RESULTS - Men | Women

POCATELLO, Idaho — Both Portland State cross country teams finished ninth at the Big Sky Championships Friday morning at Riverside Golf Course.
 
Delayed an hour by a frost warning, the Vikings men's and women's teams beat their projections from the preseason when they were picked to finish 10t out of 10 teams in the Big Sky Conference.
 
Individually, Emma Stolte posted the highest finish on either the men's or women's sides Friday. She finished 24th overall in her first appearance at the Big Sky Championships, while setting a 5k personal best with her time of 18:03.5.
 
Ania Kapustka followed at 39th overall for the Viking women while finishing in 18:23.1.
 
Those two – as they've done all year for the Viking women – provided a pair of low sticks for the team. Taylor Nichols finished as the Viking women's third runner at 71st overall in 19:59.1.
 
Four straight Vikings then finished one after the other at 73rd, 74th, 75th and 76th overall, respectively, in Emily Schmitke (20:21.9), Campbell Faust (20:29.3), Wendy Hare (21:03.8) and Viola Alessandrini (21:31.1).
 
Abdi Ibrahim led the Viking men with a 36th-place finish, running the 8k in 25:34.5. The 36th-place finish was more than 30 spots better than his finish at last year's Big Sky Championships, which was his only other finish at the meet.
 
Abdinajib Abade also bettered his finish from a year ago while finishing 54th overall in 26:43.3.
 
Freshman Nick Moore led the Viking men's group of four newcomers at the Big Sky Championships, as he slotted in between Ibrahim and Abade as the team's second finisher while placing 50th overall in 26:08.8.
 
Tom Thake followed Abade at 57th overall in 27:01.6, while Luis Muradas closed out the Vikings' team score while placing 65th overall in 27:42.8. Freshman Kyle Chen also competed for the Vikings, finishing four spots back of Muradas at 69th overall in 28:37.8.
 
Friday's Big Sky Championships marked the first meet of the postseason swing for the Portland State cross country program. The Vikings will next race at the NCAA West Regional in Pullman, Wash., on Nov. 15.
 
 
Big Sky Championships
Riverside Golf Course
Pocatello, Idaho
Nov. 1, 2024
 
Women's Top Ten Finishers (5k):
1. Aliandrea Upshaw, Northern Arizona, 16:10.4; 2. Elise Stearns, Northern Arizona, 16:27.4; 3. Anna Fenske, Northern Arizona, 16:46.1; 4. Ava Mitchell, Northern Arizona, 16:46.3; 5. Alexis Kebbe, Northern Arizona, 16:53.2; 6. Emma Stutzman, Northern Arizona, 16:59.0; 7. Kyla Chistopher-Moody, Montana State, 16:59.7; 8. Keira Moore, Northern Arizona, 17:01.0; 9. Hayley Burns, Northern Arizona, 17:03.1; 10. Grace Gilbreth, Montana State, 17:13.9.
 
Women's Team Scores:
1. Northern Arizona, 15 points; 2. Montana State, 54 points; 3. Weber State, 78 points; 4. Idaho State 150 points; 5. Eastern Washington, 151 points; 6. Idaho, 164 points; 7. Northern Colorado, 189 points; 8. Sacramento State, 205 points; 9. Portland State, 262 points; 10. Montana, 270 points.
 
Portland State Runners (out of 76):
24. Emma Stolte, 18:03.5; 39. Ania Kapustka, 18:23.1; 71. Taylor Nichols, 19:59.1; 73. Emily Schmitke, 20:21.9; 74. Campbell Faust, 20:29.3; 75. Wendy Hare, 21:03.8; 76. Viola Alessandrini, 21:31.1.
 
Men's Top Ten Finishers (8k):
1. David Mullarkey, Northern Arizona, 23:06.6; 2. Colin Sahlman, Northern Arizona, 23:14.2; 3. Ben Perrin, Montana State, 23:14.9; 4. Peter Visser, Weber State, 23:22.4; 5. Santiago Prosser, Northern Arizona, 23:29.6; 6. Sam Ells, Montana State, 23:37.8; 7. Rob McManus, Montana State, 23:39.8; 8. Ford Washburn, Northern Arizona, 23:43.5; 9. Manny Perez, Northern Arizona, 23:48.4; 10. Justin Keyes, Northern Arizona, 23:50.2.
 
Men's Team Scores:
1. Northern Arizona, 25 points; 2. Montana State, 49 points; 3. Weber State, 68 points; 4. Eastern Washington, 135 points; 5. Idaho State, 143 points; 6. Idaho, 159 points; 7. Montana, 214 points; 8. Sacramento State, 250 points; 9. Portland State, 251 points; 10. Northern Colorado, 257 points.
 
Portland State Runners (out of 69):
36. Abdi Ibrahim, 25:34.5; 50. Nick Moore, 26:08.8; 54. Abdinajib Abade, 26:43.3; 57. Tom Thake, 27:01.6; 65. Luis Muradas, 27:42.8; 69. Kyle Chen, 28:37.8.