The Bobcat Nation

Get time trial results from this morning at www.montana.edu/cats

MSU Cross Country this Saturday Sept 18, 9:00 - 10:30 AM, at Bridger Creek country Club. Eight teams will compete.

MSU's men won their own invitational, MSU's women were third. In the dual scoring both Bobcat men and women beat UM. Casey Jermyn broke 4 time All-American Lyle Weese's course record. That's huge. http://www.msubobcats.com/upload/pdf1_2 ... 533234.pdf

Congrats to the CC teams! It sounds like they had a great meet. It's also really nice to read a story and see the results of a Bobcat team victory! We need that right now.

Our men's cross country team is currently ranked #29 in Division I (270 teams). Check the list http://www.raceberryjam.com/ncaaccpolls.html

That is BIG TIME.....Great work.

Nothing about xc is BIG TIME. But that is pretty good to be ranked that high. Congrats.

In large chronological terms....thanks!

JahGriz wrote:Nothing about xc is BIG TIME. But that is pretty good to be ranked that high. Congrats.

Neither is 1-AA football, but we get excited about that too.

SI seems to think I-AA football at Washington-Grizzly stadium is BIG TIME.
I have all kinds of respect for all student athletes of any sport, but football is big time, even basketball..Not XC, even at its highest level.

Technically speaking, at it's highest level, XC should be little time (i.e., fast).

True. So from a number of vantage points, XC isn't BIG time. If it were me running the race it would be Oxygen Mask Time along with Long Time. Or possibly Keel Over and Die Time.

Anyway, I'll consede that it is Big Time for MSU XC runners to be ranked that high.

The Bobcat men finished 11th at NCAA DI in cross country in 2002. This year's team could do as well, but they may not peak until later in the season due to some injuries and illness. They might also break down in their effort to surpass their limits. Many of the top ranked teams draw their recruits from around the world, so NCAA cross country is an international event. MSU draws on local athletes and then develops them to the point that they can compete with teams that bring in elite talent. Bobcat fans can be proud of these athletes. They are very tough and disciplined, with great GPA's, and they are highly regarded by their competitors. No offense taken with the "Big Time" talk. There aren't skyboxes, tailgate parties, stadiums or giant scoreboards around cross country. When our men beat UM a few weeks ago by our greatest margin in the history of the dual it didn't create a reaction on the sports pages. But it's good effort from good men, and something to be proud of. Our women won their dual with UM as well. They aren't ranked but they're young. Freshman Elizabeth Driscoll from Bozeman received the BSC runner of the week award for her efforts. Our women will be very good in another year. Our women finished 15th at NCAA's not many years ago.

MSU's men won the UM Invite without their top runner Casey Jermyn, and they won easily over WSU, UM, and EWU. MSU's women were third, running without their top two runners from two weeks ago. http://www.montana.edu/cats/UMInvOCT02004Results.pdf

World wide, running is much more popular than american football, which the vast majority have never heard of. Thanks for keeping us posted on the hard work of the Cats XC team, which does not compete with a AA qualifier on their division 1 ranking!

Thanks for your support of CC velochat. Cross country and track and field are different in almost every way from football, basketball, or volleyball except that the athletes and coaches are Bobcats in every way. It's true that MSU CC and track athletes are compared to and must compete directly with Pac 10, Big 12 etc.. athletes. While we may have the same amount of scholarship they have, they have much larger budgets and they tend to go after the elite international athletes more. And the hype they generate helps them get Montana's best hs athletes as well. So we find hidden talent, we coach with passion, and we have Bobcat Pride - Big Time. We admire MSU's other sports for what they do, and do not compare their situation to ours. Nor do we envy the Pac 10, Big 12, etc.. programs. Montana is a great place to live and learn. We have so much to be thankful for, and proud of.

Hammer,
I stand by my original pronouncement of that is BIG TIME.
Congratulations....we are proud of you and the team. Keep up the great work, both on the track/field and in the classroom.

MSU's track and CC programs should be a great source of pride. It's really an accomplishment that they compete with great programs and tradition at NAU and Weber. Stark and now Kennedy have established a class act despite several disadvantages.

MSU's men moved up 3 spots in the Div I poll to #26, one spot behind Oregon. Casey Jermyn will run with the team in Indiana on October 16. His achilles problem is steadily improving. The Bobcat men are the only ranked cross country team from the BSC.

The BSC Championships will be held in Bozeman at Bridger Creek Golf Course at 11:00 and 11:45 AM (Men first).