Restart: Multi-event athletes back at it

Monday, January 4

Bozeman, Mont.

Montana

Montana State (multi-events)

1/3/2016 3:10:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

By: Montana Sports Information

Montana's multi-event athletes, who were kept from competing in the pentathlon and heptathlon at the Candy Cane VIII track and field meet at Cheney, Wash., in early December because of wintry weather and road closures, will finally get their chance this week at Bozeman.

Six Grizzlies will compete at the UM-MSU Combined Duals, with the women's pentathlon being held Monday, the men's heptathlon Monday and Tuesday at Montana State's Brick Breeden Fieldhouse.

Competing in the pentathlon will be juniors Lakyn Connors and Nicole Stroot and sophomores Erika McLeod and Jenna Dukovcic. Sophomore Charlie Bush and freshman Jess Beaman will compete in the heptathlon.

Though they were unable to make the multi-events last month at Cheney, all six competed in the Candy Cane's open events the next day.

"It's a young group without a lot of experience, and you don't get a lot of these during the year, so to miss that one was a bummer," said UM multi-events coach Adam Bork. "But at least they got to go to Eastern and compete in several events."

Stroot ran a career-best 8.41 in the preliminaries of the 55-meter hurdles, Connors a career-best 8.47. McLeod won the long jump at a distance of 17-10.25, Dukovcic went 5-1 in the high jump, 16-6 in the long jump.

Bush finished third in the pole vault at 15-3, fourth in the long jump at 20-9.25. Beaman went 21-0 in the long jump to place third. He was also third in the shot put at 41-1.75.

"Jess has a lot of talent, but he's young and has a lot to learn, so this meet will be a good experience for him," said Bork. "I know his body was hurting him a lot before break because of the training. Hopefully these weeks off have allowed him to rest up and feel a little bit better."

Stroot finished seventh in the pentathlon at last winter's Big Sky indoor championships, then moved up one spot to finish sixth in the heptathlon at last May's outdoor championships, plus fifth in the long jump. Connors was ninth at that meet.

Bush finished eighth in the heptathlon at last year's indoor championships. He redshirted the outdoor season.

This year's conference championships will be held at Bozeman the final weekend of February.