BOZEMAN — Montana State has found its answer to battling the harsh elements Bozeman weather can offer in the winter and spring.
The Bobcats ceremoniously broke ground on their new $25-million Indoor Athletic Center on Tuesday. The IAC will be located west of the track and field complex behind Bobcat Stadium.
This project, which includes 100 yards of turf encompassed by a six-lane 300-meter oval track, is 100% donor financed.
"It shows what Bobcat athletics means to our fan base," Montana State athletic director Leon Costello said. "Not all of them are alumni, not all of them live here, but they know the impacts that athletics can have on these young people’s lives."
Costello announced during the groundbreaking ceremony that the building will be named after Rob Stark and Dale Kennedy, two legendary Montana State track and field coaches.
Stark coached the Bobcats from 1976-2000, and Kennedy, who became the head coach of the cross country program in 1981, then took over the track program in 2000 when Stark retired and gave 37 years and four Big Sky Conference titles to Bobcat athletics.
"Obviously when I got here, coach Kennedy was the head coach, and I got to know coach Stark through coach Kennedy," Costello explained. "To know the lasting impacts that they’ve had on so many student-athletes and to know what track and field has meant to this university and our program, it means a lot."
The facility will also be used by the public at night and on weekends, as President Waded Cruzado announced on Tuesday.
"We know that there’s not another facility like this in our community, and we had a few donors that have stepped up in a major way, but they wanted this facility to be used more broadly," Costello said. "You know, being the land grant institution in the state of Montana, access for us is everything."
Another new addition to Montana State fans will get to experience during Gold Rush this fall is the scoreboard in Bobcat Stadium. It is the largest in the Big Sky Conference with an LED video display and custom audio system.
"What we’ve developed here, our game environment is second to none, and we needed to add to that," Costello said. "And a video board and a sound system will only enhance what we’re able to do in the stadium, and so I think we’re going to have a lot of fun on football Saturdays."
The commitment to giving Bobcat student-athletes the best experience possible seems to be a pillar in the mission of the leadership at Montana State.
