(Editor's Note: Montana State Press Release)
FARMINGTON, Utah -- Montana State junior Drake Schneider was named the Big Sky Conference's male track athlete of the week, the league announced on Monday, for his performance at the Bengal Invitational in Pocatello this past weekend.
Schneider continued his impressive outdoor season as the two-time reigning Big Sky 400-meter hurdle champion looks to three-peat in the event this May.
In the 400-meter hurdle preliminary race on Friday at the Bengal Invite, Schneider completed a time of 51.23 seconds which topped his previous school-record mark. In the finals on Saturday, Schneider ran an even quicker time of 50.12 seconds. His altitude-converted time of 50.23 seconds was just .08 away from breaking the Big Sky Conference record previously set in 1996. His first-place finishing time ranks him ninth in all of Division I and is the 22nd-fastest in the world recorded this year. He also was a member of MSU's 4x400 relay that placed first at the Invite with a time of 3:14.82. That mark sits atop the Big Sky performance list.
Schneider is the fourth Bobcat to earn an athlete of the week award this year. Ethan Saberhagen was previously selected as the Big Sky's male field athlete of the week on April 5. Duncan Hamilton (male track) and Lucy Corbett (women's field) were selected as Big Sky award recipients during the indoor season on Jan. 26.
The Montana State track and field program returns to action this Saturday in Missoula when the Bobcats square off against Montana in the annual Cat-Griz Dual.
