Montana State University student-athletes, coaches, fans and staffers took time out on Monday to come together to celebrate the achievements of Bobcat student-athletes in the classroom, in the community, and on the playing field in the last year.
This past year, Bobcat student-athletes logged over 3000 hours of community service. In the fourth year of the program, the Cats have volunteered more than 14,800 hours.
The 400 banquet attendees were treated to a video highlight reel of the past year in sports and watched as MSU President Waded Cruzado and Director of Athletics Peter Fields handed out a table full of awards to student-athletes.
The annual banquet highlights the individual and team winners of the department’s A.L.L. Challenge, a team competition of academic achievement and community service participation. This portion of the program culminates with the presentation of the Al Beye Memorial Team Award that goes to the team with the best overall performance in athletics and community service. The award is named for former men’s basketball player Al Beye who was tragically killed in 2007.
The following awards were given in the A.L.L. Challenge portion of the program:
Best Academic Team Performance: Men’s Tennis
Most Community Service-Raw Hours: Football
Most Community Service-Points: Women’s Golf
Most Improved Team-Points: Women’s Basketball
Al Beye Memorial Team Award-Points: Women’s Golf
The award for most individual community service hours, dubbed the A.L.L. Star Award, went to football player Tanner Ripley who logged 195 hours of service in the last year that included two trips overseas. Ripley, a junior, is in his second year as a Big Brother in Bozeman.
“This is an evening we look forward to every year,” Director of Athletics Peter Fields said. “It is a great experience for all the student-athletes to see what the other teams are doing and to celebrate all their accomplishments together.”
In the athletic achievement portion of the evening, the following awards were presented:
Best Individual Performance by a Female: Kaelin Kiesel, Nordic All-American skier
Best Individual Performance by a Male: Patrick Casey, All-American track and field
Best Performance by a Women’s Team: Women’s Basketball Win at Montana
Best Performance by a Men’s Team: Men’s Nordic Ski Performance at the NCAA Championships
Most Inspiring Student-Athlete: Kevin Retoriano, Football