cross-country
Saints Sign Oregon Prep
Carroll College Cross Country Coach Bill Ballinger has completed recruitment for the 2008 Racing Saints with the signing of Tara Higgins from Portland, Oregon.
Higgins is an accomplished athlete from St. Mary's Academy, one of the most prominent high school Cross Country programs in the Northwest.
This past fall she helped lead her team to 1st place in the elite Nike Team National (NTN) Western Region Championships and 10th place the following week in the NTN National Championships. She has competed at the varsity level in Cross Country for four years and three years in track and field.
"We are extremely fortunate to have landed an accomplished athlete this late in the 2008 recruitment year.", remarked Coach Ballinger. "We had an athlete decide to not come back to Carroll next fall which enabled us to open up some scholarship dollars for Tara. She will make and immediate contribution to our Women's squad this fall."
Higgins graduated with a 3.4 GPA and plans on majoring in Education. Her high school coaches were Mike Bojorquez and Mike Bergmann (father of current Racing Saint Taylor Bergmann).
Her parents are Michael Higgins and Mary Kay Gaffney.
Carroll Cross Country currently has 25 athletes on the roster for this fall, consisted of 14 Women and 11 Men.
Brooks Signs with Saints
Helena-MT. Carroll College Cross Country has signed one of Montana's top high school distance runner's for the 2008 season. Robert Brooks of Missoula Sentinel has signed a letter of intent for the Racing Saints and plans on studying pre-med beginning this fall.
Robert is a 2-time Montana AA All-State Cross Country Athlete. This past season he finished 5th out of 308 in the Mountain West Classic, one of the premier high school Cross Country meets in the Northwest which draws top level competitors from Montana, Washington, and Idaho. This winter he finished 9th overall and was the 2nd fastest Montana athlete in the 3200 meters at the prestigious Simplot Games in Idaho. Last weekend he won the Snow-Joke Half-Marathon in Seeley Lake with a 1:17:28. This USATF event is considered the Montana Half-Marathon championships and Brooks is one of the youngest winners in the events 29 year history. more
Carroll Signs Frenchtown Recruit
Caitlin Amundsen of Frenchtown, MT has signed a letter of intent to join the Racing Saints next season. She has competed for the Frenchtown Broncs in both Cross Country and track for the past 3 years at the varsity level. She is currently a varsity member of the Broncs Basketball team and has earned a combined total of 7 Athletic and one Academic Letter Awards. She maintains a 3.6 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society.
"In terms of academics, athletics, and attitude, Caitlin is exactly what we are looking for in Carroll athletics. During her recruiting visit she made a positive impression on our team and I know she will make an immediate impact on our program next fall. I'm excited that she has chosen to join our program." said Ballinger.
Caitlin's parents are Greg and Jeri Amundsen. She has been coached throughout high school by veteran coach Dennis Normand.
Carroll harriers place second at regionals
Both the Carroll women’s and men’s cross country teams finished second among Frontier Conference schools at the Region I cross country meet Saturday afternoon.
The Carroll women’s team compiled 63 points at the meet. Jessica Sargent finished seventh among Frontier Conference runners with a time of 19:57. Sargent received all-conference honors with her effort. Story
Carroll runners sweep first-ever home meet
A little course knowledge went a long way for the Carroll cross country team Saturday. The Saints men and women swept the top spots at the first-ever Carroll College Open.
The meet was held at the Broadwater Hotel fields on the west side of Helena. The 5K course starts out flat before climbing a steep hill midway through. The Saints had been working out on the course for the past two weeks.
“We had a home-course advantage,” said Carroll coach Bill Ballinger. “We had a lot of chances to look at the course and study the course.” Story