Max Dupras

Writer

Feature Articles

Montana Kaimin •

Griz volleyball’s dances are bringing in crowds

If you watch University of Montana volleyball, you will see the various digs, blocks and kills common to the sport. But Griz fans’ attention has lately veered toward the sideline. UM volleyball’s season has been one of the best in recent history, standing at a 13-9 overall record with a 6-4 conference record. And with this record have come some electric dance moves from the team’s bench.
Celebrations range from line dances to the players surfing on each other’s backs.“I think people are...
Montana Kaimin •

A Tradition Undone

The November winds howled through the Hellgate Canyon as 125 students marched onto the field of Washington-Grizzly Stadium for the Montana Grizzlies football game against the Sacramento State University Hornets. The group unfolds a massive “M” and plays the Montana State song, armed with shiny instruments in gloved hands, and is greeted by the cheers of 25,888 fans. It isn’t affiliated with the Montana football team. It isn’t associated with the University of Montana Athletics, either. It’s the...
Rapid City Journal •

Ball Cart Baby: Douglas mother-daughter duo takes on senior volleyball season

Two weeks after that little girl was born, she was going to practices with her mom. That little girl would take naps in the ball cart, as the Cavalier players were practicing for their next match. She was barely old enough to form a thought and have a memory, but it didn’t matter.“I was always at her practices,” Lancial said. “She coached the club I played for, too, so I'd always go to her practices then. By the time I was eight, they were asking me to play on the 10 or 12-year-old team. I just...
Montana Kaimin •

Against all odds

It’s Dec. 16 in Washington-Grizzly Stadium. Cold air fills the concrete titan as 26,544 University of Montana fans scream during every North Dakota State Bison offensive drive. Chants echo after Grizzly first downs. Montana play-by-play announcer Riley Corcoran calls it the “Mecca of FCS football,” and that’s what it feels like as Griz fans pray in anticipation for a win.

The game goes into overtime — not once, but twice.

Montana takes the lead off an Eli Gillman touchdown and the Grizzlies de
Montana Kaimin •

More than a number

On Sept. 2, the Montana Grizzlies football took on the Butler Bulldogs in its season opener. In front of 25,430 fans, 23-year-old redshirt senior Levi Janacaro lined up on special teams for the first time to protect the first kickoff of the 2023 football season.

After a tackle by Montana’s Vincent Genatone just after the 14-minute mark in the first quarter, Janacaro celebrated with his teammates by pushing them around with the same vigor that he channeled into his gameplay all last season, but
Montana Kaimin •

Lady Griz Legacy

Dahlberg Arena had a distinct energy as friends, family and lifelong fans of former Lady Griz head coach Robin Selvig waited for the reveal of a court naming long overdue.

The lowest level was filled with Selvig’s family and former players while the upper section held spectators, many of whom were fans of the Lady Griz for years.

He is a pioneer of women’s basketball, one of the most decorated coaches in the sport’s collegiate history. He changed the path for a team in the West that was only f
Montana Kaimin •

Calling all contenders

When you enter the Champions Center at the University of Montana, you see top-of-the-line weight training sets, ellipticals and even a small island cafe where athletes relax. You might also see UM Athletic Director Kent Haslam.

“This is my favorite part of my job,” Haslam said while waving to students on the elliptical. “It’s like I’m the dad to 300 kids.”

Haslam has been at the University since 2012. He has seen changes in every program, from the second stint of Montana’s winningest football