Following their conference-leading marks last week at the Bobcat Challenge, Montana State track and field athletes Duncan Hamilton and Colby Wilson helped MSU sweep the Big Sky Conference Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week awards, as announced by the conference office on Monday.
On Saturday at the Bobcat Challenge, Hamilton won the 3,000-meter run with a post-converted time of 7 minutes, 43.28 seconds — the second-best time in all of Division I this year and a school record. The day before, Wilson cleared 17 feet, 4.5 inches in the pole vault, a mark that currently leads the Big Sky Conference and ranks 26th in Division I this year.
Coincidentally, the last time Hamilton and Wilson earned the conference’s weekly indoor award was after last year’s Bobcat Challenge on Jan. 17, 2022. The award is Hamilton’s sixth Big Sky Track Athlete of the Week award across both indoor and outdoor track; whereas the award is the third of Wilson’s career across both track seasons.
Both Hamilton and Wilson are some of the nation’s leaders in the 3,000 meters and the pole vault, respectively. Making his 2023 debut last week, Hamilton led wire-to-wire in the 3,000 meters, soloing an 8:00.38 that converted all the way down to a 7:43.28. That mark not only broke his own school record of 7:45.40 set at the Husky Classic last season, but also trails the fastest time in Division I this season by one-hundredth of a second.
“Duncan’s race was so impressive because it was a total solo effort with no pacer from start to finish,” MSU head coach Lyle Weese said.
“Putting down a mark like that — which should get him into the NCAA Championships — in his first race of 2023 is a clear indication of what he and the team can accomplish this indoor and outdoor season.”
As for Wilson, the junior from Olympia, Washington, continued his undefeated streak in the pole vault last Friday with his best mark of the season. Wilson owns the indoor pole vault record at MSU; his mark from last weekend was 3.25 inches off of tying his indoor school record set last year.
“Colby’s passion for the sport and unrelenting work ethic shined this weekend as he built toward his ultimate goal of making the NCAA Championships,” Montana State pole vault coach Craig Hunter said. “The Big Sky field athlete of the week award was well-earned — he’s making huge progress in consistency and hopes to be performing at this level or higher for the rest of the season.”
This week’s other Big Sky Indoor Track Athlete of the Week award winners were Northern Colorado distance runner Regina Mpigachai and Idaho State thrower Destinee Rose-Haas.
Montana State will send a handful of individuals, including Wilson, to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the UNM Team Open on Jan. 27-28.
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