Paholek, Boise State
Women's Coach of the Year:Â Joe Franklin, New Mexico
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The victory, made in San Diego, is the sixth conference title for the men in program history, second since joining the Mountain West.
In addition, 10 Broncos landed on the All-Mountain West teams, including six women. Both are program records. Freshman Maxine Paholek was also named the Freshman of the Year on the women's side, while head coach Corey Ihmels was named the Men's Coach of the Year.
First-team honorees – given to those who placed in the top seven – included Allie Ostrander (fourth), Emily Venters (sixth), Alexis Fuller (seventh), Ahmed Muhumed (fourth) and Addison Dehaven (sixth). Kyra Clare O'Brien (eighth), Maxine Paholek (10th), Kyra Lopez (12th), Elijah Armstrong (12th) and Miler Haller (13th) landed on the second-team.
The men captured their second conference title in the past three years (2016) by placing all five scorers in the top fifteen. They out-paced Air Force by 13 points, and placed seven runners across the line before any team was able to place their five scorers.
The men of @BroncoSportsXC claimed their second @MountainWest Cross Country Championship in three years! #MWXC pic.twitter.com/wiWGTYD4xN
— Mountain West (@MW_OlySports) October 26, 2018
Boise State's men got off to a slow start on the 8-kilometer course, with only Yusuke Uchikoshi cracking the top 15 at the 2-kilometer split, putting the Broncos in sixth place in the eight-team field. The Blue and Orange displayed their resiliency on the tight course, showing they could remain even keeled in a high-pressure situation.Â
Muhumed, the 2017 Mountain West Freshman of the Year, led the Broncos for the first time in his career, placing fourth in 24:43.0, getting ahead of Air Force's Mickey Davis by 1.6 seconds. Boise State again showed their depth with a spread of 25.2 seconds between their fiver scorers, and 44.6 seconds between their top seven.
"I thought the men did a nice job of battling. It was a hard fought battle – which we knew it would be," Ihmels said. "I think they were trying to be patient, and it got us a little out of it here and there. We were able to run so well as a pack a couple weeks ago, and we just got a little disjointed. They battled back and found each other at the end. It was good for them to stay patient in a high-pressure situation, and I think that will bode well for us in a couple weeks."
"I want to make sure I did my part," Muhumed said of his performance. "We are so good and so deep that there are a lot of people to rely on. But the best person to rely on is myself. I wanted to make sure I did my part for the team. We worked very hard for this trophy and this success so far. It's incredible and a great feeling, but it's just the beginning for us."
The day began with the women getting off to a good start in their 6-kilometer race. The pack of Ostrander, Venters, Fuller and O'Brien kept the Broncos in contention at the front during the first 2-kilometer loop.
The defending champions, New Mexico, were able to grab the top three spots, but the Broncos showed their strength over the Lobos was their depth. Ostrander finished fourth in 20:14.3, and was followed by Venters in sixth (20:45.7). Fuller was phenomenal in the last 800 meters, moving from ninth to seventh to assist the Broncos to a 4-6-7-8-10 finish.
Despite falling in the team race, the women's two-point loss is hard to fathom when taking into account the history of the Mountain West. With six members landing on the all-conference teams, the Broncos scored 35 points – their lowest at the conference meet since they joined the Mountain West.
Boise State was the only school to place their top five scorers in the top 10, and their two-point loss is the closest any Mountain West school has come to defeating New Mexico – the 10-time defending conference champions – since BYU was also two points shy of the victory in 2008, the first year that began the streak.
"At the end of the day and looking back on it, they ran really well," Ihmels said. "We lost focus a little bit out there, and it came down to just a couple points. We'll learn from it and hopefully be a better team because of it."
The Broncos will continue the championship portion of the season two weeks from now at the NCAA West Regional – the final qualifying meet for the NCAA National Championships. Boise State will toe the line, Nov. 9, in Sacramento, Calif. The top two teams at the regional meet will receive automatic bids to the national championships, leaving 13 at-large spots for the remaining teams in the nation.
Â
Men's 8-kilometer
1. Boise State- 50 points
4. Ahmed Muhumed- 24:43.0Â First-Team All-Mountain West
6. Addison Dehaven- 24:49.3Â First-Team All-Mountain West
12. Elijah Armstrong- 25:06.6Â Second-Team All-Mountain West
13. Miler Haller- 25:07.0Â Second-Team All-Mountain West
15. Yusuke Uchikoshi- 25:08.2
17. Jeff Lautenslager- 25:12.3
20. Riley Campbell- 25:27.6
35. Andrew Rafla- 25:51.1
41. Leif Everson- 26:03.5
Women's 6-kilometer
2. Boise State- 35 points
4. Allie Ostrander- 20:14.3Â First-Team All-Mountain West
6. Emily Venters- 20:41.3Â First-Team All-Mountain West
7. Alexis Fuller- 20:45.7Â First-Team All-Mountain West
8. Clare O'Brien- 20:51.3Â Second-Team All-Mountain West
10. Maxine Paholek- 21:05.3Â Second-Team All-Mountain West & Mountain West Women's Freshman of the Year
12. Kyra Lopez- 21:12.5Â Second-Team All-Mountain West
20. Claire Graves- 21:40.5
32. Jordan Jacob- 22:14.8
38. Kristie Schoffield- 22:30.5
Men's Student-Athlete of the Year:Â Paul Roberts, Jr., Wyoming
Men's Freshman of the Year:Â Reece Donihi, New Mexico
Men's Coach of the Year:Â Corey Ihmels, Boise State
Women's Student-Athlete of the Year:Â Weini Kelati, So., New Mexico
Women's Freshman of the Year:Â Maxine Paholek, Boise State
Women's Coach of the Year:Â Joe Franklin, New Mexico
Â
Players Mentioned
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