Northwest Notes: Oct. 28, 2021
Longtime Seattle event coming to new indoor track in Spokane
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) will bring its Indoor Track and Field Championships to The Podium next February.
“Our commitment to creating an exceptional student-athlete experience has resulted in an opportunity for our talented track and field athletes to compete at The Podium — a true world-class facility,” said MPSF Executive Director Foti Mellis. “The MPSF is grateful for this partnership and shared desire to promote indoor track and field. We also look forward to engaging with the greater Spokane community. They are gracious, hospitable hosts, and the textbook definition of sports enthusiasts.”
Fifteen teams, from 10 universities including the Big West and West Coast Conference, will compete Feb. 18–19, 2022.
Overall, the MPSF Championships will bring more than $1 million to Spokane in visitor spending.
For the last 18 years, the University of Washington has hosted the MPSF Championships. But after touring The Podium site–before it was even built, the decision was made to move the championships to Spokane for three years, 2022-2024.
Big Sky has three
named to
Jerry Rice Watch List
The Big Sky had three student-athletes named to the Jerry Rice Award Watch List, with Northern Arizona’s RJ Martinez, Portland State’s Nate Bennett and Montana State’s Blake Glessner making the cut.
The Jerry Rice Award, now in its 11th season, is named for the legendary Hall of Fame wide receiver. Past recipients include Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (Eastern Washington), Arizona Cardinals running back Chase Edmonds (Fordham) and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance (North Dakota State).
To be eligible for the Rice Award, a freshman can’t have surpassed four games played in one previous academic year – similar to the NCAA’s regular redshirt rule. More players can join the watch list before a 50-member, national media panel selects the winner following the regular season.
Montana State’s Andersen named finalist for Campbell Trophy
The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced the finalists for the 2021 William V. Campbell Trophy®, college football’s premier scholar-athlete award that annually recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership. Montana State’s Troy Andersen was named one of the 13 finalists for the award.
Following his selection as a finalist for the award, Andersen will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2021 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments.
The finalists will all travel to the 63rd NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 7.
Finalists will be announced at a later date.