(Editor’s note: Montana State University press release)
BOZEMAN – The Montana State track and field program has added seven to its signing class ahead of the 2018-19 season during the spring head coach Dale Kennedy announced on Friday.
Incoming freshmen Madi Arneson (Missoula, Mont.), Lucy Corbett (Bozeman, Mont.) Laina Hall (Bozeman, Mont.), Brock McCue (Kennwick, Wash.), Teagan Olson (Great Falls, Mont.), Natalie Perkins (Beaverton, Ore.) and Delaney Smith (Englewood, Colo.) have all signed their National Letters of Intent to compete for the Bobcats.
“We’re really excited about the addition of these new kids,” Montana State head coach Dale Kennedy said. “They’re going to collectively make an impact on our program, if not immediately, in the future. We think a few of these kids can come in and have a positive effect on our program at the conference level for sure and maybe beyond.”
Four of MSU’s seven signees are Montana natives with two hailing from Bozeman. Seventeen student-athletes have signed to continue their athletic and academic careers at Montana State University during the early and regular signing periods ahead of the 2018-19 season.
“The heart and soul of our recruiting is our focus on Montana and kids in the nearby area,” Kennedy said. “This year, in addition to getting Montana kids, we had some people that kind of recruited us and they’re ones that can make an immediate impact. We got a nice mix of both.”
Madi Arneson | Missoula, Mont. | Sentinel HS | Throws | Women’s T&F
Madi Arneson recently completed a standout senior campaign for the Missoula Sentinel Spartans. Arneson finished runner-up at the MHSA Class AA State Meet in both the shot put (39-05) and discus (140-09). She set lifetime bests in both events during the 2018 season and finished among the top three in the throwing disciplines at the Western AA Divisional meet.
Arneson claimed first place in an event seven times during her senior slate. The Spartan thrower made three trips to the state championships, earning points for her team while taking fifth in the discus and sixth in the shot put as a junior. Prior to the state meet as a junior, Arneson had the top mark in the discus at the divisional meet. Arneson competed four seasons for the varsity track and field program at Sentinel High.
Lucy Corbett | Bozeman, Mont. | Bozeman HS | Jumps | Women’s T&F
The Bobcats added a multi-event athlete with Lucy Corbett joining Montana State from Bozeman High School. Corbett competed for the Bozeman Hawks for just one season, but made an immediate impact.
Corbett appeared in the MHSA Class AA State Meet and participated in three events. She finished second in the high jump (5-07) and achieved personal-best times in the 300 hurdles (45.87) and 100 hurdles (15.43) to place third and sixth, respectively. The Bozeman High standout had the top mark in nine events during the season, including the top mark in the high jump at the Eastern AA Divisional meet. She cleared a lifetime-best mark of 5-10 in the high jump at the Sko Dkam Invitational. Corbett was a member of Bozeman High’s runner-up finish at the state meet in 2018.
Corbett made her track and field debut as a junior at Del Oro High School in Sacramento, Calif., before arriving in Bozeman. At Del Oro, Corbett competed in the 200, high jump and in relays. During the summer of 2017, Corbett participated in the heptathlon at the AAU West Coast National Championship and the USATF Junior Olympic Championships.
Laina Hall | Bozeman, Mont. | Bozeman HS | Distance | Women’s T&F
Laina Hall joins the Bobcats after competing for Bozeman High School’s cross country and track and field programs.
Hall’s top exploits came as part of the Hawks’ cross country team. Hall placed 11th at the MHSA AA State Championship as a senior. She made three trips to the state meet, to the Northwest Regional Championships and competed at the Nike Cross Nationals on three occasions. She totaled three first-place finishes during her cross country tenure.
The Bozeman distance runner made three trips to the MSHA Class AA State Track and Field Meet throughout her prep career. Hall advanced to the state meet in the 1,600 and 3,200 as a sophomore, respectively, and made it as a senior in the 800.
Brock McCue | Kennewick, Wash. | Kamiakin HS | Throws | Men’s T&F
Brock McCue wrapped up his prep career at Kamiakin High School with a stellar senior season. McCue earned a bronze medal at the WIAA 3A State Championship Meet by taking third place in the shot put. McCue captured his first podium appearance at the state meet with a lifetime-best toss of 54-10.50.
Prior to the WIAA state meet, McCue claimed runner-up showings in both his conference and district championships in the shot put. He earned 12 first-place event finishes over the course of the 2018 season and had a personal-best mark of 155-08 in the discus as well. McCue advanced as far as the district championships during his junior campaign. That season he placed fifth in the discus and sixth in the shot put at the meet. He ended the year with 10 top-three finishes.
Teagan Olson | Great Falls, Mont. | Great Falls HS | Distance | Men’s T&F
Teagan Olson contributed to both the Great Falls High School cross country and track and field programs as a member of the Bison for four years.
Olson earned his best finish as a senior at the MHSA Class AA State Cross Country Championships when he took fifth overall. He placed among the top five finishers in five of six meets during his senior cross country slate, which included a first-place showing at the Great Falls Invitational, a meet he claimed the top time in back-to-back years. He made four trips to the state championships during the fall for the Bison.
The Great Falls native earned four trips to the MHSA Class AA Track and Field State Meet. Olson made his first appearance as a freshman and earned top-10 showings in both the 1,600 and 3,200. He capped his prep career at the AA State Meet by taking fifth in both events and established lifetime bests in 2018 in each. Olson never finished worse than fifth at the Eastern AA Divisional meet, including runner-up performances in the one-mile and two-mile races as a senior. Over the course of his prep career, Olson claimed 25 first-place finishes in events for Great Falls High.
Natalie Perkins | Beaverton, Ore. | Beaverton HS | Sprints |Women’s T&F
Natalie Perkins is a sprinter for Beaverton High School with experience in several events for the Beavers. During her senior campaign, Perkins participated in the 100, 200, 400 and 800 to go along with Beaverton’s relay events. She recently completed her prep career by advancing to the OSAA 6A State Championships in the 4×400 relay and finished first in nine of 11 individual events as a senior.
The highlight of Perkins’s Beaverton tenure came as a sophomore when she claimed runner-up in the 400 with a lifetime-best mark of 56.70 seconds. She placed fourth in the event as a junior, while she earned Metro League Championships crowns in the 400 in back-to-back seasons.
Perkins made four appearances at the state championship meet either as an individual or as part of the Beavers’ relay squads. She placed fourth in the 200 on two occasions with her personal-best time of 25.88 set during her sophomore campaign.
Delaney Smith | Centennial, Colo | Cherry Creek HS | Sprints | Women’s T&F | Nursing
Delaney Smith joins the Bobcats after earning four letters for the Cherry Creek High School Bruins. Smith completed her prep career by taking third in the 300-meter hurdles and fourth in the 100 hurdles at the CHSAA 5A State Championships. She preceded the effort by winning the Centennial League Championship 300 hurdles title and claiming a runner-up showing in the 100 hurdles the week prior.
An All-State First Team performer and All-State Academic First Team honoree, Smith won a state title in the 300 hurdles as a junior. That same season, Smith took fourth in the 100 hurdles at the state meet to go along with appearances in the 4×100 relay and 4×400 relay. The Centennial, Colorado, native was a four-time participant at the state championships. She earned the Bruins’ Outstanding Freshman Athlete award in 2015, Heart of a Champion Performer award in 2016 and was selected as the team’s Most Outstanding Track Athlete.
Smith plans to major in nursing while attending Montana State University. She has excelled in the classroom while attending Cherry Creek High. Smith has earned the Masoci Achievement Award for Outstanding Juniors, been a member of Student Senate for four years, Fellowship of Christian Athletes since 2016 and been part of Project C.U.R.E.
