Track and Field Announces Team Awards
Chris Syme
6/16/2009
Each season, a Top Gun award is given to the male and female student-athlete that accumulate the most points by placing in meets. This year’s male Top Gun winner was Dan Johnson of Livingston. Junior Allison Jones (Harlowtown) squeezed by sprinter Autumn Domitrovich (Anaconda) for the female Top Gun Award. Jones was a multiple all-conference selection this year placing second in the hammer and second in the shot put. Jones was a Midwest Regional participant.
The Outstanding Female Track Performer went to Domitrovich, who placed sixth in the 100 at the conference meet and won all-conference honors in the 200 placing second. Johnson was the Male Outstanding Track Performer winner. The senior sprinter finished his career this season as the conference 400 champion and anchored a leg also won all-conference honors in the 200, finishing third. He also anchored the 400 meter relay team that missed third place by .01 seconds.
On the women’s side of Outstanding Field Performer, there was a tie between pole vaulter Ellie Rudy (Woodland Park, Colorado) and javelin thrower Emily Tyrell (Grand Forks, North Dakota). Rudy finished her collegiate career as a four-time conference champion in the outdoor pole vault, the only athlete to win four consecutive conference championships in any event. She accomplished the same feat indoors as well. Tyrell, a sophomore, was ranked 16th in the nation going into the NCAA Outdoor National Championships.
Junior Nick Lam (Billings Skyview) won the Outstanding Male Field Performer award. He garnered all-conference honors placing second at the Big Sky Championships, placed third at the Midwest Regionals, and was an NCAA national championship participant.
Most Improved Awards went to sophomore thrower Amanda Murphy. She improved over three feet in the shot put from 2008 to 2009, and improved almost ten feet in the hammer throw. On the men’s side, there was a tie between juniors Matt Adams and Pat Eckerson. Adams improved his steeple chase time from 2008 by over 30 seconds this season, and finished second at the conference meet in the event. He also had a significant improvement in his 1500 meter time as well. Eckerson, a thrower, improved his hammer distance by over 12 feet and his discus distance improved by over six feet.
The Outstanding Freshman award went to Sarah McGree from Butte on the women’s side. She finished ninth in the multi events at the conference championships. There was a tie on the men’s side between David Phillips of Deer Lodge and Patrick Casey of Laurel. Phillips was an all-conference selection in the hammer throw, an event he had never participated in until his collegiate career. Casey finished second in the 1500 and third in the 800 at the conference championships and qualified for the regionals in each event as a result. Casey is currently fifth on the all-time top ten list at Montana State in the 1500 and the 800 as a freshman.
Teammate of the Year awards that went to Allison Jones and senior Nick Morrow of Helena. Those awards were given to individuals that showed outstanding support to their teammates as voted on by the teams.