Madeline Fuchs earned Outstanding Track Performer following a breakout year for the Bobcats.
Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
2012 Track and Field Team Awards Announced
6/11/2012 9:27:00 AM | Track & Field
Repeat winners highlight big season for Bobcats
The Montana State Track and Field team announced the 2012 team awards on Monday. Six awards are doled out to the men's and women's team honoring several facets of performance throughout the indoor and outdoor seasons.
Two women earned the honors for Outstanding Field Performer. Amanda Murphy and Emily Tyrrell's senior seasons have been one of their best to date. Both competed at the NCAA Championships June 6-9 in Des Moines, Iowa and have much to be proud of during their final year in Blue and Gold.
Murphy won the hammer throw at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships, and placed second in the shot put. At the indoor championships, she earned the title in the shot put and came in third in the weight throw. During her senior slate, she has set new program records in the weight throw (19.34m) and the hammer (62.20m). She placed 19th at her first appearance at the NCAA Championship in the hammer throw.
Tyrrell was also a Big Sky Champion this spring. She won the javelin and has been ranked among the top-10 in the nation throughout most of the season. She's seeded 13th headed into the NCAA Championships. She boasts a season's best throw of 51.88m and is the current program record holder with 52.06m. Most notably, she placed fifth in the javelin at the NCAA Championships and earned the second All-American nod of her career.
For the men, Jeff Mohl earned the title of Outstanding Field Performer, who also earned this title in 2011. Mohl, like Murphy and Tyrrell, also made an appearance at the NCAA Championships, where he placed 17th in the decathlon, just shy of second team All-American status. Mohl won the decathlon at the Big Sky Championships and earned the title of Outstanding Men's Performer at the meet. Mohl's score of 7,630 just missed a new program record but was good enough to get him within the top 14 performers in the nation to advance him to his first NCAA meet.
The award for the women's Outstanding Track Performer was also a tie. Madeline Fuchs and Heather Haug, who saw big things in 2012, took the honors. Haug was the recipient of the award in 2011, as well. Both Haug and Fuchs closed out the season at the NCAA West Regional Preliminary meet on May 24-26.
Haug set a new program record in the 3,000 steeplechase at the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays with a time of 10:26.36. Haug bested her own record of 10:34.01 that she set in the previous season. Haug also ranks second all-time in the 5,000 with a time of 16:38.09.
Fuchs is coming off her best season to date as she saw tremendous improvement over the course of the spring. At the Big Sky Outdoor Championships, she came in second in the 400 hurdles with a lifetime best time of 59.85 in the event and now ranks second in the event in the Bobcat record books. She also contributed to the third place distance medley relay at the indoor conference meet.
Chris Wilson was the men's Outstanding Track Athlete after a trio of Big Sky championship titles. Wilson won the indoor 60 dash and placed sixth in the 200. He set new program records in the 60 and 55 dashes and ranks third all-time in the indoor 200. The outdoor season was just as lucrative for the Great Falls, Mont. native. He won the outdoor 100, placed second in the 200 and anchored the conference champion 4x100 relay. Wilson also competed at the NCAA regional meet in the 100 and 200.
Three Bobcats earned the title of Outstanding Freshman. Kristi VandeBergh and Chantel Jaeger, a thrower and sprinter, respectively, picked up the award following impressive rookie seasons.
VandeBergh competed in the shot put at the Big Sky outdoor championships where she placed fourth overall. She posted lifetime bests in the discus, hammer throw and shot put during her freshman campaign. At the indoor championships, she placed eighth overall in the shot put.
Jaeger, who was major contributor to the MSU sprint corps was certainly worthy of the shared title of Outstanding Freshman. Most recently, she placed sixth in the 200 at the outdoor conference meet and was part of the second-place 4x400 relay that set a new program record with a time of 3:41.53. She placed seventh in the indoor 200 and eigth in the 400 at her first conference championship meet.
Grant Grosvenor earned the title of Outstanding Freshman for the men's team after earning two Big Sky championship titles in both the indoor and outdoor 800. At the close of his first season with the Bobcats, he ranks third in the indoor 800 and second in the outdoor 800. He also contributed to both the indoor and outdoor 4x400 relays. Grosvenor also went on to compete in the 800 at the NCAA West Regional Preliminary meet.
Carley McCutchen and Lierin Flanagan were named the Most Improved for the women's squad. McCutchen placed second in the in heptathlon at the outdoor championships after placing ninth in 2011. Her score of 5,012 was a vast improvement over her mark of 4,424 the previous season.
Flanagan dropped nearly six seconds off her 800 time in 2012 and also finished third in the event at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships. She was also part of the 4x400 relay at the meet that placed second overall and helped the Bobcats to a second place team finish.
Jeff Mohl, in addition to being named the Outstanding Field Athlete, was also the recipient of the Most Improved award. Mohl saw significant drops in the sprints, as well an improved score in the decathlon. In 2011, he ran a 10.81 in the outdoor 100 and this season posted a 10.72 to rank fifth all-time for Montana State. Mohl's score of 7,630 was also over 250 points better than this 2011 mark. This marks the third consecutive season Mohl was won this award.
The coveted Top Gun Award, doled out for the high-point scorers on the team was a repeat of 2011, with David Phillips and Amanda Murphy taking the honors for the second consecutive season. Murphy finished with 81 points, while Phillips tabbed an impressive 102.
Katie Niemeir finished second in individual scoring with 78. Mohl and Wilson were second and third, respectively, in the men's scoring race.
The final award given out for a very strong 2012 season is the Teammate of the Year Award, given to the male and female that have been the most supportive of Bobcat Track and Field, on and off the track. The coaches and advisory council select a teammate of the week and the team, itself, selects the teammate of the year. Carl Nystuen and Sierra Method were the 2012 recipients.
The Montana State men placed second in both the indoor and outdoor conference championships in 2012, while the women came in seventh in indoor and second in outdoor. Nine Bobcats represented the program at the NCAA West Regional Preliminary and three went on to compete at the NCAA Championships.
Two women earned the honors for Outstanding Field Performer. Amanda Murphy and Emily Tyrrell's senior seasons have been one of their best to date. Both competed at the NCAA Championships June 6-9 in Des Moines, Iowa and have much to be proud of during their final year in Blue and Gold.
Murphy won the hammer throw at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships, and placed second in the shot put. At the indoor championships, she earned the title in the shot put and came in third in the weight throw. During her senior slate, she has set new program records in the weight throw (19.34m) and the hammer (62.20m). She placed 19th at her first appearance at the NCAA Championship in the hammer throw.
Tyrrell was also a Big Sky Champion this spring. She won the javelin and has been ranked among the top-10 in the nation throughout most of the season. She's seeded 13th headed into the NCAA Championships. She boasts a season's best throw of 51.88m and is the current program record holder with 52.06m. Most notably, she placed fifth in the javelin at the NCAA Championships and earned the second All-American nod of her career.
For the men, Jeff Mohl earned the title of Outstanding Field Performer, who also earned this title in 2011. Mohl, like Murphy and Tyrrell, also made an appearance at the NCAA Championships, where he placed 17th in the decathlon, just shy of second team All-American status. Mohl won the decathlon at the Big Sky Championships and earned the title of Outstanding Men's Performer at the meet. Mohl's score of 7,630 just missed a new program record but was good enough to get him within the top 14 performers in the nation to advance him to his first NCAA meet.
The award for the women's Outstanding Track Performer was also a tie. Madeline Fuchs and Heather Haug, who saw big things in 2012, took the honors. Haug was the recipient of the award in 2011, as well. Both Haug and Fuchs closed out the season at the NCAA West Regional Preliminary meet on May 24-26.
Haug set a new program record in the 3,000 steeplechase at the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays with a time of 10:26.36. Haug bested her own record of 10:34.01 that she set in the previous season. Haug also ranks second all-time in the 5,000 with a time of 16:38.09.
Fuchs is coming off her best season to date as she saw tremendous improvement over the course of the spring. At the Big Sky Outdoor Championships, she came in second in the 400 hurdles with a lifetime best time of 59.85 in the event and now ranks second in the event in the Bobcat record books. She also contributed to the third place distance medley relay at the indoor conference meet.
Chris Wilson was the men's Outstanding Track Athlete after a trio of Big Sky championship titles. Wilson won the indoor 60 dash and placed sixth in the 200. He set new program records in the 60 and 55 dashes and ranks third all-time in the indoor 200. The outdoor season was just as lucrative for the Great Falls, Mont. native. He won the outdoor 100, placed second in the 200 and anchored the conference champion 4x100 relay. Wilson also competed at the NCAA regional meet in the 100 and 200.
Three Bobcats earned the title of Outstanding Freshman. Kristi VandeBergh and Chantel Jaeger, a thrower and sprinter, respectively, picked up the award following impressive rookie seasons.
VandeBergh competed in the shot put at the Big Sky outdoor championships where she placed fourth overall. She posted lifetime bests in the discus, hammer throw and shot put during her freshman campaign. At the indoor championships, she placed eighth overall in the shot put.
Jaeger, who was major contributor to the MSU sprint corps was certainly worthy of the shared title of Outstanding Freshman. Most recently, she placed sixth in the 200 at the outdoor conference meet and was part of the second-place 4x400 relay that set a new program record with a time of 3:41.53. She placed seventh in the indoor 200 and eigth in the 400 at her first conference championship meet.
Grant Grosvenor earned the title of Outstanding Freshman for the men's team after earning two Big Sky championship titles in both the indoor and outdoor 800. At the close of his first season with the Bobcats, he ranks third in the indoor 800 and second in the outdoor 800. He also contributed to both the indoor and outdoor 4x400 relays. Grosvenor also went on to compete in the 800 at the NCAA West Regional Preliminary meet.
Carley McCutchen and Lierin Flanagan were named the Most Improved for the women's squad. McCutchen placed second in the in heptathlon at the outdoor championships after placing ninth in 2011. Her score of 5,012 was a vast improvement over her mark of 4,424 the previous season.
Flanagan dropped nearly six seconds off her 800 time in 2012 and also finished third in the event at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships. She was also part of the 4x400 relay at the meet that placed second overall and helped the Bobcats to a second place team finish.
Jeff Mohl, in addition to being named the Outstanding Field Athlete, was also the recipient of the Most Improved award. Mohl saw significant drops in the sprints, as well an improved score in the decathlon. In 2011, he ran a 10.81 in the outdoor 100 and this season posted a 10.72 to rank fifth all-time for Montana State. Mohl's score of 7,630 was also over 250 points better than this 2011 mark. This marks the third consecutive season Mohl was won this award.
The coveted Top Gun Award, doled out for the high-point scorers on the team was a repeat of 2011, with David Phillips and Amanda Murphy taking the honors for the second consecutive season. Murphy finished with 81 points, while Phillips tabbed an impressive 102.
Katie Niemeir finished second in individual scoring with 78. Mohl and Wilson were second and third, respectively, in the men's scoring race.
The final award given out for a very strong 2012 season is the Teammate of the Year Award, given to the male and female that have been the most supportive of Bobcat Track and Field, on and off the track. The coaches and advisory council select a teammate of the week and the team, itself, selects the teammate of the year. Carl Nystuen and Sierra Method were the 2012 recipients.
The Montana State men placed second in both the indoor and outdoor conference championships in 2012, while the women came in seventh in indoor and second in outdoor. Nine Bobcats represented the program at the NCAA West Regional Preliminary and three went on to compete at the NCAA Championships.
Tuesday, May 14
Thursday, August 16
Monday, June 18
Saturday, May 12
