Bobcats Set for Big Sky Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships

Wednesday, May 10

Greeley, CO

All Day

Montana State University

Big Sky Outdoor Track & Field Championships

Duncan Hamilton set a school record in the 1500-meters at last Saturday's Tom Gage Invitational.

Photo by: Bobcat Creative Services

Bobcats Set for Big Sky Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships

5/11/2023 3:52:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

The Bobcats descend on Northern Colorado’s Nottingham Field for the 2023 Big Sky Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Friday and Saturday, May 12-13, in Greeley.

By: MSU Sports Information

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For Montana State's Dale Kennedy Director of Track and Field Head Coach Lyle Weese, there is nothing more special than championship season. The Bobcats descend on Northern Colorado's Nottingham Field for the 2023 Big Sky Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Friday and Saturday, May 12-13, in Greeley.

"The Big Sky Conference championships are always a highlight of our season," Weese said. "It is a true team competition. We have had a few setbacks on the men's side in the last couple of years, but we still feel like we are going to go there and compete really well. We have a chance to place towards the top of the conference for both men and women."

While the championships started on Wednesday with the multi events – MSU did not field competitors in the decathlon or heptathlon – the Bobcats look to haul in big point totals beginning Friday with finals in several field events, along with the men's and women's 3000-meter steeplechase and 10,000-meter races. Preliminaries in running events also start on Friday afternoon.

"Our women's throwing squad is really strong as is our women's jumps.," Weese said. "The women's sprints and the men's distance are both really great groups and should score well."

Friday's running events start with steeplechase. The MSU women are paced by Grace Gilbreth who enters the event with the fifth fastest time in the conference. The men's contingent is led by Duncan Hamilton, the three-time defending champion and Big Sky record holder in the event. Hamilton holds the top time in the nation at 8:25.17. Rob McManus, Levi Taylor, and Owen Smith will join the Bozeman product. The foursome is the top event group in the country.

Hamilton and McManus compete in the 1500-meter prelims immediately following the steeplechase in a true test of conditioning and endurance. The duo has less than a ½ hour to regroup.

"They'll have about 15-minutes after steeplechase, before getting back on the track," Weese said. "Duncan's done the double the last two years and he feels confident. He'll make a quick change into dry shoes.

"It's a very difficult back-to-back, but he has run a lot of miles through the years and is so strong aerobically and physically," Weese added. "He's prepared to do something like that because of all his hard work over the past five years, plus high school. The first year he tried it, I thought it would almost be impossible, but he ended up making it through easy, and then last year cruised through it again. I am also looking forward to seeing how Rob (McManus) manages it, as well."

Friday's competition finishes with the 10k as Camila Noe, Ben Perrin and Matthew Richtman look to put points on the board. Noe enters with the second-best time among Big Sky women and her season-best 33:00.41 ranks No. 27 in the nation. Perrin and Richtman enter with the top two times, respectively. Perrin's mark of 28:25.24 ranks No. 24 in the country.

In Friday's field events, Bobcat freshman Hailey Coey enters the long jump with the top mark in the Big Sky, while Maisee Brown ranks third in pole vault. Throwers Jordan Fink and Leah Klein will also look for points in the shot put. On the men's side Matt Furdyk, Carter Slade, and Elijah Jackman will double in the hammer and discus.

The Bobcat women's sprint group will guide MSU in the preliminary races as Macy White, Jaeden Wollf, Peyton Garrison, Caroline Hawkes, and Leigha Carter look to advance to Saturday's finals.

"Macy has been so steady and has done well all year, and then we have an incredible group of freshmen," Weese said. "Overall, that women's sprint squad has the ability to score a lot of points."

Fans can watch the Big Sky Conference championships live on ESPN+ and follow live results by going to the Bobcat Track and Field schedule pages at www.msubobcats.com.