MSU's Ells chases down Big Sky honor
MSU Communications | Daily Inter-Lake | UPDATED 2 weeks AGO
FARMINGTON, Utah — Montana State fifth-year Sam Ells earned his first Big Sky Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week honor following a winning performance at the Montana Invitational on Friday.
Ells, a Glacier High product, became the second Bobcat to earn a Big Sky weekly honor this season after Claire Rutherford was named Big Sky Co-Women’s Athlete of the Week following her 23-second victory at the MSU Bobcat Twilight.
The duo are the first men’s and women’s cross country athletes to earn Big Sky Athlete of the Week honors for Montana State since 2024.
Ells earned his second straight race win to open the season with his victory at the University of Montana Golf Course on Friday night. He clocked a time of 24 minutes, 16.1 seconds on the hilly course to win the men's 8k by 4.8 seconds over teammate Ryan Harrington. He led the Bobcats to their second team title of the season, with Montana State tallying an impressive 19 points at the five-team meet.
The Bobcats ranked No. 9 in the Mountain Region, and third among Big Sky Conference teams: Northern Arizona is No. 4 and Weber State is No. 8. The NAU Lumberjacks are ranked No. 4 nationally.
Montana State returns to action at the Frank Knott Classic in Spokane Valley, Wash., on Saturday, Oct. 3.