Like father, like son.
Senior Dustin Cichosz, current Big Sky Conference indoor triple jump champion, is aiming for another conference championship outdoors. But the significance of his second championship would carry some family ramifications. Another conference crown would put him one ahead of his father, Bob, who has a Big Sky Conference championship as a Bobcat in the javelin from 1977. Would that tally cause a rift in the family tree?
“I didn't really know about my dad's track career until I was in junior high,” the younger Cichosz said. “He was pretty quiet about his accomplishments. Maybe he didn't want to push me. But he's my biggest fan.”
The father and son duo represent the only parent-child conference championship pair in the history of Bobcat track and field.
“That's a pretty neat accomplishment,” head coach
Dale Kennedy said. “When you walk down the hallway and see all the pictures of conference champions, it's quite a testament to our program to see a father and son on the wall.”
The elder Cichosz won his javelin crown in 1977, and placed in conference every year he was in the program, from 1974-77. It was a time when Montana State was dominant in the javelin throw. The 1977 program from the conference championships listed six throwers from MSU with season best throws over 200 feet. Cichosz won the event with a throw of 226'11”, a throw that would have him on the top of the Big Sky Conference performance list today.
Even though MSU was dominant in that event, the track and field program was struggling at the time, finishing toward the bottom of the conference. His javelin title was the only championship MSU won in 1977.
Bob moved his family from Bozeman to Belfry, Montana in 1993 to take over the town grocery store. Cichosz said he didn't really need to push his son into sports.
“We lived in a pretty small town, and most all the kids were on the sports teams,” he said. “We own a small grocery store in Belfry and lived above the store so Dustin got a lot of practice running stairs. I think it helped him with his jumping. And he started working in the store at a pretty young age so he's got a good work ethic.”
When it came time to choose a university, Bob did step in and give some advice.
“I had offers from a few schools,” Dustin said. “I actually visited at Montana and Air Force was also interested. But my dad just kept telling me what a great place Bozeman was. I'd been wearing Bobcat clothes since I was a little kid. But my dad said he would forgive me after a while if I went to Montana. But when I visited here, I knew it was the place for me.”
Dustin's parents can't attend meets at the same time due to the store, so mom and dad take turns. Since MSU only had two home meets this season, Dustin's mother got to come in April and his father came to his last meet in Bozeman as a senior on May 1.
Dustin got his first conference championship his final year of indoor competition in February in Bozeman, an event he called one of the best of his life.
“I was beginning to worry a little because the last couple years I was either sick or hurt at conference time, but finally I got it,” he said. “I think I woke up that morning and knew I was going to win—I wasn't going to let anyone beat me.”
Dustin will get his chance to win his second championship in two weeks when the conference outdoor championships will be held in Ogden, Utah. He is currently fourth in the outdoor conference standings. Saturday he had a season best jump of 46'5.5” while his father Bob sat in the front row of the bleachers directly across from the jumping pit.
