Montana State Track and Field traveled to Missoula, Mont. to take on Montana in the historical Cat-Griz rivalry. The Bobcat men avenged the 2010 loss, prevailing over the Griz, 116-77. The women fell, 105.5, 90.5 for the second loss in as many years.  The Lady Griz now edge the Bobcats, 15-14 in dual meet history while the men still sit behind Montana, 54-24. (Men's Results | Women's Results)

Despite an unfavorable score, the Bobcat women had a tremendous day at Dornblaser Field and there was certainly no lack of effort, with seven gold medals and several personal bests. The men return to Bozeman with 13 golds and a handful of season and personal bests, as well.

Katie Niemeir led the Blue and Gold charge with two medals in the hurdles. The Florence, Mont. clocked in with a personal best 14.18 in the 110 hurdles for a second place finish. In the 400 hurdles, she crossed the finish line first in 1:00.77, a personal best by nearly two seconds,  and a Big Sky Conference top-time. The 400 hurdles proved lucrative for MSU, as Madeline Fuchs joined Niemeir on the podium with the silver medal and a personal best time of 1:01.79.

Other notable performances for the women included Olivia Rider in the 200 with a season best time of 25.19, as well as a first place finish. Amanda Murphy was a dual winner with golds in the shot put (13.98m) and the hammer throw (57.14m). Also, in the field events, Stacey Irvine took gold with a 2011 program and personal best height of 12-09.50 (3.90m).

While the women's 4x400 relay did not win, their time of 3:50.13 was a five second improvement from the previous best time of the year. Niemeir ran her fastest split ever in 56.20. Joining Niemeir was Sarah McGree, Fuchs and Lierin Flanagan.

Taking vengeance from the 110-79 loss in 2010, the Bobcat men came out firing on all cylinders with a plethora of top performances on Saturday. Gage Pickering was one of MSU's outstanding athletes of the day after two first place wins in the 100 (11.07) and 200 (22.27). Both were season bests for the Billings, Mont. native. MSU finished 1-2 in the 200, when John McDonald crossed the finish line just behind Pickering, clocking in at 22.85.

Slater Powell grabbed two lifetime bests in the hurdles. In the 110H, which the Bobcats earned first and second place, he crossed the line in 22.27 while going 54.72 in the 400 hurdles. He took second in the 400 hurdles. 

After competing just the night before at the Oregon Relays, Pat Casey showed little fatigue after winning the 800 with a Big Sky automatic qualifying time of 1:51.69. Matt Tex also earned a Big Sky nod, finishing in third with a time of 1:53.25, two seconds better than his previous best.

Three seniors had emotional wins in what is their last Cat-Griz meet of their collegiate careers. Bobby Biskupiak launched himself to a height of 16-04.75 (5.00m) in the Pole Vault, which ties his season best. In the 1,500, Nick Atwood earned gold with a time of 3:57.20. Adam Hutter grabbed two medals in Missoula after placing second in the high jump behind junior Asa Staven, with a height of 6-06.75 (2.00m). He took first in the long jump, which MSU swept, at 22-05.25 (6.84m).

The Bobcat throws corps showed no sign of a let up with wins in all but the javelin. Will Rockett took top honors in the discus with a season's best hurl of 153-00.00 (46.43m), which earned him a Big Sky qualifier. David Phillips took second in the event at 150-08.00 (45.92m). Phillips won the gold in the hammer throw with 194-02.00 (59.19m), while Trevor Gilreath picked up third (150-10.00). In the shot put, Morgan Norgaard finished first with a distance of 53-11.25 (16.44m). Gilreath took second (53-02.75/16.22m), while Phillips took third (52-10.75/16.12m).

With only a few weeks left to earn Big Sky Championships qualifiers, freshmen Jacob Kirk and Trevor Polson capitalized on the opportunity in the steeplechase as they finished second and third, respectively. Kirk clocked in at 9:31.28, while Polson went 9:35.78. 

The distance events were nearly monopolized by MSU with wins in all but the steeplechase. In the 5,000, Dan Jackson took first (14:42.00) with teammate Carl Nystuen behind him in second place in 15:17.91.

“These kids really gave this meet the honor and respect it deserves,” said head coach Dale Kennedy. “It's always a very emotional meet with a lot of importance and we really came up with some big performances.”

Montana State returns to the track on Friday, April 29, for a busy split squad weekend beginning with the Pelluer Invitational in Cheney, Wash. On Saturday, MSU will send a group to the Duane Hartman Invitational in Spokane, Wash. On Sunday, 20 Bobcats will make appearances in the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif. hosted by Stanford.

BIG SKY BOUND: Coming into Saturday's meet, MSU had 17 women and 15 men qualified for the Big Sky Championships. The MSU men picked up three more qualifiers in Missoula. The Big Sky Championships are slated for May 11-14 in Sacramento, Calif. hosted by Sacramento State.

CASEY AT THE TRACK: Patrick Casey competed at the Oregon Relays on Friday and finished in third place with a time of 3:46.43.  Casey was invited to the elite meet after a more than impressive indoor season, as well as a strong showing at the Mt. SAC Relays on April 15. Matthew Centrowitz of Oregon, won the event in 3:42.49.

BOBCATS IN THE BOOKS: The women's 400 hurdles didn't just earn medals for the Bobcats, it also put a dent in the program records. Katie Niemeir's time of 1:00.77 ranks her sixth all-time for MSU. Maddy Fuchs' 1:01.79 puts her in eighth.