UMW Cross Country Begins 2022 Season On The Road At Conference Preview Meet

The Montana Western Cross-Country teams are beginning their 2022 season this upcoming Monday as they travel to Helena, Mont. for the Conference Preview Meet. This is the first of five scheduled meets for the season.

"Our practices have been really solid and consistent and that usually bodes very well for races. I'm hopeful that this will be a solid first race to build off of and learn from." coach Dylan Zitzer said.

Season Outlook

Last season, the Bulldog women's team finished at the Frontier conference meet in fourth place overall. Four runners were named to the academic all-conference team, including current runners Mason Baseley and Liz Varner. Eireann O'Connor was named to the all-conference team and joined Baseley as they traveled to the NAIA National Championship Meet in Vancouver, Wash. O'Connor placed 12th overall and Baseley finished 238th overall. The women's cross-country team is returning five runners from last year. Of these five runners, Baseley, Morgan Baseley, and Araceli Ramirez will be runners to watch this year as they will be competing in each of their senior seasons. Incoming freshman Cecily Eagleton is an incoming freshman to watch as she competes in her first college season. She is coming to UMW from Teton, Utah as a 2022 graduate of Sugar Salem High School who was a 3A district 6 champion.

The men's cross-country team is returning six runners from last year's team after they finished fourth overall at the conference meet. Two runners were named to the academic all-conference team, including current Bulldog runner Luke Lutz. Lutz will be returning this season after a third-place finish at the conference meet earning him all-conference honors last season. He was the lone Bulldog men's cross-country runner who traveled to the NAIA national meet where he placed 141st overall. The Bulldogs will also be returning all-conference runner Joe Lamb who placed eighth overall at the Frontier conference meet last season. Incoming freshmen Will Hyatt and Harrison Silverio will be runners to keep an eye on as they take to their first collegiate cross-country season. Hyatt comes to the Bulldogs from Thompson Falls High School out of Thompson Falls, Mont. He was a 2022 All-State and division cross country and track runner. Silverio joins the Bulldogs from Hamilton, Mont. "Our runners are super hardworking and humble. I am excited to see what they can do at our first competitive outing." Zitzer said.

The Bulldogs will be running in the following meets for their 2022 season:

• Sept. 12 Frontier Conference Preview

• Sept. 23 University of Providence Meet

• Oct. 7 Montana Tech Invitational

• Oct. 22 Great Lakes Invitational

• Nov. 4 Frontier Conference Championships

• Nov. 18 NAIA National Championships (Must Qualify)

Click here (PDF) to view the full cross-country season prospectus.