Letter from the AD: March 2024 Edition
3/30/2024 12:00:00 PM | General
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Dear Bobcats, As the winter sports seasons have concluded, this is a great chance to celebrate the successes of our teams and individuals and it all starts in the classroom. Bobcat student-athletes continue to impress as they earned a 3.36 grade point average during the fall semester and a 3.45 average team GPA, with 70% earning a 3.0 or better, and 144 on the Dean's List. The Bobcats continued their successful ways in competition as well. The Montana State ski team finished fifth at the NCAA Championships, with nine Bobcats earning All-America honors. The men's and women's track and field squads each finished second in the Big Sky Championships to cap a successful indoor season, setting the stage for an exciting outdoor season. MSU hosts the Big Sky Outdoor Track and Field Championships May 8-11. The Bobcat men's basketball team completed a historic run by winning their third consecutive Big Sky Tournament Championship, matching the longest such stretch in league history, and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for a matchup with Grambling State. The women's team overcame a season-long struggle with injuries to advance to the semifinals of the conference tournament. The "Greatest Show on Dirt" is just around the corner as the MSU Rodeo team will host the annual Spring Rodeo in the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here. The MSU golf spring schedule is in full swing. Even though the golf team is on the road all spring, chasing better weather and green grass, you can follow the action on the Bobcat Athletics website and mobile app (Apple or Google) as live stats are available for most tournaments. Men's and women's tennis are hitting the Big Sky Conference portion of their schedules, and you can catch them at home in the Bobcat-Anderson Tennis Center for the next month. Outdoor track and field has also started their outdoor competition. You can stay connected with all Bobcat sports on the Bobcat Athletics website or official mobile app (Apple or Google) for information, schedules, results, and live stats. As announced earlier this week, fundraising for the Indoor Athletic Center nears the finish line, with under $1M remaining to meet our goal and begin construction. This building promises to offer Montana State student-athletes the opportunity to optimize their performance in a safe, climate-controlled space. If you are interested in helping us complete this transformational project, please click here. In the coming weeks we will share even more details on the project, which promises to impact our entire department as well as the Bozeman community. Name, Image, and Likeness continues to be a hot topic across the college sports landscape, and as we have seen, NIL combined with the Transfer Portal can change the way any roster looks at the end of a season. There are many ways to contribute and support Bobcat student-athletes through NIL. The two I want to highlight are the Bobcat Collective and the MSU Bobcat Exchange. Click the links to learn more on how to support our current student-athletes. I also want to thank former MSU student-athlete Brandon Vancleeve and the Bobcat Collective for leading the charge in NIL for MSU and putting us in a position to be competitive in this space. With all the craziness and change in the world of college athletics, the constants are Bobcat Athletics is in a great place and all our programs continue to excel in the classroom and compete for championships. It is our goal and responsibility to ensure that continues. As a fan and donor, thank you for your continued support and for enabling our programs to achieve at the highest level. As you know, our costs to provide a first-class experience for our Bobcat student-athletes continue to rise so the need to focus on supporting the Bobcat Club has never been more important. As the fundamental resource for recruiting and retaining championship- caliber student-athletes, the Bobcat Club is critical to the success of our athletic programs. Since 2016, Athletic scholarship expenses have risen more than $1M, and your support of the Bobcat Club and of our student-athletes is more essential than ever. To make a gift to support Bobcat student-athletes, click here. Thank you for your continued support of Bobcat Athletics. There are many great things on the horizon "It's a great day to be a Bobcat!" |
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Leon Costello |
