Big Sky championships this week in Bozeman

Thursday, February 25

Bozeman, Mont.

Montana

Big Sky Conference Championships

2/24/2016 6:21:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

By: Montana Sports Information

Montana Performance List | Schedule of Events

The Montana track and field teams will compete this week at the Big Sky Conference indoor championships at Montana State's Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman. The three-day meet opens Thursday morning and concludes Saturday afternoon.

The Grizzlies, who will have 23 women and 20 men competing, were picked seventh in the women's preseason coaches' poll and eighth in the men's poll.

"I feel good about the group we're bringing over," eighth-year coach Brian Schweyen said. "They're excited and have their goals set high.

"I think they all believe they can achieve beyond what they've done to this point. I don't think you'll find a person on the team who doesn't think they can't jump to a higher spot."

Montana ended its pre-championships schedule with 23 automatic qualifiers for the meet, a men's and women's combined total surpassed only by Northern Arizona (42), Sacramento State (34), Weber State (28) and Eastern Washington (27).

"The key for a meet like this is to understand that all the hard work has been done," said Schweyen. "If you go out and try to work hard at this meet, you're not going to get anywhere. Instead, if you spend all your energy maintaining focus and confidence, the performance is going to be there."

The meet opens Thursday at 9 a.m. with day one of the men's heptathlon. The one-day women's pentathlon begins at 9:15 a.m., earlier-than-normal start times due to Montana State's home women's basketball game Thursday night. The heptathlon concludes Friday morning.

Friday features finals in seven field events, finals in the 5,000 meters and distance medley relay, and a number of preliminary races. Saturday has the five remaining field events, plus 16 finals on the track.

Montana notables:

* The Grizzlies have two athletes who sit alone atop the Big Sky performance list (excluding the multi-events): junior Dominique Bobo in the 200 meters and junior Samantha Hodgson in the shot put.

Northern Arizona's James Fisher, who swept the indoor and outdoor titles in the 200 meters last year, actually has a faster raw time this season than Bobo, but with track and altitude adjustments factored in, Bobo is sitting No. 1 at 21.43, Fisher No. 2 at 21.50.

Montana has not had an indoor champion in the men's 200 meters since Darren Stringer in 1993.

Bobo also ranks fourth in the long jump at 23-5.25, making him a threat to win that event as well. No one in the Big Sky has jumped beyond 23-11 this winter. Bobo also will race the 60 meters, where he's tied for 10th, anchor the 4x400-meter relay and run the 400-meter leg of the distance medley relay.

Hodgson, who three times has finished third in the shot put at indoor and outdoor championships, ranks first at 50-7.5. Northern Arizona senior Jessica Weise, who has gone 50-1.25, is the only other athlete in the Big Sky who has cracked 50 feet this winter.

The Montana women's program has never had an indoor champion in the throws.

* Sophomore Matt Quist is tied for first in the high jump. He and Weber State junior Anthony Gregory have both gone 6-10.75. One possible advantage for Quist: He went 6-10.75 last Friday, also at Montana State. Gregory's season best came back in early December.

Montana's last indoor high jump champion was Ryan Grinnell in 2007.

* It could be a breakout meet for both junior Nicole Stroot and sophomore Erika McLeod. McLeod, who finished 14th in the multi-events last winter, leads the Big Sky entering Thursday's pentathlon. Stroot, seventh last winter, is one of a chase pack that goes eight deep in quality behind McLeod.

Both will compete Friday evening in the long jump, a wide-open event without a clear-cut favorite. McLeod ranks third in the event, Stroot fifth.

Stroot is tied for fourth in the 60-meter hurdles, McLeod is tied for fourth in the 400 meters. Both will race preliminaries Friday afternoon and (hopefully) finals on Saturday afternoon.

And just to finish off a busy championships, Stroot will run the opening leg of Montana's 4x400-meter relay team in the championships' penultimate race Saturday afternoon, and McLeod will run anchor.

* There are five events in which two or more Montana athletes are in the top eight, which is as deep as the scoring goes.

In the 60-meter hurdles, Stroot (8.82) is tied for fourth, sophomore Morgan Sulser (8.91) ranks seventh. ... In the high jump, junior Lakyn Connors and sophomore Maddie Taylor are tied for eighth at 5-5. ... In the long jump, McLeod ranks third at 18-7.25, Stroot fifth at 18-5.75. ... In the triple jump, sophomore Madison Page ranks fourth at 37-6, freshman Carla Nicosia eighth at 36-9.75. ... In the 200 meters, Bobo ranks first, sophomore Alex Mustard sixth at 21.80, freshman Callum Macnab eighth at 21.88.

* The distance medley relay team for the Montana women will be sophomore Emily Cheroske running the opening 1,200 meters, freshman Olivia Ellis the 400 meters, senior Lauryn Wate the 800 meters and freshman Emily Pittis the 1,600 meters.

The men's DMR will feature freshman Emmette Dustybull running the 1,200 meters, Bobo the 400, freshman Jonathan Eastwood the 800 and freshman Gavin Hasty the 1,600.

* Montana has projected scorers in both the women's and men's 60 meters. Sophomore Alanna Vann, at 7.79, is seventh entering the championships. Junior Dionee Marrero, at 6.94, is tied for fourth.

* Nine of Montana's 23 women traveling to Bozeman are competing at their first Big Sky championships, indoor or outdoor. Nine of the 20 men also are first-timers.

* The Montana men have projected scorers in the 60-meter hurdles with freshman Taylor Trollope, ranked eighth at 8.34, and in the 400 meters, where redshirt freshman Sterling Reneau ranks seventh at 48.78.

* Sophomores Jakob Alme, Charlie Bush and Pierce Frazier are all tied for ninth in the pole vault at 15-3. Any or all could be scorers.

* Montana's 4x400-meter relay team of Bobo, Reneau, senior Andrew Monaco and freshman Callum Macnab has the Big Sky's No. 2 seed time of 3:16.34. Northern Arizona has gone 3:15.17 this year.

* Off-the-radar athletes who should be turning heads this week: junior McKenzie Weber in the women's long jump and freshman Davon Collins in the men's long jump. Both are ready to surprise, the former by jumping into the upper 18s, the latter by finally clearing 23 feet.

Montana women's entries

60 meters
Alanna Vann (7)
Keyera Gaulden (16)

60-meter hurdles
Nicole Stroot (t4)
Morgan Sulser (7)

400 meters
Erika McLeod (t4)

800 meters
Emily Cheroske (18)

Mile
Lauryn Wate (11)

5,000 meters
Bridget Creel (15)

4x400-meter relay
Nicole Stroot, Olivia Ellis, Ashlee Pedersen, Erika McLeod (9)

Distance medley relay
Emily Cheroske (1,200m), Olivia Ellis (400m), Lauryn Wate (800m), Emily Pittis (1,600m) (no seed time)

High jump
Lakyn Connors (t8)
Maddie Taylor (t8)
Maggie Hering (t15)

Long jump
Erika McLeod (3)
Nicole Stroot (5)
McKenzie Weber (11)

Triple jump
Madison Page (4)
Carla Nicosia (8)

Pole vault
Carrie Jacka (t12)
Emily Mendoza (20)

Shot put
Samantha Hodgson (1)
Allie Keleti (14)

Weight throw
Hana Feilzer (10)
Anna Pershouse (13)

Montana men's entries

60 meters
Dionee Marrero (t4)
Dominique Bobo (t10)
Alex Mustard (16)

60-meter hurdles
Taylor Trollope (8)
Callum Macnab (18)

200 meters
Dominique Bobo (1)
Alex Mustard (6)
Callum Macnab (8)
Sterling Reneau (12)
Dionee Marrero (15)

400 meters
Sterling Reneau (7)

800 meters
Karsten Pease (18)

Mile
Gavin Hasty (13)
Jonathan Eastwood (14)

3,000 meters
Paden Alexander (13)

5,000 meters
Adam Wollant (14)

4x400-meter relay
Callum Macnab, Andrew Monaco, Sterling Reneau, Dominique Bobo (2)

Distance medley relay
Emmette Dustybull (1,200m), Dominique Bobo (400m), Jonathan Eastwood (800m), Gavin Hasty (1,600m) (8)

High jump
Matt Quist (t1)

Long jump
Dominique Bobo (4)
Davon Collins (12)

Triple jump
Matt Quist (11)

Pole vault
Jakob Alme (t9)
Charlie Bush (t9)
Pierce Frazier (t9)
Brett Dringman (15)