De Caro Captures Individual Title at MW Cross Country Championships

Friday, October 29

Albuquerque, N.M.

Boise State

Mountain West Conference

De Caro Captures Individual Title at MW Cross Country Championships

10/29/2021 5:10:00 PM | Cross Country

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Senior Dario De Caro topped the podium in the men's 8k at the Mountain West Cross Country Championships, Friday, running the second-fastest time in MW history (23:26.8). This marks Boise State's first individual MW title since 2016 (Yusuke Uchikoshi).

"I saw [De Caro] at the halfway point and he was a little antsy," said Boise State Head Cross Country Coach Corey Ihmels. "I kept telling him, 'Be patient, be patient,' and then he took off with about a kilometer and a half to go. Exciting for him, a great day for him to be the individual winner."

De Caro's gold-medal performance helped the Boise State men earn runner-up honors, finishing behind Air Force. The Broncos finished with 64 points, while the Falcons notched 27.

The men's squad faced a competitive field, as the MW boasts four of the nation's top-25 teams, the most of any conference. However, the Broncos did not shy away from the challenge, outpacing 19th-ranked Colorado State and 21st-ranked Utah State.

Senior Jack Leitch was the second member of the Blue and Orange across the finishing line, securing an eighth-place finish with a time of 23:42.2.

Rounding out the men's scoring five were senior Jonathan Shields (16th-place finish) and freshmen Ahmed Ibrahim (19) and Matty Mackay (23).

"[I am] excited about the men, they did an awesome job, competed really hard and followed the race plan to a tee," said Ihmels. "We came out with a really good run. We missed Logan [Rees] today, but I thought the guys really stepped up and had a fantastic finish."

On the women's side, Boise State finished fifth with 141 points. They were bested by New Mexico (15 points), Utah State (73), Colorado State (75) and Air Force (114).

Junior Olivia Johnson paced the Broncos, registering a 13th-place finish with a time of 20:09.2.

Delaney Griffin was the second member of the women's squad to finish, capturing 33rd (20:52.3), marking Griffin's highest finish among her Bronco teammates this season.

Junior Tyler Beling (34), senior Yukino Parle (37) and junior Sailor Hutton (44) also scored for the Boise State women.

"It's been a little up and down for the women this season, but Olivia [Johnson] has battled through and stayed true," said Ihmels. "I thought the women prepared really well today. Obviously, the finish wasn't exactly what we wanted, but I thought they approached it better, and I think we'll be even better in two weeks."

In addition to his individual title, De Caro was named the MW Men's Student-Athlete of the Year and notched MW First-Team All-Conference honors. Leith captured MW Second-Team All-Conference honors, as did Johnson on the women's side.

Next, the Broncos will travel to Sacramento, Calif., for the NCAA West Regional hosted by Sacramento State. The race is slated for Nov. 12.

Men's 8k Results

1	Dario De Caro	23:26.8
8	Jack Leitch	23:42.2
16	Jonathan Shields	24:03.1
19	Ahmed Ibrahim	25:05.7
23	Matty Mackay	24:14.7
27	Murdoch McIntyre	24:21.0
31	Henry Mong	24.28.8
39	Freddie Carcas	24:39.4
58	Austen Apperson	25:25.3
DNF	Nathan Dunn	--

Women's 6k Results

13	Olivia Johnson	20:09.2
33	Delaney Griffin	20:52.3
34	Tyler Beling	20:53.6
37	Yukino Parle	21:00.1
44	Sailor Hutton	21:11.4
45	Ines Borba	21:12.6
51	Yasmin Marghini	21:29.2
54	Oakley Olson	21:33.0
55	Tiahna Vladic	21:34.1
64	Autumn Ost	22:14.3