The Bobcats present five awards which have both a male and female recipient.

The Top Gun award recognizes the Bobcat who earned the most points for the team throughout the season. Camille Marchand was the Top Gun recipient for the women with 90 total points this season. Jeff Mohl was the men's recipient with 88 points.

MSU's Outstanding Track Athlete was doled out to Patrick Casey on the men's side after epic performances in the Mile and the 800. Casey, who ran the first sub-four minute mile in the state of Montana, will compete at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the Mile on March 11-12 in College Station, Texas. He is currently ranked first in the NCAA and holds one of the fastest mile times in the world this year.

Marchand, in addition to winning the Top Gun Award,  Marchand was named the Women's Outstanding Track Athlete. Marchand took two silvers at the Big Sky Championships in the 60 Meter Dash and the 200. The Pocatello, Idaho native never finished lower than second place this season and rattled off three consecutive meets of double-first place finishes in the 55 and 200.

The Outstanding Field Athlete award went to Sarah McGree after a strong season in the Pentathlon.

David Phillips took the Men's Outstanding Field Athlete award after his consistent performances in the Throws. Phillips' two golds at the Big Sky Championships were the cap on a strong season featuring. Phillips finished the indoor season with seven gold medals in the Shot Put and Weight Throw and only finished lower than second twice, never finishing lower than fifth.

The Most Improved Athlete also went to McGree. The Butte native improved her life time best points in the multi-event by 193 points when she finished second at BSC Championships with 3,731 points.

Dan Jackson was the Most Improved on the men's side. Prior to the Big Sky Championships, he had never scored a single point at the Conference meet. The Bozeman native finished second in the 3,000 with a personal best time of 8:11.73. He also dropped nearly 20 seconds off his time from the previous year.

The final award given is for Freshman of the Year. On the women's side, Lierin Flanagan is the recipient. The Kenai, Alaska native was a mainstay for the Bobcats in the 400, 800 and the 4x400 Relay. She began her season in the high 57s in the 400 and improved to 56.68 by the close of the season. She was a contributor in points for MSU and added depth in the sprints and middle distance events.

Slater Powell was named Freshman of the Year for the Bobcat men after taking the silver in the 60 Meter Hurdles at the Big Sky Championships. Powell garnered four first place finishes throughout his debut season in the Hurdles.

“This is our opportunity to recognize the outstanding seasons of some of our athletes,” Kennedy said. “They truly have represented both our program and the University in a positive manner.”

Montana State opens the 2011 outdoor season on Friday, April 1, when they travel to Missoula for the Al Manuel Invitational hosted by the University of Montana.