Cross Country August 19, 2026 Claire Gay, UMW Sports Information

Montana Western Men’s Cross Country Picked T-9th in Preseason Coaches’ Poll

DILLON, Mont. – The Montana Western men's cross country program was tabbed to finish tied for ninth in the conference in the 2026 Frontier Conference Men's Cross Country Coaches' Preseason Poll, the league office announced Wednesday.

Defending FC men's cross country champion Rocky Mountain was picked first with 92 points in the poll, narrowly edging out Carroll, who finished with 91 points.

Dakota State (77), Bellevue (75), Montana Tech (68), Bismarck State (54), Dickinson State (53), and Valley City State (32) filled spots three-through-eight.

Montana Western and MSU-Northern shared ninth with 25 points apiece while Providence was picked 11th with 12 points.

Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams.

The FC Cross Country Championships will be held at Amend Park in Billings Nov. 6.

The conference championship-winning team will receive the Frontier's automatic bid to the 2026 NAIA Cross Country National Championships. This year's meet is set to take place at Fort Vancouver Historic Site in Vancouver, Wash., Nov. 20.

2026 Frontier Conference Men's Cross Country Coaches' Preseason Poll

Rank	Team	Points	First-Place Votes
1.	Rocky Mountain	92	6
2.	Carroll	91	3
3.	Dakota State	77
4.	Bellevue	75
5.	Montana Tech	68
6.	Bismarck State	54
7.	Dickinson State	53
8.	Valley City State	32
T-9.	Montana Western	25
T-9.	MSU-Northern	25
11	Providence	12

2025 SEASON RECAP
Montana Western finished 11th in the 8k at the 2025 FC Cross Country Championships. The Bulldogs highest finish of the season was fifth at both the MSU Bobcat Twilight and Bengal Invitational meets.

ON THE START LINE…
The Bulldogs are returning six runners from the 2025 squad.

Brody Henry returns as the lone senior on the men's team while Kreg Butler and Noah Rovente are set for their junior campaigns.

Mason Lynch, Cael Thilmony, and Tristan Von Bargen are back for their sophomore seasons with UMW.

Western added six freshman to bolster the roster, including Taylor Graham, Gavin Jasper, Silas Kaluza, Blake Olson, Michael Reistroffer, and Ryker Zuffelato.

CALLING THE SHOTS
Head Coach Taylor Grove enters her fourth season at the helm of the Bulldog Cross Country program. Her runners have earned four Frontier All-Conference nods in her tenure.

COMING UP
The Bulldogs open the 2026 season at the MSU Bobcat Twilight meet Sept. 4. The men's 5k is set to start at 7:20 p.m. MT.

For complete coverage of UMW Cross Country, be sure to follow us on social media at @umw_xc_track (Instagram), @UMW_XC_Track (X), and @Montana Western Athletics (Facebook) or visit our official website at UMWBulldogs.com.

#GOBULLDOGS!

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Players Mentioned

Kreg Butler: Junior

Taylor Graham: Freshman

Brody Henry: Senior

Gavin Jasper: Freshman

Silas Kaluza: Freshman

Mason Lynch: Sophomore

Blake Olson: Freshman

Noah Rovente: Junior

Cael Thilmony: Redshirt Sophomore

Tristan Von Bargen: Sophomore

Ryker Zuffelato: Freshman

Players Mentioned

Kreg Butler
: Junior

Taylor Graham
: Freshman

Brody Henry
: Senior

Gavin Jasper
: Freshman

Silas Kaluza
: Freshman

Mason Lynch
: Sophomore

Blake Olson
: Freshman

Noah Rovente
: Junior

Cael Thilmony
: Redshirt Sophomore

Tristan Von Bargen
: Sophomore

Ryker Zuffelato
: Freshman