The Bobcat Nation

From what I can tell there are 3 MT kids competing in this week's Championships.
1) Dane Brubaker, U of M, Javelin- Currently ranked 24th in the nation, Terry, MT
2) Jen Allen, MSU, Hammer Throw- Currently ranked 16th in the nation, Billings, MT. Jen has been an amazing ambassador for Bobcat athletics and has had a very productive career. Several Big Sky Titles, and Athlete of the Week awards.
3) Scott McGowan, U of M, 1500 meter run - Currently ranked 12th in the nation, Poplar, MT. Scott is less than one second away from being ranked third in the nation. This looks to be a very tight field, and anything can happen in middle distance race.

Note: Special wishes go out to Scotty as he is a Ft. Peck Reservation neighbor. Scott's dad was head coach at Poplar for many years, Felix McGowan Sr. His older brother played on a NCAA tournament basketball team for Gonzaga in the early 90's, Felix Jr. I'm not for sure on this one, but I believe his grandfather or great uncle was a US Olympian, track & field.

Dane Brubaker and Jen Allen ended their NCAA Championships during the preliminary rounds on Thursday. Brubaker (UM,javelin) finshed 25th. MSU standout Jen Allen narrowly missed the finals in hammer throw as she finished 13th in the prelims. The top twelve advance to the finals. She should be very proud of the way she represented THE Montana State University. She still has a chance at being named All-American. The top 10 US citizens are honored with All-American Status.
There is still one Montana native competing this weekend. Scott McGowan, Poplar, (UM) finished second in his heat of the 1500 m run. He has advanced to the finals on Saturday night. Scott currently has the fourth fastest time entering the finals, and has a legitimate shot at finishing in the top 3. I'm not sure if the meet will be on national TV, perhaps an airing on Sunday, but whenever a Montana kid has a shot at a NCAA Div. I National Championship we should all be rooting for him. No disrespect to our collective football National Champions, but this is the REAL big time. Scott is the only runner in the field from a mid-major school and will be competing against runners from the likes of Arkansas, Florida State, BYU, and Stanford.

Good Luck Scotty.
Great Job Jen.

Jen threw well, just missing All-American (top 8 Americans) by 13 inches. Seeded 16th, she was 13th among 28 competitors. DI track includes 280 teams, so just getting to NCAA's can be tough. We hoped that there would be a fifth foreign athlete ahead of her but there were only four. So she is finished as a Bobcat, but not as a thrower. She will stay in Bozeman where she has full-time employment lined up. She will continue to train and compete, and started the day she returned from Austin. She still has a chance at the Oly Trials, just needs to throw farther. She will concentrate on the hammer and drop the shot and disc. But what a collegiate career, both as a student (MSU's Scholar Athlete) and athlete. And what a leader. She owns two BSC Championship rings, and scored 132 BSC Conference Championship points, #3 all time for MSU behind Hinzpeter and Otte. Jen is up for Montana Woman Athlete of the Year.