Lady Jacket Runners Win Dual at Dickinson (Sept. 17, 2004)

DICKINSON, ND – Heidi Robertson led the Montana State-Billings women’s cross-country team to a dual victory at Dickinson State on Friday.  The senior from Great Falls, Mont., won the women’s 5K race, out-kicking the Blue Hawks’ Chioko Nakasone down the stretch to win by four seconds.  The Yellowjackets won the team race, 22-34.

Robertson, who is competing in her first season with the cross-country team after playing four years for the Lady Jacket soccer team, finished in 20:32, 31 seconds faster than her first race last week.  Nakasone covered the course in 20:36 for second place.

The Yellowjackets’ Sara Lord (Jr., Billings, MT) finished in third place in 21:02, followed by Chelsea Lynnes (Sr., Miles City, MT) in fifth place in 21:54.  Tiffany Piplica (So., Riverton, WY) and Tracie Overberg (Jr., Dodson, MT) rounded out the Lady Jackets’ scoring.  Piplica finished sixth in 21:55, and Overberg placed seventh in 22:09.

"The ladies really ran well for the conditions," said Yellowjacket head coach Dave Coppock.  "It was hot, dry and windy and wasn't comfortable to run in.  The ladies are really fired up and everyone is running about where they should be right now."

The other women’s runners finishing for MSU Billings were Diana Davis (Jr., Kalispell, MT) in tenth place in 22:59, Mandy Brown (Sr., Wolf Point, MT) in twelfth place in 23:22, Kristy Burns (So., Livingston, MT) in thirteenth place in 23:55, Kisa Kron (Fr., Livingston, MT) in sixteenth place in 25:06, and Kendra Bebee (Sr., Dillon, MT) in seventeenth place in 25:34.

The Yellowjacket men’s team lost to Dickinson, 16-44.  The Blue Hawks swept the top four spots, led by Moses Chepkwony in 26:37.  Scott Brown (Sr., Billings, MT) led the Yellowjackets with a fifth place finish.  He completed the 8K race in 29:11, cutting a minute and a half off last week’s time.  Sam Hartpence (So., Custer, SD) finished seventh in 29:40 followed by Joe Kragt (So., Worden, MT) in eighth in 30:20, Jared Rensvold (Fr., Wolf Point, MT) in ninth in 30:26, and Ryan Archibald (Sr., Missoula, MT) in twelfth in 30:52.

The Yellowjackets travel to the Spearfish, SD next Saturday for the Black Hills State Invitational.