Montana State Track and Field Competes at Bengal Invitational in Pocatello

BOZEMAN, Mont. — As the calendar turns to May, Montana State track and field will turn the corner towards the home straightaway of their season this weekend at the Bengal Invitational in Pocatello, Idaho. 

Fresh off a record-breaking April, the Bobcats head to the Gem State on Friday for a two-day meet hosted at Davis Field. 

The penultimate meet of the regular season pits the Cats against host Idaho State and Montana, among other schools, in what will be the final tune-up for many competing athletes before the 2025 Big Sky Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Sacramento begin May 14-17. 

“It has been a really good meet for us over the last three years that we’ve gone there,” head coach Lyle Weese said. “There are trials and finals in the sprint events, which is a good preview for the conference meet. There tend to be a good number of teams that are good in the jumps, vaults, and throwing events, so it’s a bit of a conference preview for us in many ways between the level of competition and the trials and finals in the sprints. It’s kind of a run-through for the sprints, hurdles, jumps, vault, and throwing events.” 

Action begins with the women’s hammer on Friday at 1 p.m., with track events getting underway at 3 p.m. in the women’s 100 meter hurdle prelims. 

A full meet schedule can be viewed here. 

Only the main distance squad will hang back in Bozeman to train, with all other event groups a full-go on Friday in Pocatello under sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 60s. 

In their last three weekends of competition, Montana State has set nine new school records, including seven on the women’s side (shot put, discus, 200 meters, 3,000 meter steeplechase, 5,000 meters, 4×100 meter relay, 4×400 meter relay) and two on the men’s side (4×100 meter relay, 4×400 meter relay). 

“It’s been impressive that the success has been across all of the event groups,” Weese said. “It seems like all of the event groups for both men and women are putting up some great marks and great performances. For me, the most exciting thing is that we’re going to be heading into conference championships and then into NCAA regionals and beyond with individuals that are competitive across the entire array of events.” 

Last week, the Cats’ distance squad turned in a handful program all-time top ten marks at the Payton Jordan Invitational, hosted by Stanford in Palo Alto, California, while the rest of the team competed at the Montana Open in Missoula. 

Kyla Christopher-Moody was named Big Sky Women’s Track Athlete of the Week for the second time this season after placing third in the 5,000 meters in Palo Alto, while Sydney Brewster was named Big Sky Women’s Field Athlete of the Week for the second straight week after winning both the shot put and discus in Missoula. 

Following the weekend’s results, the Montana State women held steady at No. 3 in the USTFCCCA Week Five Mountain Region Rankings released on Monday, while the men stayed put at No. 7. 

The Bobcat men still own the top-ranked 3,000 meter steeplechase group in the country according to the USTFCCCA Event Squad rankings while ranking No. 17 in the 1,500 meters, No. 19 in the hammer throw, No. 21 in the 5,000 meters, and No. 38 in the shot put. 

The Bobcat women rank No. 25 in the pole vault, No. 26 in the hammer, No. 36 in the 5,000 meters, and No. 40 in the 200 meters. 

Following the Bengal Invitational this weekend in Pocatello, the Bobcats wrap up the regular season with the Tom Gage Invite the following Friday, May 9, in Bozeman at the Bobcat Track & Field Complex. Admission is free for the lone outdoor home meet of the season. 

#GoCatsGo