Photo by: Tommy Martino/University of Montana
Griz men picked 3rd, women 4th in preseason polls
3/27/2025 2:09:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field
The Montana Grizzlies greatly exceeded expectations at the Big Sky Indoor Championships last month. As a result, the league's coaches have moved Montana significantly up the ranks in the Preseason Poll released on Thursday.
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The Grizzly men were picked to finish 3rd and the women 4th at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships in Sacramento this May. It's the best preseason ranking for the men since 2014, and the best for the women since 2019.
"That's about where we would expect to be predicted in the Coaches' Poll after the indoor season that we had, so we're pleased to get a little notoriety out of that performance," head coach Doug Fraley said.
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Montana had two women claim Big Sky titles indoor this season and three more individual All-Conference performers. The men also had a pair of relay teams reach the podium at the Indoor Championships in Flagstaff.
During the indoor season, Fraley's team rewrote the record book by setting five new program best marks. Several of those records were broken multiple times in the year, including a couple of athletes breaking the previous record only to have a teammate move past them.
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They will look to build on that momentum outdoors this year, opening up the season at home this weekend with the Al Manuel Invitational/Griz-Cat Dual. The meet begins with four throwing events on Friday followed by the bulk of the events beginning Saturday morning.
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Last year at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships in Bozeman, Montana's men finished in 4th place and the women in 7th. It was the highest finish since 2019 for the men and 2020 for the women. This season, they will hope to reach even higher and make good on the Preseason Polls.
"I think the biggest message for our kids is just because you placed a certain position indoors or you are predicted to place a certain position outdoors, you've got to go through the process and start it again just like the indoor season," Fraley said. "You aren't going to get any points just for stepping on the track because you had a good indoor season."
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"We have to start the process here at our home meet and build it out through the end of May," Fraley continued. "That's the expectation that we have for our group."
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The Grizzly men were picked to finish 3rd and the women 4th at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships in Sacramento this May. It's the best preseason ranking for the men since 2014, and the best for the women since 2019.
"That's about where we would expect to be predicted in the Coaches' Poll after the indoor season that we had, so we're pleased to get a little notoriety out of that performance," head coach Doug Fraley said.
Â
Montana had two women claim Big Sky titles indoor this season and three more individual All-Conference performers. The men also had a pair of relay teams reach the podium at the Indoor Championships in Flagstaff.
Â
During the indoor season, Fraley's team rewrote the record book by setting five new program best marks. Several of those records were broken multiple times in the year, including a couple of athletes breaking the previous record only to have a teammate move past them.
Â
They will look to build on that momentum outdoors this year, opening up the season at home this weekend with the Al Manuel Invitational/Griz-Cat Dual. The meet begins with four throwing events on Friday followed by the bulk of the events beginning Saturday morning.
Â
Last year at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships in Bozeman, Montana's men finished in 4th place and the women in 7th. It was the highest finish since 2019 for the men and 2020 for the women. This season, they will hope to reach even higher and make good on the Preseason Polls.
"I think the biggest message for our kids is just because you placed a certain position indoors or you are predicted to place a certain position outdoors, you've got to go through the process and start it again just like the indoor season," Fraley said. "You aren't going to get any points just for stepping on the track because you had a good indoor season."
Â
"We have to start the process here at our home meet and build it out through the end of May," Fraley continued. "That's the expectation that we have for our group."
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