Letter From Montana State Director of Athletics Leon Costello
8/24/2018 4:23:00 PM | General
MSU Director of Athletics Leon Costello releases his most recent letter to the Bobcat fan base
Dear Bobcat Nation,
It's hard to believe the Fall season is upon us. It seems like just yesterday I was traveling with the Bobcat Club across the state for its annual road trip, seeing our great Bobcat fans that live in the great state of Montana. But while there's still a little time to enjoy the rest of the summer in this beautiful part of the country, we are looking forward to a big year in Bobcat Athletics. Here's a snapshot of where we're at on the Montana State campus.
We had a solid year athletically during the 2017-18 athletic season in a variety of our programs, highlighted by our second consecutive Brawl of the Wild Series victory and Cat-Griz football victory. We captured 12 of 17 points in the rivalry series against the Grizzlies and clinched the matchup in February. The Brawl of the Wild rivalry embodies what college athletics is all about. From sellouts in football, basketball and volleyball and unbelievable Bobcat support for all other sports, our student-athletes experience one of the best gameday atmospheres in college athletics. Thank you for continuing to support all Bobcat teams and programs.
We had several other team highlights throughout the year as well. During the fall season, Troy Andersen (football) and Trisha Carlson (women's cross country) each earned the Big Sky Freshman of the Year award in their respective sports. The women's cross-country team had its highest finish at the Big Sky Conference meet since 1999 by finishing runner-up. Bobcat volleyball reached double digit victories for the first time in five seasons. The winter season featured MSU women's basketball head coach Tricia Binford picking up her 200th career victory as the Bobcats defeated Wyoming in our first School Day game on Nov. 29. It also saw our ski team complete a sixth-place finish at the NCAA meet, tying its second highest showing in school history. Tyler Hall is returning for his senior season for the men's basketball team and has 1,861 career points (third in MSU history) and 312 career 3-pointers (program record). Diego Leon represented the track and field team at the NCAA Indoor Championships, then the program was featured at the national stage during the outdoor season by Kyle Douglass and Amanda Jaynes. Our spring sports included Kelly Hooper picking up MSU golf's first individual victory in five years when she claimed medalist honors at the Grand Canyon Invitational.
Our student-athletes continue to set the standard in the classroom as well. Currently they hold a 3.19 grade-point average, which is one the highest marks we've ever had in MSU Athletics. At the conference level, we had 140 Bobcat athletes recognized by the Big Sky for their academic and athletic feats. Mitch Herbert, Noah Andersen and Kari Hole all earned NCAA postgraduate scholarships. Track and field's Anna French was honored with an undergraduate scholarship from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Andersen was recognized as a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection for the second time, and Colin Hammock of the Bobcat football team is one of 10 students at Montana State University to receive an initial Cameron President Scholarship.
All of this is possible in part because of the funds generated from gracious donors of our Bobcat Club. The Bobcat Club Annual Scholarship Fund has seen a 10 percent growth in donors since 2017 and as a result, our goal to "Close the Gap" hit a record of $1,440,000, which is nearly a 20 percent increase from our previous fiscal year. While we have not met our final goal of $1,950,000 to fully fund student-athlete scholarships, progress is being made. You can help us "Close the Gap" by donating to the Bobcat Club today.
One of our main objectives in the Athletics Department is to balance our budget. I am happy to report we have achieved this for the second consecutive year. I'm proud of the work our administrators, coaches, and staff have done to achieve this. One of the many methods we have used to accomplish this is by increasing our revenues. As mentioned earlier, we hit a record in the Bobcat Club Annual Scholarship Fund and have continued to grow our ticket sales in all sports. We have also signed new agreements with Under Armour/Universal Athletic and Learfield/Bobcat Sports Properties that will add revenues and resources for our annual operations.
Progress continues to be made on the fundraising for Phase I of the Athletics Facilities Master Plan. This project is crucial for the academic, athletic and personal development of our student-athletes. Speaking of facilities, we have completed the installation of a new track surface and videoboard at the Bobcat Track and Field Complex. Worthington Arena is also in the process of receiving a new videoboard. These projects will add the energy and excitement to enhance the gameday experiences for our student-athletes, coaches and fans.
The Fall season kicks off with the 12th annual Gold Rush game at Bobcat Stadium when Bobcat football hosts Western Illinois on Thursday, August 30, at 7 p.m. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at the MSU Ticket Office. If you haven't already, don't forget to purchase your GOLD RUSH shirt from the MSU Bookstore or at Universal Athletic in store or online.
Please keep in mind, we have instituted new security measures for Bobcat football games for safety and efficiency purposes. Click here to view the details of this new policy for entrance into Bobcat Stadium. As a token of our appreciation, season tickets holders will receive one free, clear bag in their season ticket mailing which were mailed this week. Thank you for supporting Bobcat Athletics with your purchase of season tickets.
We are looking forward to a great year and we hope you will join us. Whether it's becoming a season ticket holder, joining the Bobcat Club, stopping by for an event or two, or following us online, we can't wait to enjoy the 2018-19 year with our MSU fans, alumni, donors and friends.
Here's to an exciting year ahead! Go Cats!
Sincerely,
Leon Costello
It's hard to believe the Fall season is upon us. It seems like just yesterday I was traveling with the Bobcat Club across the state for its annual road trip, seeing our great Bobcat fans that live in the great state of Montana. But while there's still a little time to enjoy the rest of the summer in this beautiful part of the country, we are looking forward to a big year in Bobcat Athletics. Here's a snapshot of where we're at on the Montana State campus.
We had a solid year athletically during the 2017-18 athletic season in a variety of our programs, highlighted by our second consecutive Brawl of the Wild Series victory and Cat-Griz football victory. We captured 12 of 17 points in the rivalry series against the Grizzlies and clinched the matchup in February. The Brawl of the Wild rivalry embodies what college athletics is all about. From sellouts in football, basketball and volleyball and unbelievable Bobcat support for all other sports, our student-athletes experience one of the best gameday atmospheres in college athletics. Thank you for continuing to support all Bobcat teams and programs.
We had several other team highlights throughout the year as well. During the fall season, Troy Andersen (football) and Trisha Carlson (women's cross country) each earned the Big Sky Freshman of the Year award in their respective sports. The women's cross-country team had its highest finish at the Big Sky Conference meet since 1999 by finishing runner-up. Bobcat volleyball reached double digit victories for the first time in five seasons. The winter season featured MSU women's basketball head coach Tricia Binford picking up her 200th career victory as the Bobcats defeated Wyoming in our first School Day game on Nov. 29. It also saw our ski team complete a sixth-place finish at the NCAA meet, tying its second highest showing in school history. Tyler Hall is returning for his senior season for the men's basketball team and has 1,861 career points (third in MSU history) and 312 career 3-pointers (program record). Diego Leon represented the track and field team at the NCAA Indoor Championships, then the program was featured at the national stage during the outdoor season by Kyle Douglass and Amanda Jaynes. Our spring sports included Kelly Hooper picking up MSU golf's first individual victory in five years when she claimed medalist honors at the Grand Canyon Invitational.
Our student-athletes continue to set the standard in the classroom as well. Currently they hold a 3.19 grade-point average, which is one the highest marks we've ever had in MSU Athletics. At the conference level, we had 140 Bobcat athletes recognized by the Big Sky for their academic and athletic feats. Mitch Herbert, Noah Andersen and Kari Hole all earned NCAA postgraduate scholarships. Track and field's Anna French was honored with an undergraduate scholarship from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Andersen was recognized as a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection for the second time, and Colin Hammock of the Bobcat football team is one of 10 students at Montana State University to receive an initial Cameron President Scholarship.
All of this is possible in part because of the funds generated from gracious donors of our Bobcat Club. The Bobcat Club Annual Scholarship Fund has seen a 10 percent growth in donors since 2017 and as a result, our goal to "Close the Gap" hit a record of $1,440,000, which is nearly a 20 percent increase from our previous fiscal year. While we have not met our final goal of $1,950,000 to fully fund student-athlete scholarships, progress is being made. You can help us "Close the Gap" by donating to the Bobcat Club today.
One of our main objectives in the Athletics Department is to balance our budget. I am happy to report we have achieved this for the second consecutive year. I'm proud of the work our administrators, coaches, and staff have done to achieve this. One of the many methods we have used to accomplish this is by increasing our revenues. As mentioned earlier, we hit a record in the Bobcat Club Annual Scholarship Fund and have continued to grow our ticket sales in all sports. We have also signed new agreements with Under Armour/Universal Athletic and Learfield/Bobcat Sports Properties that will add revenues and resources for our annual operations.
Progress continues to be made on the fundraising for Phase I of the Athletics Facilities Master Plan. This project is crucial for the academic, athletic and personal development of our student-athletes. Speaking of facilities, we have completed the installation of a new track surface and videoboard at the Bobcat Track and Field Complex. Worthington Arena is also in the process of receiving a new videoboard. These projects will add the energy and excitement to enhance the gameday experiences for our student-athletes, coaches and fans.
The Fall season kicks off with the 12th annual Gold Rush game at Bobcat Stadium when Bobcat football hosts Western Illinois on Thursday, August 30, at 7 p.m. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at the MSU Ticket Office. If you haven't already, don't forget to purchase your GOLD RUSH shirt from the MSU Bookstore or at Universal Athletic in store or online.
Please keep in mind, we have instituted new security measures for Bobcat football games for safety and efficiency purposes. Click here to view the details of this new policy for entrance into Bobcat Stadium. As a token of our appreciation, season tickets holders will receive one free, clear bag in their season ticket mailing which were mailed this week. Thank you for supporting Bobcat Athletics with your purchase of season tickets.
We are looking forward to a great year and we hope you will join us. Whether it's becoming a season ticket holder, joining the Bobcat Club, stopping by for an event or two, or following us online, we can't wait to enjoy the 2018-19 year with our MSU fans, alumni, donors and friends.
Here's to an exciting year ahead! Go Cats!
Sincerely,
Leon Costello
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