Wednesday, May 9
Bozeman, MT
TBA
Montana State University
vs
BIG SKY OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Bobcats are at the metphorical starting line of a high-paced Big Sky Championships.
Photo by: Kelly Gorham
Bobcats Ready for Big Sky Championships
5/9/2012 10:51:00 AM | Track & Field
Hosting for the first time since 2003, MSU will look for a big weekend of track and field
The time has come. Each week beginning back in late March, Montana State prepares for a meet but with bigger sites on the horizon. It's not that those meets don't matter, because their worth becomes more and more significant as each weekend approaches. Those meets are a stepping stone - a series of stepping stones that leads right back to Bozeman and the 2012 Big Sky Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships. (Meet Schedule | Big Sky Championships Headquarters)
Hosting for the first time since 2003, the four day meet runs May 9-12, at the newly renovated Bobcat Track and Field. Last time Montana State hosted the championships, the women earned the team championship.
Montana State is one of three institutions that utilized every one of the 50 roster spots available for the men and women. Also competing with a full slate are Northern Arizona and Sacramento State.
For the men, who were polled to finish second in the conference meet, several Bobcats enter the meet with high rankings. The combined events kick off four days of the conference's elite, beginning on Wednesday, May 9.
Jeff Mohl and Asa Staven, enter the decathlon ranked first and second, respectively. The powerful duo will kick the meet off and look to stay at the top of the Big Sky. Mohl, who is currently ranked 17th in the nation, and sits second all-time in the Bobcat record book will look to win his first conference title in the decathlon and potentially set a new record. Last year, Mohl placed second and was edged out by just seven points.
Staven enters the meet, still riding the momentum of the indoor season. The senior powerhouse won the Big Sky indoor heptathlon in February, setting a new program and conference record with 5,731 points. Mohl came in second.
Newcomer Powhattan Williamson will also compete in the decathlon at his first outdoor championships.
In the heptathlon, Montana State has four women rostered. Carley McCutchen comes as the highest seeded Bobcat at second, followed by Sarah McGree in third. Sadie McMillan (seventh) and Kortnee Barrett (10th) round out the competitor list. In 2011, McGree placed seventh, while McCutchen came in ninth.
Montana State boasts several heavy hitters in the throws, as well. Emily Tyrrell, who redshirted in 2011, returned to competition this spring at full force. She ranks first in the javelin and is a thrice-named Big Sky Field Athlete of the Week in 2012. She placed second back in 2010, but went on to place third at NCAA Regionals with a program setting and lifetime best throw of 52.06m. She went on to the NCAA Championships where she earned All-American status with a 10th place finish.
Amanda Murphy is also ready to continue a dominating senior season, as well as defend her 2011 hammer throw championship title. She is seeded first in the hammer throw, with a distance of 61.52m, ranking her second all-time in the program. She's also slated to compete in the shot put, entering the meet with a second seed. Fellow throwers Kristi VandeBerg (sixth) and Loni Havlovick (13th) will also contend in the shot put.
The men's hammer and shot put are fully loaded, as well. David Phillips won the hammer throw last year, and with his second seed, he'll look to up himself one spot and retain the throne. Eddie Stevenson and Trevor Gilreath will also add depth to the event. Also in their slate of events, Phillips and Gilreath enter the shot put ranked second and fourth, respectively.
The Bobcat Distance corps will continue to make the most of yet another strong season, competing with several strong contenders. Beginning with the 800, top-seed Grant Grosvenor will search for his second Big Sky title after winning the event at the Indoor Championships. Matt Tex and Michael Asay will also make an appearance. Last year, Tex placed 17th in the 800. This is Asay's first conference meet.
The 5,000 features seven different Bobcats with Dan Jackson holding the highest seed in second place. Jake Turner, Carl Nystuen, Seth Grossman, Asay, Trevor Polson and Jacob Kirk will add serious depth and points for MSU. Turner, Kirk and Asay are also rostered in the 1,500 while Jackson and Nystuen are slated to compete in the 10,000.
For the women, standout Heather Haug will run the 800 and 1,500. Haug won the 1,500 in 2010 and hopes to that individual title back.
Montana State has put up one of their most successful seasons in the sprints in 2012 and heads into the weekend in position to make a big splash at the conference championships. Chris Wilson, former MSU gridder, enters his first Big Sky Outdoor Championships on top of the league charts in the 100 and 200 meters, and stands 29th in the 100 and 58th in the 200 in the NCAA West Region. He won the 60 meter dash at the indoor championships in February. Sophomore Gage Pickering will compete in both the 100 and 200, as well.
On the women's side, Katie Niemeir will look for her first Big Sky individual title in the 100 and 400 hurdle events. She is seeded fifth in the 100 and third in the 400. Madeline Fuchs joins her in the 400, where she is seeded second. Both are coming off several lifetime bests in 2012.
The men's 4x100 relay comes into the meet ranked first, where they've sat all season. Mohl, Nick Melone, Pickering and Wilson will run for MSU. The women's 4x100 quartet of Niemeir, Lierin Flanagan, Chantel Jaeger and Sonia Antar finally earned their berth into the meet by producing a season-best performance at the Tom Gage Classic on May 4, to grab the eighth and final seed in the event.
“Conference championships are really the lifeblood of college track and field,” said head coach Dale Kennedy. “These next four days are about pulling together as a team and being a part of a rich tradition of the sport. It's so exciting to have this going on right here in Bozeman. It's great for our athletes, who get to compete on their home turf and it's great to have our community be a part of this, as well.”
Wednesday and Thursday are solely devoted to the multis, with the remainder of the meet schedule taking place on Friday and Saturday. Last year, Sacramento State won both the men's and women's team titles. Montana State men placed third, while the women came in fourth.
Hosting for the first time since 2003, the four day meet runs May 9-12, at the newly renovated Bobcat Track and Field. Last time Montana State hosted the championships, the women earned the team championship.
Montana State is one of three institutions that utilized every one of the 50 roster spots available for the men and women. Also competing with a full slate are Northern Arizona and Sacramento State.
For the men, who were polled to finish second in the conference meet, several Bobcats enter the meet with high rankings. The combined events kick off four days of the conference's elite, beginning on Wednesday, May 9.
Jeff Mohl and Asa Staven, enter the decathlon ranked first and second, respectively. The powerful duo will kick the meet off and look to stay at the top of the Big Sky. Mohl, who is currently ranked 17th in the nation, and sits second all-time in the Bobcat record book will look to win his first conference title in the decathlon and potentially set a new record. Last year, Mohl placed second and was edged out by just seven points.
Staven enters the meet, still riding the momentum of the indoor season. The senior powerhouse won the Big Sky indoor heptathlon in February, setting a new program and conference record with 5,731 points. Mohl came in second.
Newcomer Powhattan Williamson will also compete in the decathlon at his first outdoor championships.
In the heptathlon, Montana State has four women rostered. Carley McCutchen comes as the highest seeded Bobcat at second, followed by Sarah McGree in third. Sadie McMillan (seventh) and Kortnee Barrett (10th) round out the competitor list. In 2011, McGree placed seventh, while McCutchen came in ninth.
Montana State boasts several heavy hitters in the throws, as well. Emily Tyrrell, who redshirted in 2011, returned to competition this spring at full force. She ranks first in the javelin and is a thrice-named Big Sky Field Athlete of the Week in 2012. She placed second back in 2010, but went on to place third at NCAA Regionals with a program setting and lifetime best throw of 52.06m. She went on to the NCAA Championships where she earned All-American status with a 10th place finish.
Amanda Murphy is also ready to continue a dominating senior season, as well as defend her 2011 hammer throw championship title. She is seeded first in the hammer throw, with a distance of 61.52m, ranking her second all-time in the program. She's also slated to compete in the shot put, entering the meet with a second seed. Fellow throwers Kristi VandeBerg (sixth) and Loni Havlovick (13th) will also contend in the shot put.
The men's hammer and shot put are fully loaded, as well. David Phillips won the hammer throw last year, and with his second seed, he'll look to up himself one spot and retain the throne. Eddie Stevenson and Trevor Gilreath will also add depth to the event. Also in their slate of events, Phillips and Gilreath enter the shot put ranked second and fourth, respectively.
The Bobcat Distance corps will continue to make the most of yet another strong season, competing with several strong contenders. Beginning with the 800, top-seed Grant Grosvenor will search for his second Big Sky title after winning the event at the Indoor Championships. Matt Tex and Michael Asay will also make an appearance. Last year, Tex placed 17th in the 800. This is Asay's first conference meet.
The 5,000 features seven different Bobcats with Dan Jackson holding the highest seed in second place. Jake Turner, Carl Nystuen, Seth Grossman, Asay, Trevor Polson and Jacob Kirk will add serious depth and points for MSU. Turner, Kirk and Asay are also rostered in the 1,500 while Jackson and Nystuen are slated to compete in the 10,000.
For the women, standout Heather Haug will run the 800 and 1,500. Haug won the 1,500 in 2010 and hopes to that individual title back.
Montana State has put up one of their most successful seasons in the sprints in 2012 and heads into the weekend in position to make a big splash at the conference championships. Chris Wilson, former MSU gridder, enters his first Big Sky Outdoor Championships on top of the league charts in the 100 and 200 meters, and stands 29th in the 100 and 58th in the 200 in the NCAA West Region. He won the 60 meter dash at the indoor championships in February. Sophomore Gage Pickering will compete in both the 100 and 200, as well.
On the women's side, Katie Niemeir will look for her first Big Sky individual title in the 100 and 400 hurdle events. She is seeded fifth in the 100 and third in the 400. Madeline Fuchs joins her in the 400, where she is seeded second. Both are coming off several lifetime bests in 2012.
The men's 4x100 relay comes into the meet ranked first, where they've sat all season. Mohl, Nick Melone, Pickering and Wilson will run for MSU. The women's 4x100 quartet of Niemeir, Lierin Flanagan, Chantel Jaeger and Sonia Antar finally earned their berth into the meet by producing a season-best performance at the Tom Gage Classic on May 4, to grab the eighth and final seed in the event.
“Conference championships are really the lifeblood of college track and field,” said head coach Dale Kennedy. “These next four days are about pulling together as a team and being a part of a rich tradition of the sport. It's so exciting to have this going on right here in Bozeman. It's great for our athletes, who get to compete on their home turf and it's great to have our community be a part of this, as well.”
Wednesday and Thursday are solely devoted to the multis, with the remainder of the meet schedule taking place on Friday and Saturday. Last year, Sacramento State won both the men's and women's team titles. Montana State men placed third, while the women came in fourth.
Big Sky Championship Video Recap
Tuesday, May 14
Bobcat Insider | Weese Tabbed Director of Track & Field
Thursday, August 16
Bobcat Insider | Dale Kennedy Interview
Monday, June 18
Big Sky Outdoor Championships Recap
Saturday, May 12
