FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (October 31, 2022) – A Big Sky All-Tournament team selection in 2021,
Montana Oltrogge spent the past four seasons of her basketball career as a Bengal at Idaho State with plenty of success.
During that time, she helped Idaho State win the back-to-back Big Sky Conference regular season championships and a 2021 conference tournament title to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament where the Bengals ultimately fell 71-63 to No. 4 seed Kentucky.
As has been the case for thousands of athletes across the nation, Oltrogge's career added an unexpected option. In October 2020, the NCAA granted all winter sport athletes who had their seasons cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic an extra year of eligibility to play their respective sports with no penalty. With an extra year to spare, Oltrogge – a Phoenix native – decided it was time to be closer to home.
"I think after four years there [at Idaho State], I was just ready for a change of scenery," Oltrogge said. "I knew that I wanted to go closer to home and this was just the perfect opportunity to be closer to home so I could be closer to my family. I think just being close to them was the most important thing to me."
For Oltrogge's family, during her time as a Bengal, getting to catch her in every home game was difficult. While her father made sure he didn't miss one, other members of Montana's family were relegated to watching her in action through ESPN+. Now that she's only 100 miles away, Montana is just happy her family gets to experience her final year on a grander scale than in the past. The same can also be said for the young woman who calls the Valley home, as becoming a Lumberjack has afforded her more opportunities to visit her family when she has free time.
Oltrogge doesn't just bring with her a desire to see family, she brings experience and knowledge on what it takes to win a championship in the Big Sky, something Northern Arizona feels they are close to achieving after a run in last season's tournament ended in a 75-64 defeat to Montana State in the conference title game.
"I think that it [championship experience] does play a role because I know what it takes to win a championship," Oltrogge said. "I had been a part of a championship team for two years and I'm trying to help my teammates understand what it takes and I think we're there, but I think it's hard because I'm on a new team now so I can't live in the past. I need to implement that here in a new system with new coaches and as of right now I think we're on the right track."
Even though she was a part of a championship winning team, Oltrogge admittedly was a silent player who wasn't used to being in a leadership role during her time as a Bengal. Before getting the chance to practice with her new teammates, she said she was unsure of how much different her role would be. Luckily, she's been encouraged to get out of her comfort zone.
"I think my role is significantly different than what I had at my old school. She [head coach
Loree Payne] wants me to be more of a leader, so I'm trying to embrace that and be more vocal with my teammates," Oltrogge said. "I think she wants me to do things that I haven't done in the past so I'm just breaking those barriers and I think Coach Payne has helped me to become a different player than I've been the last four years."
Coming from another school within the Big Sky means Oltrogge has had her share of on-court battles with young women that are now her teammates. Five out of her 11 teammates have shared court time with Montana as an opponent. When asked about potential awkwardness that arose when she first joined the Lumberjacks, she let it be known that her former opponents were extremely welcoming.
"It definitely was weird because I've played against them for four years, but they've really embraced me and accepted me," Oltrogge said. "I've made connections with them, especially Nyah and Olivia [Moran]. Yes it was a little weird [at first], but I'm way over that point now."
Oltrogge has a lot of things to look forward to in her final year of playing collegiate basketball, but she's just happy for all the differences she gets to experience.
"I'm excited just for a change," Oltrogge said. "To be able to play with new people in a new system with new coaches that have supported me since the day I got here. Coach Payne and her staff have pushed me out of my comfort zone. I'm excited to play in Pocatello one more time which is something I didn't think I'd get the chance to do. I'm just excited for this season."
