Bobcat Quartet Sprint Toward History
5/27/2005 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
In the shadow of northern Arizona's San Francisco Peaks, four Bobcat sprinters raced into history last week. They look to do the same on the Oklahoma plains this weekend.
When long-time Montana State track and field coach Dale Kennedy reflects on the quartet's achievements at the Big Sky Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Flagstaff, though, his mind wanders back in time. He recalls a meeting the five had in the fall, when he first relayed to the student-athletes his lofty expectations, and to a spectacular evening in Oregon.
"I thought that those kids could do something special," Kennedy said of Steve Heberly, Ty Norris, Michael Novotny, and Dan Johnson. "We had a meeting last fall and I told them I thought they could get to 3:10 (in the 4x400 meter relay) this year, that they could get to the regionals, that they could get down to 3:08 by the end of next year. I don't know if they believed me or not, but when they ran (a school-record) 3:12.84 at Oregon I think they really started getting excited about what they could accomplish."
The accomplishments this young sprints group has already registered is impressive. In addition to the school record, MSU's current 4x400 group won the school's first-ever Big Sky men's relay title. The team's 3:13.18 is Montana State's second-best mark ever, and the school's best ever at a Big Sky outdoor meet.
While Kennedy thinks back to last fall and earlier this spring to key points in his relay squad's development, Johnson reflects on how far the team has come since the four youngsters joined forces several months ago. "How much time do you have?" he asks with a laugh.
The team has shaved nearly 10 seconds off its time since the indoor season began. "I really didn't expect it this year," Johnson said. "When I saw that time at Oregon and knew we had a school record I just started jumping up and down. There was so much emotion."
Kennedy pinpoints the Oregon Invitational on April 23 as the team's turning point, and Heberly agrees. "We finally figured out in Oregon that we could run real fast," he said. "It was a real exciting atmosphere, there was a huge crowd. At that point, we knew we could do it."
The four members of the relay team have proven this year that they can do it individually, as well. Heberly won the Big Sky Conference 200 meter championship last week, and Norris came from back in the pack to win the 400 meter crown. Prior to that meet, Montana State had never won a men's Big Sky sprint crown. Novotny and Johnson have also had outstanding seasons.
While the performance of this group is enough to get any track coach's heart racing, this team has a couple of elements that really get Kennedy going. First is its nativity. "I just love watching those guys work out," he said, "because what I see out there is not four guys handing off to each other, but Livingston handing off to Havre handing off to Big Timber handing off to Bozeman. That four Montana high school graduates are able to compete at this level is really awesome."
Kennedy gets even more fired up thinking about next year. "These guys are all young," he said. "They're all underclassmen. They'll all be back."
Montana State's 4x400 meter relay team competes at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships on Saturday at 7:15 pm. Heberly (200) and Norris (400) are two of the 24 Bobcats competing in individual events, as well.
When long-time Montana State track and field coach Dale Kennedy reflects on the quartet's achievements at the Big Sky Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Flagstaff, though, his mind wanders back in time. He recalls a meeting the five had in the fall, when he first relayed to the student-athletes his lofty expectations, and to a spectacular evening in Oregon.
"I thought that those kids could do something special," Kennedy said of Steve Heberly, Ty Norris, Michael Novotny, and Dan Johnson. "We had a meeting last fall and I told them I thought they could get to 3:10 (in the 4x400 meter relay) this year, that they could get to the regionals, that they could get down to 3:08 by the end of next year. I don't know if they believed me or not, but when they ran (a school-record) 3:12.84 at Oregon I think they really started getting excited about what they could accomplish."
The accomplishments this young sprints group has already registered is impressive. In addition to the school record, MSU's current 4x400 group won the school's first-ever Big Sky men's relay title. The team's 3:13.18 is Montana State's second-best mark ever, and the school's best ever at a Big Sky outdoor meet.
While Kennedy thinks back to last fall and earlier this spring to key points in his relay squad's development, Johnson reflects on how far the team has come since the four youngsters joined forces several months ago. "How much time do you have?" he asks with a laugh.
The team has shaved nearly 10 seconds off its time since the indoor season began. "I really didn't expect it this year," Johnson said. "When I saw that time at Oregon and knew we had a school record I just started jumping up and down. There was so much emotion."
Kennedy pinpoints the Oregon Invitational on April 23 as the team's turning point, and Heberly agrees. "We finally figured out in Oregon that we could run real fast," he said. "It was a real exciting atmosphere, there was a huge crowd. At that point, we knew we could do it."
The four members of the relay team have proven this year that they can do it individually, as well. Heberly won the Big Sky Conference 200 meter championship last week, and Norris came from back in the pack to win the 400 meter crown. Prior to that meet, Montana State had never won a men's Big Sky sprint crown. Novotny and Johnson have also had outstanding seasons.
While the performance of this group is enough to get any track coach's heart racing, this team has a couple of elements that really get Kennedy going. First is its nativity. "I just love watching those guys work out," he said, "because what I see out there is not four guys handing off to each other, but Livingston handing off to Havre handing off to Big Timber handing off to Bozeman. That four Montana high school graduates are able to compete at this level is really awesome."
Kennedy gets even more fired up thinking about next year. "These guys are all young," he said. "They're all underclassmen. They'll all be back."
Montana State's 4x400 meter relay team competes at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships on Saturday at 7:15 pm. Heberly (200) and Norris (400) are two of the 24 Bobcats competing in individual events, as well.
Wednesday, June 10
Friday, March 27
Monday, March 23
Friday, March 13
