Photo by: Andrew Pedersen
Bobcat Distance Group Seeing Fall Success Translate to the Track
2/1/2018 3:45:00 PM | Women's Track and Field
MSU women's runners Caroline Hardin, Kelsi Lasota, Anna French and Samantha Kelderman make up a group that's currently ranked fourth in the country in the 5,000m
It became evident early that Montana State's women's distance group was making strides.
It started with the cross country season. The Bobcats finished runner-up at the conference championship which was their best effort at the Big Sky meet since 1999. Two Bobcats earned top-10 finishes at the same meet for the first time since 2011 and the squad had the Big Sky Freshman of the Year in Trisha Carlson.
The season came to a close at the Mountain Regional, but MSU improved four spots in the team standings from the year prior and nearly had an individual qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Then Dec. 2, 2017, came around.
Caroline Hardin and Kelsi Lasota teamed up to break the 5,000-meter run program record – one that had been held since 2004 – at the Bobcat Preview. A meet, that until this year, was customarily used as an intrasquad scrimmage. Just a precursor to the eventual season that would begin at the turn of the New Year.
While Hardin became the event record holder with a time of 16:34.95, Lasota was right behind her at 16:40.66.
Two months later, and with the Bobcats gearing up for a pursuit towards a conference title, MSU's distance group looks to continue pushing new boundaries.
According to the USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Event Squad Rankings released on Monday, Montana State is currently the fourth best team in the nation in the 5,000. Despite national meets taking place throughout the country preparing for Division I conference championships, Hardin (32nd), Lasota (39th), Anna French (44th) and Samantha Kelderman (106th) make up the Bobcats' contingent that is listed on the USTFCCCA rankings.
Each athlete has their own story and experience that has helped propel the Bobcat distance program.
French, Hardin, Kelderman and Lasota are each competing in their first indoor track seasons for Montana State.
French came to MSU as a transfer from West Virginia.
Hardin, a Bozeman native, originally ran cross country for MSU in 2014 and returned to the Bobcat lineup for the first time this past fall.
Lasota, a transfer from Boise State, competed unattached at MSU meets a year ago.
Kelderman is in the midst of a freshman campaign.
"I think that's what kind of makes it a little bit better," Lasota said of the group's achievements. "We all haven't really had a team like this before and had people to run with. It's kind of cool because we all have different backgrounds. We've all been through different challenges and just to come together and know we all have the same goal is awesome."
Montana State has already made a significant imprint on its program's distance all-time top 10 marks this year.
Anna French joined Hardin and Lasota in the record book in the 5,000 with her time of 16:46.30 which placed her fifth in Bobcat history. She joined the all-time top 10 at ninth in the mile just a weekend ago with a time of 4:51.58 behind a first-place finish at the Powder River Dual.
Lasota moved to eighth all-time in the 3,000 at MSU (9:40.32) with another solid performance at the Powder River Dual. Meanwhile, Kelderman's first year specializing in running has led to her lifetime best in the 5,000 placing her just 15 seconds outside of the program's top 10 personal marks.
"It's just really exciting how things have come together for the women's distance group as a whole," distance coach Lyle Weese said. "To have three of our top five marks all-time in the 5,000 come in the same season is really great, as well as have a freshman in Samantha run well and along with the other three."
It's taken a full group effort almost daily to see the results they have attained this season.
With practices every day except Sunday, though Lasota explained that plenty of Bobcats end up running seven days a week, the lead up to a meet can get to be long. Runners' mileage varies from 50-80 miles a week to prepare to compete at a high Division I level.
That experience has paid dividends for an MSU group that has sights set on lofty expectations.
"I think the mindset to me is that how we train together, that's how we're going to race," French said. "If we can be together in workouts and lift each other in that way, that'll carry over into the race. The only 5K I've done this season on our indoor track, I was paced by Kelsi and Caroline. I just feel like there's this cool camaraderie we have that we'll bring into the conference meet."
Hardin leads the Bobcats in the 5,000 with the second fastest mark in the Big Sky Conference. Lasota follows her with the third fastest, French currently sits in fifth and Kelderman is just shy of a spot that would earn points at the conference meet with her at 12th on the performance list.
But, the freshman has big goals for herself. Kelderman said she's grown during her time in Blue and Gold because of the support she's received from her fellow teammates.
"It's been really great I guess because in high school I didn't have a ton of experience in running because I played basketball a lot," Kelderman said. "I was super motivated to do well on my own, but once I came here and was surrounded by the atmosphere of 'everyone here is good and everyone wants to be here,' I really fed off of that competitive energy and drive.
"My teammates just keep me motivated to be strong and push through races to a level I haven't been before. I attribute that to being around really great competition."
Kelderman, along with the three other Bobcats, will look to play a role outside of the event that features them among the best currently in Division I track and field.
Lasota's 3,000 time ranks her first to this point in the Big Sky Conference. Hardin (9:47.11) is second in that same event and Kelderman follows those two with her time of 9:54.27 ranking her sixth in the Big Sky.
French's recent mark in the mile put her second in the event among Big Sky competitors.
Those four distance runners help bolster an MSU lineup with depth that hopes to have success at the conference meet.
"First, we need to figure out what events they'll be running at conference," Weese said of MSU's three weeks going into the Big Sky Championships. "They can do different things and have multiple talents. I think part of it is looking forward in terms of cross country next fall and having a group like that as a base. The other individuals will continue to improve and move up to their level, so we can have a powerhouse women's cross country team."
Not the worst problem to have for a group surpassing expectations.
It started with the cross country season. The Bobcats finished runner-up at the conference championship which was their best effort at the Big Sky meet since 1999. Two Bobcats earned top-10 finishes at the same meet for the first time since 2011 and the squad had the Big Sky Freshman of the Year in Trisha Carlson.
The season came to a close at the Mountain Regional, but MSU improved four spots in the team standings from the year prior and nearly had an individual qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Then Dec. 2, 2017, came around.
Caroline Hardin and Kelsi Lasota teamed up to break the 5,000-meter run program record – one that had been held since 2004 – at the Bobcat Preview. A meet, that until this year, was customarily used as an intrasquad scrimmage. Just a precursor to the eventual season that would begin at the turn of the New Year.
While Hardin became the event record holder with a time of 16:34.95, Lasota was right behind her at 16:40.66.
Two months later, and with the Bobcats gearing up for a pursuit towards a conference title, MSU's distance group looks to continue pushing new boundaries.
According to the USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Event Squad Rankings released on Monday, Montana State is currently the fourth best team in the nation in the 5,000. Despite national meets taking place throughout the country preparing for Division I conference championships, Hardin (32nd), Lasota (39th), Anna French (44th) and Samantha Kelderman (106th) make up the Bobcats' contingent that is listed on the USTFCCCA rankings.
Each athlete has their own story and experience that has helped propel the Bobcat distance program.
French, Hardin, Kelderman and Lasota are each competing in their first indoor track seasons for Montana State.
French came to MSU as a transfer from West Virginia.
Hardin, a Bozeman native, originally ran cross country for MSU in 2014 and returned to the Bobcat lineup for the first time this past fall.
Lasota, a transfer from Boise State, competed unattached at MSU meets a year ago.
Kelderman is in the midst of a freshman campaign.
"I think that's what kind of makes it a little bit better," Lasota said of the group's achievements. "We all haven't really had a team like this before and had people to run with. It's kind of cool because we all have different backgrounds. We've all been through different challenges and just to come together and know we all have the same goal is awesome."
Montana State has already made a significant imprint on its program's distance all-time top 10 marks this year.
Anna French joined Hardin and Lasota in the record book in the 5,000 with her time of 16:46.30 which placed her fifth in Bobcat history. She joined the all-time top 10 at ninth in the mile just a weekend ago with a time of 4:51.58 behind a first-place finish at the Powder River Dual.
Lasota moved to eighth all-time in the 3,000 at MSU (9:40.32) with another solid performance at the Powder River Dual. Meanwhile, Kelderman's first year specializing in running has led to her lifetime best in the 5,000 placing her just 15 seconds outside of the program's top 10 personal marks.
"It's just really exciting how things have come together for the women's distance group as a whole," distance coach Lyle Weese said. "To have three of our top five marks all-time in the 5,000 come in the same season is really great, as well as have a freshman in Samantha run well and along with the other three."
It's taken a full group effort almost daily to see the results they have attained this season.
With practices every day except Sunday, though Lasota explained that plenty of Bobcats end up running seven days a week, the lead up to a meet can get to be long. Runners' mileage varies from 50-80 miles a week to prepare to compete at a high Division I level.
That experience has paid dividends for an MSU group that has sights set on lofty expectations.
"I think the mindset to me is that how we train together, that's how we're going to race," French said. "If we can be together in workouts and lift each other in that way, that'll carry over into the race. The only 5K I've done this season on our indoor track, I was paced by Kelsi and Caroline. I just feel like there's this cool camaraderie we have that we'll bring into the conference meet."
Hardin leads the Bobcats in the 5,000 with the second fastest mark in the Big Sky Conference. Lasota follows her with the third fastest, French currently sits in fifth and Kelderman is just shy of a spot that would earn points at the conference meet with her at 12th on the performance list.
But, the freshman has big goals for herself. Kelderman said she's grown during her time in Blue and Gold because of the support she's received from her fellow teammates.
"It's been really great I guess because in high school I didn't have a ton of experience in running because I played basketball a lot," Kelderman said. "I was super motivated to do well on my own, but once I came here and was surrounded by the atmosphere of 'everyone here is good and everyone wants to be here,' I really fed off of that competitive energy and drive.
"My teammates just keep me motivated to be strong and push through races to a level I haven't been before. I attribute that to being around really great competition."
Kelderman, along with the three other Bobcats, will look to play a role outside of the event that features them among the best currently in Division I track and field.
Lasota's 3,000 time ranks her first to this point in the Big Sky Conference. Hardin (9:47.11) is second in that same event and Kelderman follows those two with her time of 9:54.27 ranking her sixth in the Big Sky.
French's recent mark in the mile put her second in the event among Big Sky competitors.
Those four distance runners help bolster an MSU lineup with depth that hopes to have success at the conference meet.
"First, we need to figure out what events they'll be running at conference," Weese said of MSU's three weeks going into the Big Sky Championships. "They can do different things and have multiple talents. I think part of it is looking forward in terms of cross country next fall and having a group like that as a base. The other individuals will continue to improve and move up to their level, so we can have a powerhouse women's cross country team."
Not the worst problem to have for a group surpassing expectations.
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
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