Bobcat Track & Field Set to Host 10 Meets Across 2017-18 Indoor, Outdoor Seasons
8/18/2017 1:33:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field
The Montana State track and field team released its 2017-18 season schedule Friday, which features a variety of meets inside Worthington Arena and on the new surface at the MSU Track and Field Complex
BOZEMAN, Mont. – The Montana State track and field team released its 2017-18 season schedule Friday, which features a variety of meets inside Worthington Arena and on the new surface at the MSU Track and Field Complex, announced Bobcat head coach Dale Kennedy.
The indoor and outdoor schedules are highlighted by 10 meets hosted by the Bobcats. MSU opens its campaign in 2017 with the Bobcat Preview, a Blue-Gold intersquad meet on Dec. 2.
The Bobcats begin the New Year on Jan. 8 with their annual mulits meet hosting the University of Montana, then compete two consecutive weekends in Brick Breeden Fieldhouse on Jan. 12 and Jan. 19. MSU will host three straight weekends of meets in February – the MSU Dual Meet Invitational, Bobcat Invite and the Big Sky Tuner – before the Big Sky Conference Championships.
MSU makes its outdoor team debut on the new blue and gold BSS 1000 All-Weather Track Surface on March 24 for the MSU Ice Breaker meet. The Bobcats added a third meet to its home schedule this year with the MSU Triangular Meet on April 21, followed by the Cat-Griz Dual on April 28 in Bozeman.
"We've always had a large amount of home indoor events, because we're one of three teams in the conference that can actually run indoor track and field, so we're always busy at home during the indoor season," Kennedy said. "But this year, one of the things that happened was we got an additional meet outdoors. I've been trying to get that done for years, but with the brand-new outdoor surface, I was really on a mission to get a third meet out there. We're pretty excited to get to be at home multiple times outdoors."
Kennedy's squads are set to compete in the Powder River Dual versus Wyoming in Gillette for the fifth consecutive season on Jan. 27. It will be the Bobcats' lone meet away from their home confines ahead of the Big Sky Conference Indoor Championships from Feb. 22-24 on the campus of Northern Arizona.
Both of MSU's teams finished third at the Big Sky Indoor meet in Pocatello in 2017.
"The conference championships are always the highlight of our three seasons," Kennedy said. "One of the things that we will be confronted with is that we'll be running the Big Sky Indoor meet on a 300-meter track and we won't have been on one prior to Flagstaff. We'll try to familiarize our kids with it as much as we can."
The outdoor slate for the Bobcats sees the men's and women's squads venture south and west.
MSU heads to Missoula for the Al Manuel Northwest Dual meet on March 30 and follows that with the Utah-Weber State Spring Classic on April 6-7. A select few athletes will head to the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays from April 19-20, but a larger group will travel to California for the Triton Invitational – the first time MSU has competed in the event – from April 13-14.
"One of the things that's going to be really different for us than over the years, after the Utah Spring Classic is we've always headed to the Mt. SAC Relays with a smaller contingent of kids," Kennedy said. "That meet moved weekends though and we discovered a great meet at UC San Diego. What will also be different for us is that we'll go down with 40 kids. That's the largest group we've ever taken to California, so this will give more kids an opportunity to be part of a high-end meet with pretty good weather."
Following MSU's two hosted meets, the Bobcats will end their regular season at the Tom Gage Classic which rotates to Missoula this year.
The Bobcats' hard work leads up to the Big Sky Conference Outdoor Championships which will be held in Moscow, Idaho, beginning on May 8. The NCAA Outdoor Championships are scheduled in Eugene for a June 6 starting date. The NCAA West Preliminary Rounds, the precursor to the NCAA Championships, will take place in Sacramento from May 24-26.
MSU looks to improve on the nine it sent the preliminary rounds a year ago along with its men's and women's teams' fifth-place finishes at the Big Sky meet.
"We certainly would like to improve on the amount of athletes we send to the first round of the NCAA Championships (in Sacramento)," Kennedy said. "I wouldn't say we could double that number, but I bet we can get an additional three or four kids that qualify and possibly more.
"The overall big picture vision is the conference championships. Both indoors and outdoors we think we have an opportunity to climb the ladder and finish higher. Particularly on our men's team, this will be the strongest men's team we've had in several years. We really have a vision that we can take a run at a championship. Our women's team will be improved as well. We're not sure if we're in a situation that we can win a conference meet on the women's side, but we will be better than we were. We laid the foundation a year ago for quality teams in 2018."
The indoor and outdoor schedules are highlighted by 10 meets hosted by the Bobcats. MSU opens its campaign in 2017 with the Bobcat Preview, a Blue-Gold intersquad meet on Dec. 2.
The Bobcats begin the New Year on Jan. 8 with their annual mulits meet hosting the University of Montana, then compete two consecutive weekends in Brick Breeden Fieldhouse on Jan. 12 and Jan. 19. MSU will host three straight weekends of meets in February – the MSU Dual Meet Invitational, Bobcat Invite and the Big Sky Tuner – before the Big Sky Conference Championships.
MSU makes its outdoor team debut on the new blue and gold BSS 1000 All-Weather Track Surface on March 24 for the MSU Ice Breaker meet. The Bobcats added a third meet to its home schedule this year with the MSU Triangular Meet on April 21, followed by the Cat-Griz Dual on April 28 in Bozeman.
"We've always had a large amount of home indoor events, because we're one of three teams in the conference that can actually run indoor track and field, so we're always busy at home during the indoor season," Kennedy said. "But this year, one of the things that happened was we got an additional meet outdoors. I've been trying to get that done for years, but with the brand-new outdoor surface, I was really on a mission to get a third meet out there. We're pretty excited to get to be at home multiple times outdoors."
Kennedy's squads are set to compete in the Powder River Dual versus Wyoming in Gillette for the fifth consecutive season on Jan. 27. It will be the Bobcats' lone meet away from their home confines ahead of the Big Sky Conference Indoor Championships from Feb. 22-24 on the campus of Northern Arizona.
Both of MSU's teams finished third at the Big Sky Indoor meet in Pocatello in 2017.
"The conference championships are always the highlight of our three seasons," Kennedy said. "One of the things that we will be confronted with is that we'll be running the Big Sky Indoor meet on a 300-meter track and we won't have been on one prior to Flagstaff. We'll try to familiarize our kids with it as much as we can."
The outdoor slate for the Bobcats sees the men's and women's squads venture south and west.
MSU heads to Missoula for the Al Manuel Northwest Dual meet on March 30 and follows that with the Utah-Weber State Spring Classic on April 6-7. A select few athletes will head to the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays from April 19-20, but a larger group will travel to California for the Triton Invitational – the first time MSU has competed in the event – from April 13-14.
"One of the things that's going to be really different for us than over the years, after the Utah Spring Classic is we've always headed to the Mt. SAC Relays with a smaller contingent of kids," Kennedy said. "That meet moved weekends though and we discovered a great meet at UC San Diego. What will also be different for us is that we'll go down with 40 kids. That's the largest group we've ever taken to California, so this will give more kids an opportunity to be part of a high-end meet with pretty good weather."
Following MSU's two hosted meets, the Bobcats will end their regular season at the Tom Gage Classic which rotates to Missoula this year.
The Bobcats' hard work leads up to the Big Sky Conference Outdoor Championships which will be held in Moscow, Idaho, beginning on May 8. The NCAA Outdoor Championships are scheduled in Eugene for a June 6 starting date. The NCAA West Preliminary Rounds, the precursor to the NCAA Championships, will take place in Sacramento from May 24-26.
MSU looks to improve on the nine it sent the preliminary rounds a year ago along with its men's and women's teams' fifth-place finishes at the Big Sky meet.
"We certainly would like to improve on the amount of athletes we send to the first round of the NCAA Championships (in Sacramento)," Kennedy said. "I wouldn't say we could double that number, but I bet we can get an additional three or four kids that qualify and possibly more.
"The overall big picture vision is the conference championships. Both indoors and outdoors we think we have an opportunity to climb the ladder and finish higher. Particularly on our men's team, this will be the strongest men's team we've had in several years. We really have a vision that we can take a run at a championship. Our women's team will be improved as well. We're not sure if we're in a situation that we can win a conference meet on the women's side, but we will be better than we were. We laid the foundation a year ago for quality teams in 2018."
Friday, February 11
Monday, February 18
Tuesday, February 12
Tuesday, February 05
