Griz track standout represents UM at NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum

It was a busy fall for Montana sprinter Jay Beagle. The senior from Libby may have only competed once this season, but there has been no shortage of activity for him as he gears up for his final season as a Grizzly in 2025.

Beagle represented the University of Montana and the Big Sky Conference at the NCAA's Student-Athlete Leadership Forum in Charlotte, N.C. this November. He's the first Grizzly to participate since Alfred Peterson in 2021.

It's a trip that culminates a fall full of growth and excitement for Beagle. Head coach Doug Fraley named Beagle a Captain for Montana's track & field program for the upcoming season. He also received the Montana Athletes in Service (MAIS) Award for his civic contributions, leadership, and athletic excellence.

"It's kind of been a whirlwind, honestly," Beagle said. "It's crazy that we're at this point already going into the last season. It just feels good though, I feel like I've put in a lot of hard work and have been doing the right things, and that's not always the easiest route to go. It just makes me feel really good that all of that work has led to that point and it's being recognized."

Beagle had to miss the presentation of the MAIS award at the 2024 Brawl of the Wild because he was across the country in Charlotte, working with a group of 250 student-athlete leaders hand-picked by their own conferences and the NCAA.

The president of Montana's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Beagle has been a leader on campus and in the athletic department for years. Jen Zellmer-Cuaresma, Montana's Director of Student-Athlete Support Services, nominated Beagle for the forum.

He was selected as the only representative from the Big Sky Conference, and joined with some of the best leaders in the country from D-I to D-III.

"We got there and they said, 'This is 0.03 percent of athletes.'. It was just absolutely amazing," Beagle said. "All of the people that were there, you can tell that these are the people that are going to move mountains in the future."

The weekend was jam packed with group sessions. Beagle split into a team of 25 student-athletes from across the country, learning about the successes and problems that they all share with each other.

"We really just dove deep into a lot of different topics. It was so cool to hear so many different perspectives from people all across the country," Beagle said. "From Big 10 baseball players to D-III swimmers. My group spread from Montana to Hampton, which is an HBCU, and it was just so enlightening."

The forum had speakers that worked with the athletes on mental well-being, the different traits of leadership, how to build better habits, and having a growth mindset. The theme of the weekend for Beagle and his fellow student-athletes was Light Your Torch.

Beagle learned about leadership, and how his individual traits can best be applied to create a leadership style. Consistency, discipline, harmony, and strategy were just a few of the traits that Beagle found impacted his leadership ability the best.

He's now hoping to take those traits and apply them not only back in Missoula as the captain of his group for Griz track & field, but also across the rest of his life.

"There was a lot of, 'Think about a time where this would come up.' Obviously, a lot of us had our sports in mind," Beagle said. "It was definitely sports-focused, but you could tell it was leading into the rest of your life as well and how you carry yourself."

It's a rare opportunity that Beagle received, and he's going to use it to make the biggest impact that he can on his Grizzly teammates.

"I wish a lot more people would be able to have this experience," Beagle said. "There were so many times where I thought, 'I could have said this during that workout.' I had a lot of examples back to track and I think this is definitely going to be a transformational step in my leadership abilities throughout the rest of this year in track and then just carrying forward in life."

By the end of the event, the 25 members of the Yellow Team felt like family to Beagle. There were plenty of serious moments, talks on vulnerabilities, sessions on self-reflection. But the moment that brought everyone together was Saturday night's lip sync contest.

It showed Beagle that having an impact on someone else's life can also be fun, and bonded him together with his group for life.

"It was just one of those things that at the end everyone was just crying. I don't even know how to put it into words, it was just so impactful to everybody there," Beagle said. "How close we all became in three or four days was so cool and I know it's people I will be connected with for a really long time."

He returns to Montana with some souvenirs from the trip. The plush torch that is a reminder that before you can spark up others, you first need to light your own torch and carry the flame with you.

He is already planning on how he will incorporate what he learned to his daily life in athletics.

"One of the things that I really want to stress going forward to the group is to be where your feet are. Let's not worry about the future," Beagle said. "We're at practice right now, maybe you don't want to be here, but it's where you're at so let's put all our effort here. Let's have those future goals, but in the moment do what we need to do and put in the effort where our feet are at."

In a whirlwind fall, it can be hard to take a moment and reflect on all of the hard work that has led Beagle to this moment. He had a chance to do so in Charlotte, and upon returning to Missoula, before he gets into the full swing of indoor track this January.

"I was super honored to have people nominate me, it was super cool," Beagle said. "There were a lot of conversations that people were having about whether we deserved it, and one of the things was being sure to say, you deserve your flowers, you deserve to be here, and there is a reason."

He also brings back a block with writing on every side. It has his leadership strengths and insights on emotional intelligence. One side shows his top three values; family, integrity, and communication. There are also takeaways from sessions and the week as a whole.
It's supposed to serve as a reminder for Beagle of the lessons learned in Charlotte.

"I'm not working hard and trying to do good things for awards. I'm doing it because that's me. But it is something that I feel like I need to take in, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for all of these types of things moving forward. It goes back to being where your feet are."

University of Montana Athletics

Griz track standout represents UM at NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum

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