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September 2025: Focus on Grizzly Athletics
This month, we're pulling back the curtain on everything Athletics! To start, what is up with the Bubble? And how does Grizzly Athletics impact our community?
The Basics
UM competes in 13 varsity sports – 8 women’s and 5 men’s – and is a member of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
| Women's Sports | Men's Sports |
|---|---|
| Basketball | Basketball |
| Cross Country | Cross Country |
| Golf | Football |
| Soccer | Indoor & Outdoor Track & Field |
| Softball | Tennis |
| Tennis | |
| Indoor & Outdoor Track & Field | |
| Volleyball |
The University of Montana is a member of the Big Sky Conference and affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Economic Impact Study
Perks for UM Employees
What's Up with the Bubble?
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The Grizzly Indoor Practice Facility has drawn a lot of attention since going up in October of 2024. The project was 100% donor-funded with no tuition or taxpayer dollars used and has a total size of over 111,000 square feet.
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While it is a huge asset for UM’s football program, the Indoor Practice Facility is used by Athletics during the day. If you dropped by on a random winter weekday it wouldn’t be a surprise to see pole vaulters flying through the air, softball players taking ground balls, and soccer working on free kicks all at the same time. The Grizzly Track & Field programs have been one of the largest benefactors of the facility.
After using it to practice throughout the winter and even on some rainy spring days, Grizzly Track & Field teams went to the Big Sky Championships in 2025. Both the men and women’s teams placed in the top three at the same meet for the first time EVER!
“[The bubble has] had a tremendous impact on our program. Last year was the first year we were able to use it, and it made a huge impact. As coaches, we were abler to really utilize so many more tools in our toolbox than we were before in limited space and distances. It was a real game-changer. It’s certainly a major reason we were able to elevate our standing in the Big Sky Conference and break a lot of school records.” -Head Track & Field Coach Doug Fraley
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Campus and city groups can rent out the space, providing benefits to fellow students and community members. Campus Rec and club sports use it from 8:30 to 11:00 p.m. during weeknights.Other campus groups like the marching band, spirit squad and dance team, as well as campus rec programs and club lacrosse and rugby use the Bubble.
On the weekends, the facility can be rented by private groups and sports organizations. Last year, Surf Soccer Club, Missoula Strikers and FC, Missoula Parks and Rec, the Mountain West Track Club, and Run Wild Missoula used it.
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You may have noticed that the Bubble was taken down over the summer. It was sent back to the manufacturer for some warranty maintenance after one year of operation. Temperature changes caused the material of the bubble to expand and contract. This caused weaknesses in the material that had to be repaired. The Bubble was returned recently and has been re-inflated.
Recent Championship Wins in Basketball, Soccer, and Tennis
Celebrating Jean Gee!
Photo Caption: Jean Gee (middle left) with Athletics Academic Services colleagues Niki Cook, Helen Houlihan, and Jen Zellmer-Cuaresma.
Jean Gee, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Student Affairs and Compliance has been working on campus for 30 years and is a double-graduate from UM with a B.A. in Psychology and a Master's in Public Administration.
Jean on what working at UM means to her: “I started working on campus in 1995, and in Athletics in 1999. As the Senior Associate AD/SWA, I oversee all National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) compliance operations and athletic academic services, serve as the department’s Title IX liaison and am the sport supervisor for softball, soccer and volleyball. I also currently serve on the NCAA FCS Football Oversight Committee.
I have almost literally grown up on this campus. Without a question, the thing I love the most about UM are the people. Over my tenure, I have had the pleasure of working with some amazing mentors and friends, some of whom are still here. I truly enjoy working with students, and helping them navigate their way as they experience this phase of their lives. I enjoy it even more when they return years later and I can see the impact that UM has had on their lives. I am partial, but after visiting campuses all over the country, I have never encountered one as beautiful and vibrant as UM….so much of that due to the people!”
Student-Athlete Successes
332
Number of student-athletes currently enrolled in a variety of majors and minors across all disciplines.
3.45
The combined cumulative GPA of Grizzly student-athletes in 2024-25.
180
Number of student-athletes who earned a GPA of 3.5 or higher in spring 2025.
41
Number of student-athletes who earned a GPA of 4.0 in spring 2025.