Bobcat Club Road Trip Makes First Stops in Lewistown, Cut Bank
4/23/2018 10:14:00 PM | General
The Bobcat Road Trip traveled north for its first two stops as MSU Athletics makes its way around the state over a four-day span
It was a Blue and Gold affair at both of Montana State's stops on the first day of the 2018 Bobcat Club Road Trip. The MSU contingent made its way to Lewistown and north to Cut Bank to complete its first day of travels.
Leon Costello and Bobcat head coaches Tricia Binford, Jeff Choate and Brian Fish had a chance to visit with MSU faithful on their own turf. That is something that isn't taken for granted because of the support Bobcat Athletics receives from across the state.
"I know the drive you all make (to Bozeman) and you guys mean the world to us," Bobcat men's basketball coach Brian Fish said at MSU's first stop. "This trip allows us to drive home just how big of a commitment our supporters make by coming to see us play. This is a great community and we're certainly appreciative of everything you do."
All three of the Montana State's head coaches on the trip had the opportunity to catch up with Bobcat supporters located in each region of the state they visited Monday. The three, along with Costello, also talked about their respective teams' previous seasons and their outlooks going into the 2018-19 campaigns.
Costello noted the Montana State Athletic Department's goal to continue assisting its student-athletes in all avenues of life. A few items of emphasis have included the addition of a registered dietician, the Bobcat Fuel nutrition station located inside Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, a focus on student-athlete well-being, as well as the Facilities Master Plan that was released in September.
"Everything we do is all about our student-athletes," Director of Athletics Leon Costello said. "You've seen a lot of things that have come out about our department, as well as our efforts to raise funds to close the gap."
Two of Costello's biggest points going forward with the Bobcat supporters at both stops was Montana State's academic success and the Facilities Master Plan; specifically Phase One. Phase One continues to be a focal point for MSU, allowing for football to have a new home as well as create more space for student-athletes to have a focus on the academic portion of their collegiate careers.
"Our main job as administrators is to help our coaches help put our student-athletes into position to have success," Costello said. "We want to put the resources into place to help them to develop as a student, as an athlete and as a person. If we can do that, then it's up to the coaches to see their program succeed."
Montana State women's basketball head coach Tricia Binford pointed out some highlights from the previous year, such as Hannah Caudill becoming the program's all-time assists leader, during both stops. Binford also has an eye on MSU's ascendance heading into 2018-19 with a big season ahead a possibility for the Bobcats.
"We have great things unfolding for our team," Binford said. "We're excited about the trajectory of all of our athletic programs. We're increasing in our season ticket sales, our home attendance, I think these things are just highlights of what are going on within the athletic department."
Bobcat men's basketball head coach Brian Fish said he appreciated the northern contingent of Bobcat fans that helped make the summer trip to Calgary a year ago a memorable experience for the team. He also expressed the strides the athletic department has made during his time at MSU.
Coach Fish explained at both stops the experience of playing in Great Falls to open the 2017-18 season. While it may be hard to at times to see the entire state of Montana, Fish said that he wants to get his team in front of as many people around the state as possible.
The 2017 Bobcat football season gave MSU fans their money's worth. With several close contests toward the end of the season, including down-to-the-wire games against Kennesaw State and Northern Arizona, it would have been easy to coast out the end. But, MSU bounced back to end the season with possession of the Great Divide Trophy with a victory over Montana.
"That was back-to-back guts shots for our guys," Choate said of the team's narrow defeats. "Then we have to go back to Bozeman and try to beat Montana who we hadn't beat at home since 2003. But, we responded. Now they know they can play with anybody in the country, period. I think the foundation is set and the culture is set. Now it's about winning. That's where we're headed."
With victories coming in to cap the last two seasons, Bobcat football has been looking ahead to an intriguing 2018 season. Head coach Jeff Choate noted the Bobcats' schedule with some big matchups. MSU opens the year with a Thursday Gold Rush game against the Missouri Valley Football Conference's Western Illinois Fighting Leathernecks, a team that reached the FCS Playoffs a season ago.
It doesn't get much easier the next week when the Bobcats make a trip to Brookings to face South Dakota State, a playoffs semifinalist before bowing out to the previous year's national champion in James Madison. The Big Sky Conference schedule adds quality with Idaho back on the schedule for the first time in years as well. With plenty of position battles going into fall ball, MSU football will be a fun team to keep track of as the season progresses.
The Bobcat Club Road Trip travels to two more locations on Tuesday. The caravan heads East with the first stop at the Cottonwood Inn in Glasgow for lunch with the meet up getting started at 11:30 a.m. MSU's journey on Tuesday ends with dinner at Cousin's Family Restaurant in Plentywood beginning at 7:30 p.m. To see all of the Bobcat Club's upcoming events, visit msubobcatclub.com/events.
#GoCatsGo
Leon Costello and Bobcat head coaches Tricia Binford, Jeff Choate and Brian Fish had a chance to visit with MSU faithful on their own turf. That is something that isn't taken for granted because of the support Bobcat Athletics receives from across the state.
"I know the drive you all make (to Bozeman) and you guys mean the world to us," Bobcat men's basketball coach Brian Fish said at MSU's first stop. "This trip allows us to drive home just how big of a commitment our supporters make by coming to see us play. This is a great community and we're certainly appreciative of everything you do."
All three of the Montana State's head coaches on the trip had the opportunity to catch up with Bobcat supporters located in each region of the state they visited Monday. The three, along with Costello, also talked about their respective teams' previous seasons and their outlooks going into the 2018-19 campaigns.
Costello noted the Montana State Athletic Department's goal to continue assisting its student-athletes in all avenues of life. A few items of emphasis have included the addition of a registered dietician, the Bobcat Fuel nutrition station located inside Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, a focus on student-athlete well-being, as well as the Facilities Master Plan that was released in September.
"Everything we do is all about our student-athletes," Director of Athletics Leon Costello said. "You've seen a lot of things that have come out about our department, as well as our efforts to raise funds to close the gap."
Two of Costello's biggest points going forward with the Bobcat supporters at both stops was Montana State's academic success and the Facilities Master Plan; specifically Phase One. Phase One continues to be a focal point for MSU, allowing for football to have a new home as well as create more space for student-athletes to have a focus on the academic portion of their collegiate careers.
"Our main job as administrators is to help our coaches help put our student-athletes into position to have success," Costello said. "We want to put the resources into place to help them to develop as a student, as an athlete and as a person. If we can do that, then it's up to the coaches to see their program succeed."
Montana State women's basketball head coach Tricia Binford pointed out some highlights from the previous year, such as Hannah Caudill becoming the program's all-time assists leader, during both stops. Binford also has an eye on MSU's ascendance heading into 2018-19 with a big season ahead a possibility for the Bobcats.
"We have great things unfolding for our team," Binford said. "We're excited about the trajectory of all of our athletic programs. We're increasing in our season ticket sales, our home attendance, I think these things are just highlights of what are going on within the athletic department."
Bobcat men's basketball head coach Brian Fish said he appreciated the northern contingent of Bobcat fans that helped make the summer trip to Calgary a year ago a memorable experience for the team. He also expressed the strides the athletic department has made during his time at MSU.
Coach Fish explained at both stops the experience of playing in Great Falls to open the 2017-18 season. While it may be hard to at times to see the entire state of Montana, Fish said that he wants to get his team in front of as many people around the state as possible.
The 2017 Bobcat football season gave MSU fans their money's worth. With several close contests toward the end of the season, including down-to-the-wire games against Kennesaw State and Northern Arizona, it would have been easy to coast out the end. But, MSU bounced back to end the season with possession of the Great Divide Trophy with a victory over Montana.
"That was back-to-back guts shots for our guys," Choate said of the team's narrow defeats. "Then we have to go back to Bozeman and try to beat Montana who we hadn't beat at home since 2003. But, we responded. Now they know they can play with anybody in the country, period. I think the foundation is set and the culture is set. Now it's about winning. That's where we're headed."
With victories coming in to cap the last two seasons, Bobcat football has been looking ahead to an intriguing 2018 season. Head coach Jeff Choate noted the Bobcats' schedule with some big matchups. MSU opens the year with a Thursday Gold Rush game against the Missouri Valley Football Conference's Western Illinois Fighting Leathernecks, a team that reached the FCS Playoffs a season ago.
It doesn't get much easier the next week when the Bobcats make a trip to Brookings to face South Dakota State, a playoffs semifinalist before bowing out to the previous year's national champion in James Madison. The Big Sky Conference schedule adds quality with Idaho back on the schedule for the first time in years as well. With plenty of position battles going into fall ball, MSU football will be a fun team to keep track of as the season progresses.
The Bobcat Club Road Trip travels to two more locations on Tuesday. The caravan heads East with the first stop at the Cottonwood Inn in Glasgow for lunch with the meet up getting started at 11:30 a.m. MSU's journey on Tuesday ends with dinner at Cousin's Family Restaurant in Plentywood beginning at 7:30 p.m. To see all of the Bobcat Club's upcoming events, visit msubobcatclub.com/events.
#GoCatsGo
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