MISSOULA — In the final few weeks of his college track and field career, Evan Todd is aiming for the picture perfect ending to his senior year with the Montana Grizzlies.
The Kalispell product is already a two-time Big Sky Conference champion in the javelin at Montana, and this weekend he's looking to make it a three-peat at the outdoor conference championships in Bozeman.
"Just knowing coming into the Big Sky meet, knowing that this isn't my last meet, but it is the end of the regular season," Todd said. "Just knowing I got to lay it all on the line for that Big Sky Conference championship, just that means everything."
Todd's decorated track and field career at Montana has been cranked up a notch again in his final run.
Just a few weeks ago, the Glacier High grad broke Montana's school record in the javelin with a throw of 234 feet, 5 inches, in front of friends and family.
"I was talking with my coach earlier in the week. We were kind of debating whether or not he was even going to let me throw or not," Todd explained. "And then he just texted me one night and he was like, I'll let you take three throws. And I was like, that's awesome. Then I texted my parents, they came down, got my parents, my family, friends, they came down for them to be able to witness that on that day was incredible."
It was another big accomplishment in Todd's storied career.
But even coming into his final season, Todd kept things level-headed and the same as every season, even with the target on his back growing larger every meet.
"There's definitely a little bit of a shift where, you know, it's your last year," Todd said. "It's just a little bit different coming into a season knowing that you have another season after that, and you just got a lot down the road. But this year is definitely different knowing that it's gonna come to an end at some point. And it's just really about enjoying the ride and seeing the progression throughout the year. It's really been fun."
For Todd, being a staple of UM's program has helped his growth.
Along with his own development mentally and physically as an athlete, he credits being surrounded by other successful competitors within the UM program as a big reason for his improvements each year.
"I think it's prosperous, just surrounded by success," Todd said. "And just like when you come into practice every day and you're surrounded by great people who want to see you succeed, and you want to support each other, and everyone's doing good, it's just hard not to want to be great.
"I think I've grown a lot mentally. Just being able to take each day as a challenge and just take it day-by-day. Back (when I got to UM) I was a big picture kind of guy, I was looking a long ways down the road. Now, I've gotten better at taking things day-by-day, just working through each problem as it is."
Todd is already qualified for the NCAA West regional — his fourth time qualifying — and there he'll try to achieve another key goal of his in qualifying for the national championships.
He's in the home stretch of his college career, one he's enjoying every step of the way as it winds down.
"It's just kind of been a joy ride just soaking up this last year having fun with it," Todd said. "I've been through it all with this program, been through the ups and the downs, and highs and lows, and it's just been awesome to see where this program is at now."
