Montana State University
BOBCAT OPEN
MSU Hosts Bobcat Open
2/13/2013 10:50:00 AM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field, Track & Field
Track and Field gets one more chance at final regular season meet
Their final chance is upon them. The Bobcat Open marks Montana State Track and Field's final chance to earn their Big Sky Championship automatic qualifying marks and MSU is ready to take advantage of the opportunity.
Montana State has 12 women with automatic qualifiers for the Conference Championships, which will take place in Bozeman, Feb. 21-23. Heather Haug leads the way with four events (800, mile, 3,000 and 5,000), followed by Heather Demorest with three.
Carley McCutchen, who is already qualified in the pentathlon and the high jump, sits in the top-16 of the descending order list in the 55 hurdles and long jump and may have the opportunity to compete individually in those events, pending the outcome of the weekend.
In addition to the 12 qualified women, there are four other Bobcats that are ranked among the top-16 and could potentially compete at the championship meet.
For the men, 16 are ready to go for the Big Sky meet, including eight athletes qualified in two or more events. Heptathlon standout, Jeff Mohl is qualified in a team-high four events (heptathlon, high jump, pole vault, long jump).
An addition seven men are positioned in the top-16 of their events and will hope to make it to the championships, should they not get their qualifiers on Friday night.
The Blue and Gold have several conference leaders as they gear up for the final week of regular season. Haug leads the Big Sky in the 800 and the mile, while the women's distance medley relay also leads the five schools that have competed in the event. In the high jump, Amber Amsbaugh has sat atop the ranks all of the indoor season. David Phillips is the lone Bobcat man to hold a number one position in the conference. He is first in the weight throw.
“For some kids this meet is a pretty serious matter,” said head coach Dale Kennedy. “This is our last chance to fill out 22 roster slots and it puts a lot at stake for some of our athletes. I have a lot of hope because our progress over the season has been steady and consistent. I believe we're right where we need to be to get where we want to go.”
The open meet begins at 3:30 p.m. with the field events, followed by the running events slated for a 5:30 p.m. start. The meet will be available on Big Sky TV.
