BILLINGS, Mont. - Andrew Rush and Carey Berendsen lead their respective teams at the annual Yellowjacket/Battlin' Bear Open at Amend Park. Standout freshman Rush was the first Yellowjacket across the finish line with a time of 25:24.5 and Berenden finished a solid race in 44th place with a time of 24:16.6.

The women's 6k race began first and Berendsen set the tone immediately as she led the six Yellowjacket runners the entire race. Cecily Eagleton stayed very close behind as she finished with a time of 24:25.5, about nine seconds behind Berendsen which was good for 50th place. The 'Jackets, missing some runners due to injury, finished in 8th place as a team after receiving a score of 239. 

Aspen Tolman had a solid race, finishing in 66th place with a time of 25:18.6. A few people behind was Toree Manning, finishing in 69th place after running a 25:29.3 6k race. Chloe Shennum finished the race in 87th place with a time of 27:21.5 and Emma Weaver finished in 90th place with a time of 28:22.4. The team race was won by University of Mary with a total of 24 points as their own Alyssa Becker finished in 1st with a time of 21:06.0.

The men's 8k race saw a quick start out of the gate by senior Bryant Edgerton as he was leading the race for the majority of the first lap. Rush was able to pass Edgerton and finish as the top 'Jacket in 17th place with a time of 25:24.5. Edgerton was the next finisher for his team, crossing the finish line in 54th place with a time of 26:43.6. Wyatt May had a good start to the race, but unfortunately did not finish as he will look to compete in a few weeks at the GNAC Championships.

The Yellowjackets finished in 8th place with a team score of 219. Following Rush and Edgerton, Will Hyatt crossed the finish line after running a 27:27.3 8k. Nate Tweedy finished in 82nd place with a time of 28:29.6 and Jackson Bailey wrapped it up for the 'Jackets in 92nd place with a time of 29:51.1.

Both the men's and women's cross country teams will have a weekend off while they prepare for the GNAC Championships. They will fly to Anchorage, Alaska to compete against their conference foes on Saturday, Oct. 21st.

THE BUZZ: The Intermountain Health Performers of the Day were Andrew Rush and Carey Berendsen as they were the fastest Yellowjackets today.

UP NEXT: The GNAC Cross Country Championships will host the Yellowjackets and the other nine conference teams on Saturday, Oct. 21st, hosted by University of Alaska Anchorage.