Photo by: Sam Bloom
Trisha Carlson Adds to Impressive Freshman Resume Heading to NCAA West Regional
5/21/2018 2:29:00 PM | Women's Track and Field
Montana State freshman Trisha Carlson has had a standout debut season for the Bobcat track and field team. She looks to put together a strong finish to her freshman campaign at the NCAA West Preliminary Round in Sacramento Friday.
Trisha Carlson stepped foot on the Montana State University campus as a Bobcat for the first time in the fall of 2017. It's been an eventful first year in Bozeman for the Great Falls native.
Carlson was a multi-sport athlete for C.M. Russell High School before graduating in the spring of 2017. She lettered four times in track and field and volleyball to go along with earning two letters in cross country. Carlson put the finishing touches on her prep career as a Rustler almost a year ago by placing and appearing in multiple events at the MHSA Class AA State Meet.
She's continued that trend in the Blue and Gold.
Carlson's opening collegiate campaign has been filled with top performances and notable highlights. Her transition into college hasn't been easy, but it's been one that has helped her develop.
"It's definitely tiring," Carlson said of the rigors of college. "At the same time, you learn to just kind of enjoy the little moments like going on runs with your friends, working through the process and training in general. It's been a rollercoaster. I've had to learn to latch on and go with it. But, it's been fun and I've enjoyed the experience."
Carlson didn't take long to make an impact for the Bobcats.
The Montana State women's cross country team earned its highest finish at the Big Sky Championship since 1999 in October when it placed runner-up behind Northern Arizona in Ogden, Utah. Carlson was at the forefront of the team performance, taking third in the lineup and 12th overall in the race with a time of 17 minutes, 54.5 seconds. Her effort led to her being awarded Big Sky Freshman of the Year and capped a schedule that saw her finish in MSU's scoring lineup in four of five races. She also placed third among the Bobcat contingent in each of MSU's final two meets.
"I had high expectations for Trisha," said Lyle Weese, Montana State's head cross country coach and the track team's distance coach. "Just because of somewhat limited training, because of her being a multi-sport athlete in high school, yet she was able to still really run well at the state cross country meet. She had a great junior track season and had a solid senior year.
"I wasn't thinking too much about Big Sky Freshman of the Year, but I thought she could be one of the better runners in the conference right away."
Carlson sustained her success moving into the indoor track and field season.
She found a sweet spot in the mid-distance events for the Bobcats during the indoor slate. Carlson jumped to sixth all-time on the Bobcats' 800-meter run chart by setting a lifetime-best mark of 2:10.90. She nearly scored points for MSU in the mile at the Big Sky Championships by taking ninth in a time of 5:14.83, but did achieve all-conference honors by anchoring a third-place distance medley relay squad in Flagstaff on Feb. 23.
A freshman snag could have been expected at some point during the year. Instead, Carlson continued to perform during the outdoor campaign.
The MSU freshman recently completed her first individual all-conference performance for the Bobcats at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships in Moscow, Idaho. She finished second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase to Portland State's Sarah Medved by just two seconds. Her effort at the Big Sky meet was just an indicator of what she'd accomplished during the spring months.
Carlson joined the MSU outdoor all-time top 10 list in the 800 (2:12.40), but the 3,000 steeplechase became her standout event as the season progressed. She made her steeplechase debut in Missoula in late March, but her training started to pay dividends in California. In just her second-ever competitive steeple race at the Triton Invitational on April 14, Carlson ran a time of 10:35.93 that put her into the Bobcat record book. A week later at the prestigious Mt. SAC relays, Carlson recorded MSU's second-fastest time in program history of 10:21.63, a mark that has her freshman season still ongoing with the NCAA Preliminary Round in sight.
"I'd say it was a fun process because running is a challenge," Carlson said of getting to learn and train in the event. "Then you add steeples in, it's just like I get to have fun, leap over things, jump in the water, it's just been a new experience I've really enjoyed."
Weese said its Carlson's strong background in a variety of events, and the development of a year-round approach to her craft, that's helped Carlson succeed in the event at an early stage in her collegiate career. In a race that involves 28 barriers and seven water jumps, it takes an athlete that can utilize different skill sets to thrive in the steeplechase.
"She just has a lot of ability," Weese said. "She wasn't a hurdler in high school, so it's taken the year to learn the hurdles and how to run the steeplechase. With her athleticism and her ability, she's taken to it very quickly. I think it's an event that she can compete in at some of the highest levels."
Carlson hasn't just flourished on track since the start of her first semester at Montana State, but also in the classroom. The second part may have been the most likely to be expected.
The C.M. Russell graduate was a Vice President of her student body, a member of National Honor Society, among other scholarly accolades as a Rustler. Her academic prowess has translated to MSU already. The Bobcat freshman is a Big Sky Conference two-time All-Academic Team honoree, possessing a 4.0 grade-point average while majoring in cell biology and neuroscience.
Her efforts haven't gone unnoticed by her peers and coaches. She was named the Female Rookie of the Year by Montana State's student-athletes at the athletic department's annual student-athlete recognition banquet; The Golden Bobcats. She also earned letters in cross country and indoor track, while being named the women's indoor track team's Freshman Award winner.
"She's been really steady so she doesn't get too high or too low," Weese said. "She just comes to practice and works hard every day."
Carlson will have the opportunity to put a stamp on her first year in college on Friday.
Carlson, along with MSU sophomore Anna French, are set to compete in the NCAA Preliminaries of the women's 3,000 steeplechase at approximately 10 p.m. MDT in Sacramento, Calif. Seeded 26th among the competitors, Carlson would advance to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore., if she can finish in the top 12 of the individual standings.
Heading into her first regionals appearance, Carlson will be taking the entire experience in when the gun goes off on Friday.
"I think my goal is to break my personal record," Carlson said. "I want to race as well as I can. I know that regionals are really big so I'm definitely nervous for it, but I'm excited to see how well I can do."
Carlson was a multi-sport athlete for C.M. Russell High School before graduating in the spring of 2017. She lettered four times in track and field and volleyball to go along with earning two letters in cross country. Carlson put the finishing touches on her prep career as a Rustler almost a year ago by placing and appearing in multiple events at the MHSA Class AA State Meet.
She's continued that trend in the Blue and Gold.
Carlson's opening collegiate campaign has been filled with top performances and notable highlights. Her transition into college hasn't been easy, but it's been one that has helped her develop.
"It's definitely tiring," Carlson said of the rigors of college. "At the same time, you learn to just kind of enjoy the little moments like going on runs with your friends, working through the process and training in general. It's been a rollercoaster. I've had to learn to latch on and go with it. But, it's been fun and I've enjoyed the experience."
Carlson didn't take long to make an impact for the Bobcats.
The Montana State women's cross country team earned its highest finish at the Big Sky Championship since 1999 in October when it placed runner-up behind Northern Arizona in Ogden, Utah. Carlson was at the forefront of the team performance, taking third in the lineup and 12th overall in the race with a time of 17 minutes, 54.5 seconds. Her effort led to her being awarded Big Sky Freshman of the Year and capped a schedule that saw her finish in MSU's scoring lineup in four of five races. She also placed third among the Bobcat contingent in each of MSU's final two meets.
"I had high expectations for Trisha," said Lyle Weese, Montana State's head cross country coach and the track team's distance coach. "Just because of somewhat limited training, because of her being a multi-sport athlete in high school, yet she was able to still really run well at the state cross country meet. She had a great junior track season and had a solid senior year.
"I wasn't thinking too much about Big Sky Freshman of the Year, but I thought she could be one of the better runners in the conference right away."
Carlson sustained her success moving into the indoor track and field season.
She found a sweet spot in the mid-distance events for the Bobcats during the indoor slate. Carlson jumped to sixth all-time on the Bobcats' 800-meter run chart by setting a lifetime-best mark of 2:10.90. She nearly scored points for MSU in the mile at the Big Sky Championships by taking ninth in a time of 5:14.83, but did achieve all-conference honors by anchoring a third-place distance medley relay squad in Flagstaff on Feb. 23.
A freshman snag could have been expected at some point during the year. Instead, Carlson continued to perform during the outdoor campaign.
The MSU freshman recently completed her first individual all-conference performance for the Bobcats at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships in Moscow, Idaho. She finished second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase to Portland State's Sarah Medved by just two seconds. Her effort at the Big Sky meet was just an indicator of what she'd accomplished during the spring months.
Carlson joined the MSU outdoor all-time top 10 list in the 800 (2:12.40), but the 3,000 steeplechase became her standout event as the season progressed. She made her steeplechase debut in Missoula in late March, but her training started to pay dividends in California. In just her second-ever competitive steeple race at the Triton Invitational on April 14, Carlson ran a time of 10:35.93 that put her into the Bobcat record book. A week later at the prestigious Mt. SAC relays, Carlson recorded MSU's second-fastest time in program history of 10:21.63, a mark that has her freshman season still ongoing with the NCAA Preliminary Round in sight.
"I'd say it was a fun process because running is a challenge," Carlson said of getting to learn and train in the event. "Then you add steeples in, it's just like I get to have fun, leap over things, jump in the water, it's just been a new experience I've really enjoyed."
Weese said its Carlson's strong background in a variety of events, and the development of a year-round approach to her craft, that's helped Carlson succeed in the event at an early stage in her collegiate career. In a race that involves 28 barriers and seven water jumps, it takes an athlete that can utilize different skill sets to thrive in the steeplechase.
"She just has a lot of ability," Weese said. "She wasn't a hurdler in high school, so it's taken the year to learn the hurdles and how to run the steeplechase. With her athleticism and her ability, she's taken to it very quickly. I think it's an event that she can compete in at some of the highest levels."
Carlson hasn't just flourished on track since the start of her first semester at Montana State, but also in the classroom. The second part may have been the most likely to be expected.
The C.M. Russell graduate was a Vice President of her student body, a member of National Honor Society, among other scholarly accolades as a Rustler. Her academic prowess has translated to MSU already. The Bobcat freshman is a Big Sky Conference two-time All-Academic Team honoree, possessing a 4.0 grade-point average while majoring in cell biology and neuroscience.
Her efforts haven't gone unnoticed by her peers and coaches. She was named the Female Rookie of the Year by Montana State's student-athletes at the athletic department's annual student-athlete recognition banquet; The Golden Bobcats. She also earned letters in cross country and indoor track, while being named the women's indoor track team's Freshman Award winner.
"She's been really steady so she doesn't get too high or too low," Weese said. "She just comes to practice and works hard every day."
Carlson will have the opportunity to put a stamp on her first year in college on Friday.
Carlson, along with MSU sophomore Anna French, are set to compete in the NCAA Preliminaries of the women's 3,000 steeplechase at approximately 10 p.m. MDT in Sacramento, Calif. Seeded 26th among the competitors, Carlson would advance to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore., if she can finish in the top 12 of the individual standings.
Heading into her first regionals appearance, Carlson will be taking the entire experience in when the gun goes off on Friday.
"I think my goal is to break my personal record," Carlson said. "I want to race as well as I can. I know that regionals are really big so I'm definitely nervous for it, but I'm excited to see how well I can do."
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
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Tuesday, February 05
