Sprinting to the finish line with track and field

While the winter weather persists in Bozeman, the MSU track and field team is building up momentum to compete in — and hopefully win — the Big Sky Conference Championships this upcoming spring season. 

The ‘Cats have one more indoor home meet on Friday, Feb. 16 where they’ll smooth out the bumps before the indoor Big Sky Championships held in Spokane, WA from Feb. 22 to 24. Athletes will also have the indoor NCAA Championships on their mind, which is in Boston, MA from Mar. 8 to the 9. 

“So far, the indoor season has gone well. I broke the school record in the 60m dash, and plan to reach the podium at the conference championship in Spokane,” sophomore Noah Barbery said, “After training there all throughout my senior season of high school, I intend on showing out on my second home track.” 

Even with the indoor season wrapping up, the student-athletes have their minds turned toward the spring outdoor season. 

“I have high hopes for the year. I have big goals every year. This year is special because it is an Olympic year, so I have an opportunity to make it to the Olympic trials. But it’s easy to get distracted by the marks and big goals and lose sight of the technical progress that needs to take place first,” senior pole vaulter Colby Wilson said. 

MSU regularly sends track and field competitors to the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships, and with many strong athletes on the team this year, it doesn’t seem as if that will change.

“The level of talent on our team stands out to me this year. Our sophomore class of sprinters is faster than they’ve ever been, and our new group of freshmen is performing exceptionally already. Come outdoor season, we will have the best sprints team in the Big Sky conference,” Barbery said. 

When looking at the Big Sky Conference, Northern Arizona University (NAU) stands out as a rival, but Wilson thinks this is a year where MSU may come out on top. 

“The team is always hungry for a conference title, NAU has been on top for a while, and we have a very solid team, so we’ll always be gunning for them,” Wilson said. 

With a few more indoor meets lying around the corner, it’s important to not look too far ahead, but the MSU track and field team has a lot of strong athletes. This spring is going to be one to watch. 

“My goals are to run 10.3 in the 100m and 20.9 in the 200m, and podium in both of my events. Our team goal this year is to win the conference championship at home,” Barbery said.

With MSU hosting the 2024 Big Sky Outdoor Championships on May 8 to 11 for the first time since 2012, it’s certainly an exciting time. 

Catch up with MSU track and field at https://msubobcats.com/sports/track-field, or follow their Instagram @msubobcatstfxc.