The Montana State men’s and women’s track and field teams were both selected to finish second in the Big Sky Conference Outdoor Track & Field Coaches’ Poll, according to a March 25 announcement from the conference office.
The preseason ranking highlights expectations for strong performances from both Bobcat squads as they prepare for the outdoor season. The polls are voted on by head coaches from each of the 10 programs in the Big Sky Conference.
In the poll results, the Montana State women received 92 votes, including two first-place votes, while the men earned 90 votes. Both teams finished second at this year’s Big Sky Indoor Championships. During that indoor season, Montana State athletes achieved a combined total of 73 individual event wins, made 69 improvements to their program’s all-time top-10 list, set 16 school records and five conference records, collected ten Athlete of the Week awards within their conference, and saw Hailey Coey (long jump) and Sydney Brewster (shot put) earn Second-Team All-America honors.
Northern Arizona was picked to win both men’s and women’s titles in this year’s poll. For men’s teams: Northern Arizona led with all ten first-place votes for a total of 100 points; Montana State followed with 90 points; Montana was third with 78 points. On the women’s side: Northern Arizona had eight first-place votes (98 points), while Montana State had two first-place nods (92 points), with Montana again finishing third in voting at 77 points.
Montana State will open its outdoor campaign at the Cat-Griz Dual/Al Manuel Invitational in Missoula on March 27-28. The Bobcats plan to compete in eight regular-season meets over five weekends before hosting their final home meet—the Tom Gage Classic—on May 8. Their postseason begins at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships in Portland from May 13-15, followed by NCAA West Regional competition later that month and concluding with NCAA Outdoor Championships scheduled for June.
Fans can follow updates about Montana State track & field through social media channels @MSUBobcatsTFXC or visit msubobcats.com.
