Montana
Oregon Relays
Griz conclude Oregon Relays with additional bests
4/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track and Field, Outdoor Track, Women's Track and Field
Results
One day after opening the Oregon Relays with a dozen season and career bests, the Montana track and field teams were at it again Saturday as the meet at Hayward Field at Eugene, Ore., concluded.
The Grizzlies had 14 season and career bests and nine top-three finishes while competing against athletes from schools across the Northwest.
Montana's best showing came in the men's 400 meters, where a pair of Missoula natives, one facing hurdles, the other not, raced to impressive finishes.
Senior Drew Owens placed second in the 400-meter hurdles in a season-best time of 52.26. He finished second to Dan Sanders, who ran a 52.13 while competing unattached, and well ahead of Carroll's Stephen Delaney, who defeated Owens at the season-opening Al Manuel Invitational three weeks ago.
In the 400 meters, freshman Sterling Reneau clocked a season-best time of 48.69 to finish third behind Marcus Chambers of Oregon and Charles Jock, who races for Nike OTC Elite. Reneau's time met the Big Sky Conference qualifying standard of 49.00.
Reneau, along with sophomore Dominique Bobo and freshmen Kerson Lubin and Alex Mustard, helped Montana to a second-place finish in the 4x100-meter relay in a season-best time of 41.73, and he, Owens and Bobo, plus junior Joe Lesar, ran a 3:21.15 in the 4x400-meter relay to place third.
The Montana women had a big day in both the 100- and 400-meter hurdles.
Sophomore Nicole Stroot, who had three career bests in four events Friday and Saturday, ran a 14.83 in the 100 hurdles, taking nearly four-tenths of a second off her PR to finish third. Senior Shayle Dezellem, with a career-best 14.88, and freshman Morgan Sulser, in 14.97, also broke 15 seconds.
Stroot also had a PR in the 400 hurdles, slashing her best time in the event from 1:06.18 to 1:04.97.
For the first time this season Montana had three athletes break 65 seconds in the event. Freshman Erika McLeod finished third in a time of 1:04.83, Dezellem was fourth in 1:04.93. Stroot finished fifth.
In the men's 800 meters, senior Ben Williamson (1:54.35) and junior Cody Curtis (1:54.89) both broke 1:55 to finish ninth and 11th, and three freshmen had season bests in the sprints.
Alanna Vann finished fifth in the 100 meters in 12.37, Makenzee Cleveland-Aguirre was sixth in the 400 meters in 58.29, and Mustard was ninth in the 100 meters in 11.06.
A freshman also highlighted Montana's field performances Saturday. Madison Page finished sixth in the triple jump, going 37-5.25, a PR of more than six inches.
Senior Caitlin Caraway placed second in the hammer throw at 176-0, sophomore Riley Neville and freshman Jakob Alme tied for third in the pole vault at 15-1.5, junior Samantha Hodgson was third in the shot put at 44-8.25, and junior Stephanie Wells finished fifth in the javelin at 141-8.
Montana will compete at home the next two weekends. It will host the Griz-Cat Dual next Saturday at Dornblaser Field and the Montana Open the following Thursday through Saturday.
Players Mentioned
