Montana State University
BOBCAT OPEN
MSU Returns Home for Bobcat Open
4/18/2013 4:06:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field, Track & Field
Full slate of events provide another opportunity for Track and Field
Montana State is set to host the Bobcat Open for their next push of the 2013 outdoor season. With just three meets remaining before the Big Sky Championships, the Bobcats are in prime shape to keep pushing forward. (Meet Schedule)
After a great weekend in Sacramento, Calif. at the Mondo Mid-Major Challenge where meet and program records fell, MSU is prepped and ready to continue to ride the wave of success at the Bobcat Track and Field Complex.
The Bobcat Men enter the meet with 20 athletes with Big Sky automatic qualifiers in 29 events and seven others ranked among the top-20 (non-automatic qualifiers). Among those men is Jacob Kirk who sits seventh in the nation in the 3,000 steeplechase after a record-setting performance time of 8:50.60 just one week ago. Teammate Grant Grosvenor, who set a new program record in the 800 with his first unadjusted sub-1:50 race is ranked eighth in the west region and 20th in the country. Matt Tex, also kicked into high gear in the 800 and now ranks 10th in the region and 24th in the nation for his first individual national ranking of his career.
For the women, 13 of them have earned their auto-marks for the conference meet in 16 total events with an additional seven sitting among the top-20 of the Big Sky descending order list. Heather Demorest is currently in the middle of a hot streak after winning the steeplechase at the Mondo Challenge, with a time of 10:40.97 which ranks her second all-time in the program. She ranks third in the conference in the event.
“Our goal for this weekend is keep adding those automatic qualifiers,” said head coach Dale Kennedy. “We saw some outstanding things last weekend and I want to make sure we continue to use that as motivation to push us to the next level. If we see those improved performances, I am sure we'll see those qualifiers, as well.”
Montana State will be joined by Carroll, Dickinson State, Great Falls, Minot State, Montana, MSU-Billings, Rocky Mountain and South Dakota Mines. The heptathlon is slate to take place on Thursday and Friday, beginning at 2:30 and 3 p.m., respectively. The full portion of the meet will commence on Saturday morning at 10:30 a.m. with field events and 11:40 with running.
