The Montana Grizzlies weren’t supposed to be at the Oregon Relays in Eugene this weekend.
They were originally scheduled to compete in the Mt. Sac Relays and a few other tournaments in Southern California before a computer registration error prevented them from taking part. The next option: the Oregon Relays.
“At first everybody was moaning and groaning,” said Dominique Bobo, a sophomore who sprints and jumps for the Grizz. “But then when it set in, we were like, we still get to run on a track that Olympians run on, and it’s still fun.”
So the team took a bus from Missoula, Montana, to Eugene, a trip that spanned two days. The first leg was a seven-hour drive to The Dalles, and the second covered the final four or so hours it takes to get to Eugene.
“This is my first time here,” said Nicole Stroot, a former walk-on and four-time state champion at Superior High School in Superior, Montana. “I love it. It’s beautiful here and I love how track is a favorite sport here. In Montana it’s not that way, so I love the atmosphere.”
While it was a new scene for most of the Montana team (there are six Oregonians on the Grizzlies roster), the athletes didn’t appear to be intimidated, setting six career PRs on day number one of the Oregon Relays.
“The crowd is electrifying to you,” said Bobo, a Texas native who had never previously visited the west coast. “There is so much going on. Fans love it when you win, and it’s a fast track. It’s a lot different than running in Montana every week, and getting to run on this is great.”
Stroot experienced similar emotions, but admits to having her expectations exceeded.
“I knew it was going to be a big deal when I came here,” she said. “But I didn’t realize exactly how the atmosphere was going to be. This is way more magnified than what I expected.”
Stroot, who competes in all sorts of events for Montana, finished third in the women’s 100-meter hurdles on Saturday behind Oregon’s freshman phenom Ashlee Moore and Portland State’s Akayla Anderson. Stroot crossed in 14.83 seconds, a PR by nearly four tenths of a second, while Moore finished in 13.90, .03 second behind Anderson’s 13.87.
The “Hayward magic” often leaves athletes and fans in awe, and the Grizzlies could certainly be categorized as those who were moved by it. But the magic helped their performances, too.
“They just have appreciation for the sport,” said Stroot. “I can see how they really get into the athletes’ individual performances. That really helps us get our adrenaline, because we feed off of the crowd.”
Stroot also set a personal best in the 400-meter hurdles at 1:04.97, while Bobo helped his 4×100-meter team clock a season best finish of 41.73.
Overall, Montana left the Oregon Relays with 14 season and career bests.
— by Preston Hiefield
