FARMINGTON, Utah — Montana State fifth-year Sam Ells and sophomore Claire Rutherford swept the Big Sky Conference’s cross country athlete of the week honors after each taking home individual titles at the Frank Knott Classic in Spokane Valley, Wash., on Friday.
Montana State increased its tally of Big Sky weekly honors to four on the season with the duo’s awards, with Ells and Rutherford each earning two honors so far this season. Ells was previously named Big Sky men’s athlete of the week following his win at the Montana Invite on Sept. 18, while Rutherford took home Big Sky women’s athlete of the week after her victory at the MSU Bobcat Twilight on Sept. 4. 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 third straight win to open the season by topping the timings at the Frank Knott Classic last Friday, Oct. 3. The fifth-year crossed the finish line with an 8k time of 23:42.8 to clock a new season-best time. His result marked the fifth cross country victory of his career and led the Bobcats (20 points) to their third team victory of the season.
Rutherford earned her second win of the season in Spokane Valley on Friday, crossing the finish line in 20:50.2 to earn a 19-second victory in the 6k. She marked her first 6k of the season by shattering her previous personal best by 77.9 seconds to lead the Bobcats to a perfect score of 15 points for their third team win of the year.
Montana State wraps up the regular season in Terre Haute, Ind., at the Pre-National Invitational on Friday, Oct. 16, before opening the postseason at the Big Sky Cross Country Championships in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Friday, Oct. 30.
