Boise State Broncos Earn Second Place in Pac-12 Cross Country Meet

The Boise State women’s cross country team finished second in the Pac-12 Championships held Friday at Warm Springs Golf Course.

The result was driven by performances from Kaiya Robertson and Nanette Novak, both of whom received final confirmation of their collegiate eligibility on Thursday, Oct. 29. The Idaho District Court granted a condensed ruling that allowed the athletes to compete in the 6K race just one day after the decision.

Under new NCAA rules effective in June, student-athletes now have a strict five-year window to compete. Robertson, Novak, Landon Helms, and Jayda Bushay completed their fourth year of eligibility during the 2025-26 academic year, placing them in a group of nationwide athletes who faced uncertainty regarding a fifth year. Head coach Pat McCurry had a 3 p.m. deadline on Thursday to submit his racing roster for the championship.

Robertson placed second in the women’s race with a time of 19:59.2, finishing 2.2 seconds behind Washington State’s Nelly Jemeli. Novak crossed the line in sixth with a time of 20:15.2. Both athletes were named to the first-team all-conference. Robertson has now recorded top-three placements in three consecutive conference championship races.

Haley Blaine finished 14th in 20:31.8 and Lily LaPorte placed 17th in 20:35.7. Blaine received second-team all-conference honors. The rest of the Broncos women placed in the top 50, with three runners finishing in the top 30.

“That’s a national level performance from our women,” McCurry said. “There was so much pressure on Kaiya and Nanette stepping in during this situation and they handled it wonderfully. Haley Blaine was also phenomenal as she worked her way through the field. I was very pleased with the women’s performance today.”

On the men’s side, Boise State placed fourth with a team score of 66 points. Senior Brian Kiprotich finished third in the 8K race with a time of 23:12.2. He trailed Washington State’s Solomon Kipchoge, who won in 22:46.8, and Evans Kurui, who placed second in 22:57.8. Kiprotich’s result marks his second top-three finish of the season.

Senior Finn Anspach finished eighth in 23:40.9 and earned second-team all-conference honors. Owen Rogers placed 16th, Cornelius Kogo placed 17th, and Braylon Baggett finished 22nd. The men’s team trailed third-place Washington State by seven points and finished ahead of fifth-place Colorado State, which had only one finisher in the top 25.

The Broncos will travel to Sacramento for the NCAA West Regionals on Nov. 13. Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould and Boise State Athletic Director Jeremiah Dickey attended the event, which concluded with Washington State and Gonzaga receiving the conference’s first championship trophy in the new Pac-12.