(Editor’s note: Montana State University press release)
OGDEN, Utah – The Big Sky Conference released its 2018 Indoor Track and Field Preseason Coaches’ Polls on Thursday, Jan. 4, and both Montana State teams were ranked fourth on the men’s and women’s lists.
Northern Arizona – which has won six straight indoor men’s titles – received every one of a possible 12 first-place votes on the men’s side for 144 points. Southern Utah was runner-up with 130 points, while Sacramento State (114) narrowly edged Montana State (113) in the preseason ballot selected by the league’s coaches.
Northern Arizona earned all 12 first-place nods on the women’s side. The back-to-back Big Sky champions sit ahead of runner-up in the poll Sacramento State (116). The Bobcats were two points ahead of Weber State (102) for the fourth spot, but Montana (107) earned a slim three points more than MSU on the preseason ballot.
Despite going into last season with a fourth and eighth place preseason selection on the men’s and women’s sides, respectively, both MSU teams finished the Big Sky Indoor Championships third at Idaho State’s Holt Arena.
MSU has had success in recent history at the Big Sky indoor meet. The Bobcat men earned runner-up finishes in 2012 and 2013 and have put together third-place showings two times over the past three seasons. The MSU women’s team has finished runner-up twice and third on two occasions in its last six trips to the conference championship.
