BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State University Billings athletic department, and the Yellowjacket track & field program is proud to announce that beginning in the 2026 outdoor track & field season, the team will host the first inaugural Dave Coppock Yellowjacket Open, in honor of the legendary former cross country/track & field coach.
 
The official name change was officially announced to Coppock, one of MSUB's inductees into the athletic department's Hall of Fame and Distinction in the class of 2026, during the ceremony. It marks another opportunity to celebrate and recognize Coppock, who was one of the primary forces behind the revival of the track & field program at MSUB in 2007.
 
"Given the impact that Dave has had and continues to have not only on our cross country and track and field programs, but the Billings community abroad, we felt it was appropriate to officially name the outdoor track & field event that we host annually to the Dave Coppock Yellowjacket Open," announced MSUB athletic director Mike Bazemore. "Thank you to the Chancellor and the review committee for approving this request. Congrats Dave, well earned."
 
A legendary figure in the Billings running community, Dave Coppock is forever tied to the history of cross country and track & field at MSUB. Coppock arrived as a volunteer assistant in 1989, and assisted in the founding of the cross country as a sponsored sport at MSUB. He was the first head coach of the program, helping build both the men's and women's programs from the ground up. He would also be pivotal in reviving track & field at MSUB, helping reintroduce the program for the 2007-2008 season. Coppock would be a key figure in spearheading the effort to bring the NCAA DII West Region Cross Country Championships to Billings, helping the department host it's first ever Division II regional event when the department won the rights to host in 2014 for the first time. MSUB would also play host in 2016 under Coppock's tenure, and has gone on to host three more times in the past eight years (2018, 2022, 2024), where Coppock has continued to assist in the operation of the meet. Since stepping back from coaching, Dave and his wife Renee created the Dave and Renee Coppock Track & Field Cross Country Endowed Scholarship, starting with a groundbreaking $50,000 donation to attract and retain student-athletes in both programs, with the goal to grow the endowment to $100,000.
 
Under Coppock's guidance, MSUB produced 32 all-conference track performers, five all-region runners in cross country, 17 NCAA DII National Track & Field provisional qualifiers, two automatic qualifiers, and two NCAA appearances, ten conference champions, and a pair of U.S. Olympic marathon trial qualifiers. Both the men's and women's track teams produced a record number of all-conference and GNAC Champions during his tenure, along with a women's team championship in 2006 when MSUB was a member of the Heartland Conference. Coppock's teams over the years have placed as high as second in the Pacific West Conference (twice) and fifth in the NCAA West Region, along with having been ranked as high as No. 16 in the nation.
 
The first inaugural Dave Coppock Yellowjacket Open will mark the final home meet of the season for MSUB, and will also see the Yellowjacket's seniors honored at the meet. The meet will be held Saturday, March 28 at Lockwood High School.