BOZEMAN — Lyle Weese, Montana State's head track and field and cross country coach, became the second coach in Bobcat history to earn Big Sky Conference Outdoor Men's Track and Field Coach of the Year honors, the league announced Thursday. Weese earned the award on the strength of Montana State's second-ever outdoor conference championship, which his team won in thrilling fashion in Bozeman. The Bobcats clipped No.
11-ranked Northern Arizona in the final event of this year's conference outdoor meet at the Bobcat Track and Field Complex, the 4x400-meter relay, to capture the crown. MSU finished with 186 points to the Lumberjacks' 185. Weese, who's in his sixth season as MSU head coach, becomes the first MSU graduate to earn the honor, joining his former coach and immediate predecessor Dale Kennedy (2005) as Bobcat coaches on the Big Sky Coach of the Year list.
Kennedy also won women's outdoor honors in 2003 and indoor honors in 1983 and 2001. Weese completes his 10th season mentoring the program's distance runners in 2023-24, as well. The Dillon product directed the MSU men's teams to topthree finishes in nine of 10 possible championship appearances, including four runner-up finishes, before breaking through with this year's championship.
The MSU women's squad totals eight top-three finishes, including four runner-up showings. Under his direction, six Bobcat individuals earned a total of 12 All-America honors, while MSU has claimed 52 individual Big Sky Championships and thr.