Montana
Eastern Washington Candy Cane VII
Evans emerges as three-event star at Candy Cane
12/6/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Indoor Track, Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field
Results
Sammy Evans' career trajectory as a track and field athlete changed last May. She had won the triple jump at the Big Sky Conference outdoor championships at Flagstaff, Ariz., adding to her indoor title, but she had no-heighted in the high jump and was still trying to figure out the long jump.
Through tears of frustration, she vowed to become a three-event threat.
Seven months later, the junior from Havre might have just emerged as the best all-around jumper in the Big Sky.
Evans won the high jump, long jump and triple jump at the seventh annual Candy Cane Invitational at Cheney, Wash., Saturday afternoon, and she did so with Big Sky-qualifying marks in all three and PRs in both the high jump and long jump.
She went 5-5.75 in the high jump, a 2.5-inch PR, 18-7.25 in the long jump, a five-inch PR, and 39-6 in the triple jump, more than a foot farther than she opened the indoor season last year at Eastern Washington.
"Sammy was the best performer of the day," said UM coach Brian Schweyen. "She made a decision at the end of conference that she was ready to be good at three events.
"She's had the potential, but I don't think she's ever had the confidence. She put it in her head that she is going to be good at all three."
Evans provided three of Montana's 11 Big Sky Conference qualifications at the two-day meet, which opened Friday with the Grizzlies earning qualifications in the pentathlon by sophomores Nicole Stroot and Lakyn Connors and freshman Erika McLeod.
Freshman Claire Dalman qualified in the pole vault Saturday, freshman Sabrina Keys in the shot put.
On the men's side, seniors Jacob Leininger and Lee Hardt qualified in the 55-meter hurdles and high jump, respectively, and redshirt senior Drew Owens established the first school record in the rarely raced 600 meters.
"On the competitive side, across the board there were some really nice performances," said Schweyen. "Obviously there is some improving that can be done, but overall I'm pretty happy with where we're sitting right now."
The Montana women won six of the meet's nine events Saturday, with Evans claiming three of the victories.
Freshman Morgan Sulser won the 55-meter hurdles in a time of 8.73, sophomore Reagan Colyer won the 600 meters in a time of 1:37.96, and Keys, from Spokane, Wash., won the shot put in her collegiate debut with a mark of 45-2.75.
"Sabrina is always in the gym," said Schweyen. "If she's not there throwing, she's there watching and helping out. She's just a really good talent who wants to be good. She has the potential to throw really far."
Freshman Alanna Vann placed second in the 55 meters in a time of 7.45, freshman Emily Cheroske finished second behind Colyer in the 600 meters in a time of 1:40.54. Sophomore McKenzie Weber went 18-4 in the long jump, a PR of more than a foot, and Dalman was third in the pole vault at 11-11.75.
"Claire easily could have made 12-6, but I think she was so excited to make 12 feet this early in the season that I don't think she really started thinking about making 12-6 until her third jump (at that height)," said Schweyen. "By then it's too late.
"But as far as starting out, that's a great place to start. That should be a really good confidence boost for her."
Owens set the first-ever program standard of 1:23.93 in the 600 meters with a second-place finish, and the Montana men had four event victories.
Hardt won the high jump at 6-8, redshirt freshman Peter Sirmon won the pole vault with a jump of 15-3, and sophomore Nick Jackson won the shot put with a distance of 51-6.75. And Leininger posted his qualifying time in the hurdles while racing solo.
"Jake had to run all by himself in the hurdles, which is tough, but he still ran a good race," said Schweyen. "To get a qualifier by himself was a great way to start."
Jackson came up just short of qualifying in the shot put, but it was a four-inch PR, one of two PRs for the thrower on the day. His weight throw of 47-3 was a PR by more than two and a half feet.
Jackson was one of four throwers who had PRs Saturday. Junior Tyler Van Oort went 47-1 in the shot, and redshirt senior Brian Maus threw 54-2.25 and sophomore Nolan Nagle went 49-7.5 in the weight to finish second and third behind EWU's Jordan Arakawa, last winter's Big Sky champion in the event.
Montana will compete as a full team for the first time this indoor season at Montana State on Jan. 16.
Players Mentioned
