Montana
Montana State (multi-events)
Griz post career bests at Montana State
1/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Indoor Track, Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field
Results
The multi-event athletes from the Montana track and field teams traveled to Bozeman Monday for the Montana State Combined Events Dual and came away with a pair of career bests.
Sophomore Nicole Stroot added 60 points to her PR and finished third in the pentathlon with 3,408 points. Freshman Erika McLeod added 51 to her score from Eastern Washington's Candy Cane Invitational in early December to place fourth.
Redshirt senior Shayle Dezellem finished fifth with 3,298 points, sophomore Lakyn Connors was seventh with 3,184.
Montana State's Carley McCutchen, with 3,739 points, and Danielle Muri, with 3,666, finished first and second. The pair went one-two in three of the pentathlon's five events and only Stroot's victory in the long jump kept McCutchen or Muri from winning every event.
In the men's heptathlon, freshman Charlie Bush made his collegiate multi-events debut. He scored 2,502 points and is sitting second behind MSU's Mason Storm, who scored 2,593.
Stroot was Montana's top finisher in the 60-meter hurdles (9.17) and high jump (5-2.25), and topped the entire field with her mark of 17-9.25 in the long jump.
McLeod, who was competing in her second collegiate meet, improved upon her marks from Eastern Washington in both the high jump (5-1) and shot put (31-10.25).
"Erika looked better. She was more confident, more ready to go and less nervous today," said UM multi-events coach Adam Bork. "She still has a few technical problems we haven't been able to work on yet. As she goes through the indoor season, every week she is going to get better and better."
Dezellem placed in the top five in all five events, highlighted by a runner-up finish behind McCutchen in the 800 meters. Dezellem (2:27.59), McLeod (2:28.45) and Stroot (2:29.45) all had altitude-adjusted times faster than 2:30.
Connors finished third in the shot put with a career-best effort of 34-6.5.
"I think we saw some all-around improvement today," added Bork. "Most of them ran faster in the hurdles, and the group ran a really good 800 when you account for the elevation. I was happy with both of those events.
"They made some pretty good bars in the high jump, and the shot put was solid. Lakyn had a good day with some consistent, good throws."
Bush, who was competing on a tweaked ankle, finished fourth in the field of six in the 60 meters (7.53) and third in the long jump (20-8.5).
He moved up from fourth to second in the overall standings with a shot put of 31-2.75 and closed the gap on Storm to less than 100 points with a winning effort in the high jump of 6-1.5.
"Charlie just got back into town (from Southern California) on Saturday and hasn't done any speed work, so he did about as expected," said Bork. "We're hoping for some good things from him tomorrow."
The heptathletes will compete on Tuesday morning in the 60-meter hurdles, pole vault and 1,000 meters.
Players Mentioned
