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MSU Billings launches Krista Fjelstad Montague AD Endowment

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Posted at 8:17 AM, May 24, 2021
and last updated 2021-05-24 10:33:54-04

(Editor's note: MSUB Athletics release)

BILLINGS - The Yellowjacket Athletic Association announced the formation of the Krista Fjelstad Montague Athletic Director Endowment, honoring the Montana State University Billings athletic director who announced her resignation upon the completion of the 2021 spring semester.

Once established, this endowment will honor Montague's dedication to MSU Billings Athletics by creating a permanent fund to be used at the athletic director's discretion to benefit the student-athletes, staff, and programs of MSU Billings Athletics. Gifts to the endowment can be made through the Yellowjacket Athletic Association.

The athletic department also announced a farewell gathering to honor Montague that is open to the public. The informal gathering will take place on June 22 from 5-7 p.m. at the Bistecca Patio. It is a drop-in format with appetizers and a no-host bar. To RSVP to the event, visit www.msubsports.com/sports/yaa.

Montague announced her resignation from her current position on March 30 after serving as athletic director for nine years and spending 25 total years at the university. She will continue to serve as athletic director through June 30.

Montague stepped onto the campus at Montana State University Billings in the fall of 1995, not realizing that this institution, campus and the athletic department would alter the course of her life. As a player, her team won the Pacific West Conference women's basketball title three out of four years under legendary head coach Frank McCarthy. Her senior season highlight was when the Yellowjackets upset regional top-seed UC Davis on their home court to capture the women's basketball program's first trip to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.

After graduating with her degree in business administration with an option in marketing, she held several positions outside of and within the Billings community. In 2002, Montague returned to the athletic department to log 19 years of dedication to the university – eight of those years leading the department – and made an indelible mark on the institution. She also earned a master’s degree in public relations from MSUB in 2018.

With her appointment by Chancellor Rolf Groseth on May 10, 2013, she became the first and only female four-year collegiate athletic director in Montana history. She acted in various leadership capacities within the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, NCAA west region, National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, and Women Leaders in College Sports. Montague notably served as a member of the NCAA Division II women's basketball committee for four years.

Not only did Montague find professional success at MSU Billings, but it is also where she also met her husband Brent, a standout for the men's basketball program. Together, they are raising two daughters – Shayla, a junior-to-be on the MSUB women’s basketball team, and Allie, a soon-to-be graduate of Skyview High School.