Montana State graduate student, biathlete, represents U.S. on world stage

BOZEMAN - When Anna French transferred to Montana State University as an undergraduate in 2017, the suitability of Bozeman as a biathlon training venue never crossed her mind.

Instead, the standout student and athlete was focused on her role as a member of MSU's cross-country and track and field teams, as well as her pursuit of two bachelor's degrees in biological science and chemistry, which she earned with highest honors from the College of Letters and Science in 2020. Earlier that spring, the college had honored her as its top science student with the Dean's Award for Academic Excellence.

Seven years after arriving, French is still in Bozeman, and she continues to stand out - not only at MSU, where she is a doctoral student in the Department of Ecology on a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, but also on the international stage as one of the top 10 female biathletes in the U.S. She returned a few weeks ago from Europe, where she completed her second season as one of five members of Team USA's International Biathlon Union, or IBU Cup, squad.

"I had a great experience this year," said French, who also competes locally and nationally with Team Altius, a biathlon team based in West Yellowstone.

French grew up Nordic skiing in Minnesota, but it was running that she pursued competitively in high school and beyond. She still holds three top 10 all-time program marks for MSU, including the third fastest time ever by a Bobcat in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase.

But her collegiate running career was beset by injuries. She found herself back on skis as part of the rehabilitation and discovered biathlon, which combines cross-country skiing and target shooting.

"I was training for cross-country and picked up a rifle at Crosscut (Mountain Sports Center in Bozeman)," she said. "When I started, I was having trouble hitting the target at all. I definitely have improved a lot."

That's an understatement, according to James Becker, associate professor in MSU's Department of Food Systems, Nutrition and Kinesiology and co-director of the Neuromuscular Biomechanics Laboratory, where he conducts his research.

"It's not easy to qualify for the IBU Cup," said Becker, who trains alongside French with the Masters Biathlon Team at Crosscut. "She has worked hard to get where she is."

Becker is intimately familiar with the rigors of biathlon and the Team USA qualification process. For the past four years, he has conducted research on biathlon, both with local athletes at Crosscut Mountain Sports Center and USA National Team athletes at the Lake Placid Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in New York. He also attends the first round of Team USA qualifying races every fall in Utah, where finalists are chosen for the World Cup and IBU Cup teams.

He met French four years ago, when she was recovering from running-related injuries and came to the Biomechanics Labfor help identifying how to adjust her running form to prevent injuries from recurring. Now she uses the lab to improve her biathlon performance.

"We have a roller-skiing treadmill and use 3D motion capture to break down exactly how the athletes are moving," Becker said. "We look at all the markers for things that make good ski technique."

Becker also measures body and rifle movement during shooting tests to help biathletes improve their marksmanship, a goal that led French to discover yet another passion. Coaches suggested that one of the best things she could do to improve as a biathlete was increase her upper-body strength, which was one reason she joined the Hyalite Fire Department. She graduated from fire academy last June and continues to serve the department as a volunteer firefighter.

"I like the community of people and being able to give back to the greater Bozeman community," she said.

In addition to her other commitments, French works on an interdisciplinary team of ecologists and hydrologists at MSU. Her faculty adviser, Lindsey Albertson, associate professor in the ecology department, describes French as a very smart, dedicated student whose impressive undergraduate performance helped her win the NSF fellowship.

French has continued to garner academic and athletic recognitions. Last year, she received a grant from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee to help fund her educational goals while actively training in her sport. And last summer, her first-ever conference talk at the Society for Freshwater Science conference in Australia was named the best oral presentation in applied sciences.

French plans to finish her doctorate in three years, then pursue a career in academia, though she is quite satisfied with life in the meantime.

"I enjoy MSU - that's why I've stuck around," she said.