The Montana State track and field program has never relied on quick fixes. Instead, the Bobcats preach patience and a belief that the training will breed success.
In his nearly four decades helping lead MSU track and field, Dale Kennedy has put a priority on development. He understands that blue chip prospects and freshmen who will score in bunches at the Big Sky Conference indoor and outdoor meets only come around every so often.
Kennedy and his staff put a priority on recruiting hard-working athletes from around the Northwest who have athletic upside and a desire to trust the process.
“It not only takes patience on the part of the coaches but it takes patience for the kids to be long term invested and not get that overnight success,” said Kennedy, who’s young teams finished fifth on the men’s side and eighth on the women’s side at the BSC Indoor Championships in Bozeman in February. “They’ve all gotten better than they’ve ever been before. But it was an eye-opener for them to see where they were in comparison to the all-conference honorees.
“The good news is they are not very far away from being scorers.”
Five years ago, the MSU women had a youthful collection of athletes filled with potential. By the time the class led by Carley McCutchen, Paige Squire and Chantel Jaeger were seniors, the Bobcat women were among the strongest teams in the conference. MSU finished second as a team two straight years at the outdoor championships and finished second at the indoor championships two years ago.
“We are in a development thing where we are two or three years away of being a team that can contend,” Kennedy said. “Thatwomen’s team from the last two years took a few years and they developed tremendously. This group reminds me of them.”
On the women’s side, a group led by indoor champion senior Kaylee Schmitz (800 meters), podium finishers Danielle Rider (multi-events), Jessica Chrisp (jumps) and Leah Cook (jumps) and bolstered by freshmen Montana products Hailey Phillips (Plains) and Holley Anderson (Dillon) will hope to be competitive with the outdoor season on the horizon.
The men will look to build on solid indoor performances from sprinter Mitchell Hornig and throwers Kyle Douglass, Calvin Root and Zach Sharp as well as strong debuts from sprinters Jadin Casey and Samuel Bloom.
Schmitz and Casey Teska were the two individual champions for the Bobcat women in the indoor season. In order to grant herself one more season in indoor and outdoor, Teska will redshirt this spring while continuing to train in the pole vault. She will return eying a second straight indoor championship and her first outdoor title next year.
MSU pole vaulter Casey Teska
Schmitz won the indoor title in thrilling fashion, crossing the finish line with gold after Weber State’s Jamie Stokes stumbled just before the completion of the race. The 800 should again be a strength for the MSU women with reigning outdoor champion Christie Schiel back to full health. The jujnior missed much of the indoor season with an injury.
“If she can stay healthy, that’s a great one-two punch,” Kennedy said. “If (sophomore Taylor) Buschy can keep improving, that’s three who can score and they can all run the 4×400 as well.”
Kennedy hopes he can add points on both sides with improved marks and the addition of several outdoor events that are not a part of the indoor slate. Douglass and Sharp each had heartbreaking endings to their indoor seasons. Douglass had the top mark in the conference in the shot but failed to make the podium. Sharp scratched on his final throw of the weight throw to finish fourth, a spot off the podium. Douglass will add the discus, his specialty, and Sharp will transition to the weight throw.
“After the Powder River meet, Douglass could never find that sweet spot,” Kennedy said. “He and Zach might still not be over that disappointment. They are so competitive. I know the character of those guys. They have high aspirations and they will follow through and bounced back.”
The men’s team will also be bolstered by the addition of the javelin. Senior Tanner Gambill and sophomore Ty Bermes each reached the NCAA National meet in the event last season. On the women’s side, Dawn Blevins advanced to the West Regional meet as a sophomore in the javelin.
“Those two are horses and they’ve been the NCAA first round,” Kennedy said. “On the women’s side, Dawn Blevins went to the West Prelims so she knows what it takes. And Danielle Rider throws the javelin really well outdoors. We will add some scorers there.”
MSU multi-athlete Danielle Rider
Rider finished second to McCutchen in the outdoor heptathlon last spring. In February, Rider posted lifetime best marks in her first four events of the five-event pentathlon to forge a triple-digit lead. But Montana sophomore Erika McCleod ran a dominant 800 to take the indoor championship. Rider will compete for points in the long jump, the javelin, the 100-meter hurdles and the multi-events in her final outdoor season.
“She was really crushed right away but by the next day, she had gotten over it,” Kennedy said. “She had already moved on to outdoor. She got emotional for a few minutes but then realized she had gotten PRs in four of five events and really done well.”
“You add the shot and the javelin for the outdoor, that sends Rider to the top of the ladder. I’m not sure she’s going to meet McLeod but she is definitely a kid in the top three.”
Chrisp came into the indoor meet as a projected podium finisher in the multi-events but managed just sixth. Kennedy said he expects her to challenge Rider and McCleod while also striving for podium finishes in the long jump and the high jump.
Alisa Gilchrist will challenge for points in the high jump, Kennedy said. Alexander Lewis has scored points at the indoor and outdoor championships in the long jump and will look to take the next step onto the podium this spring. Austin Decker will chase a top three finish in the pole vault in his final season.
Casey and Bloom were pleasant surprises for the Bobcat men in their first indoor seasons. Casey placed fifth in the 400 and Bloom placed sixth in the 800 to score points in their first conference collegiate meets.
Outdoor season also means events like the 3,000-meter steeplechase and the 400-meter hurdles. Kennedy said the long hurdles “might be the best race” for Phillips, Anderson, sophomore Amanda Jaynes and junior Lillian Ball.
MSU distance runner Christie Schiel
Phillips was one of the top scorers in Class B history during her time at Plains. Anderson was a three-sport athlete who never really focused on track. The two are similar to athletes Kennedy has had in the past who made noticeable jumps after a year to focus on one sport.
Kennedy also expects lower times from Eric Zechenelly and freshman Chris Lange in the 300-meter hurdles. Zechenelly, a former junior college transfer, ran 37 seconds and change in the long hurdles, the fastest time for any incoming Bobcat that Kennedy can remember.
The Bobcats will look for a distance corps led by Diego Leon to challenge Northern Arizona’s dynasty. The nationally ranked distance drew has helped the Lumberjacks to sweeps of the last five indoor and outdoor championships. Kennedy said he also likes the improvements of freshman Matthew Gotta, junior Zach Kughn and freshman Martin Ponce for a distance crew that will likely be without senior Jake Turner once again due to injury.
Freshman Alyssa Snyder will be leaned on to anchor a young women’s distance corps. The Coalville, Utah native scored points in the 3,000 indoors and might try her hand at the steeplechase this spring. Depending on how her training goes, she could run the steeplechase and the 10,000.
“You look at her as the future but she might be the present right now as well,” Kennedy said.
Snyder’s importance is elevated because of the uncertainty surrounding sophomore Chiara Warner, sophomore Carline Hardin and junior Jeanette Northey. All three were decorated as young runners and all three might not run this spring due to injuries.
In the women’s sprints, MSU hopes Josephine Petruska can find the form of her sophomore year. Her times slipped in the 400 and the 200 during the recently completed indoor season.
MSU thrower Kyle Douglas
“We are hoping she can get back to where she was,” Kennedy said. “It was a frustrating indoor season for her. I think she can get back to the 55s in the quarter mile and the 24 highs for the 200. She’s on a mission to get that done.”
The Bobcats hope Hornig can reach a medal level in the 100 and the 200. He qualified for the final and scored in both races as a freshman. He also scored points in the 60 meters and the 200 indoors this winter.
“We will have to take care of his bad groin prior to the outdoor campaign,” Kennedy said. “What Mitch has to do is like everyone else: he has to stay in the process. With the sprints, it’s 100ths of seconds. It’s so finite. His outdoor last year wasn’t what it needed to be. What happens sometimes is those freshmen kids have never done indoor and then they get through it and four weeks later, boom, here they go again. I think he was really overwhelmed. I think he’s better prepared to handle the two seasons this year.”
Montana State kicks off the outdoor season with the MSU Open in Bozeman on March 26.
“We had quite a discussion after the indoor championships and we focused on the positives, how much better they got instead of what the team place was because that’s the lowest we’ve been in a long time,” Kennedy said. “If you keyed in on that, it would almost put you in depression. I think these kids will just continue to get better and better.”
Photos courtesy of Montana State Athletics. All Rights Reserved.
