Evans breaks school record at Oregon Relays

Friday, April 15

Eugene, Ore.

Montana

Oregon Relays

4/16/2016 8:55:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

By: Montana Sports Information

Results

Sammy Evans added the outdoor school record in the triple jump to her growing resume, and the Montana track and field teams had seven more career bests Saturday as the Grizzlies wrapped up competition at the Oregon Relays in Eugene.

Evans, the UM indoor record holder as well, won the triple jump with her first career effort over 42 feet, going 42-0.75 to break her own PR of 41-11.5 she set last spring while competing unattached.

Her 42-footer had a wind reading of 2.1 meters per second, above the allowable limit of 2.0 for school records. No matter. She had another jump Saturday of 41-7.5 with a 1.6 wind reading that still broke Renee Dunn's record of 41-0.75 from 2003.

A 2.1 wind reading is acceptable for regional and national rankings, however, and entering the weekend only 21 athletes in the country had gone 42 feet or farther.

"For Sammy to come out and hit that was huge. She's been working hard all season to get that," said UM coach Brian Schweyen. "That's a big confidence boost for her going forward."

The rest of Montana's career bests Saturday came on the track at Hayward Field, highlighted by success in the hurdles.

In the women's 100-meter hurdles, Nicole Stroot clocked a 14.47, Erika McLeod a 14.77, both PRs. In the men's 110-meter hurdles, Jacob Leininger, ranked No. 2 in the Big Sky, cut his PR from 14.48 to 14.43, and freshman Taylor Trollope broke 15 seconds for the first time as a collegian, running a 14.98.

In the men's 800, freshman Karsten Pease, son of former Griz standout Paula Good, still a school record-holder in the sprints, had a big breakthrough. He didn't just crack 1:55 for the first time, he ran a 1:53.76 to move into the top 10 in the Big Sky.

They were the type of performances that make the grueling bus trip to Eugene -- it was the second straight spring Montana has competed at the Oregon Relays -- and back worth the effort.

"It's a tough trip. Two days over, two days back. It's a lot of time on the bus for the athletes, but it's such a great venue and good competition, and you have a larger crowd than you'll have at any meet you're going to be at, so I think it's worth it," said Schweyen.

"We were pretty solid all the way around, so I don't think anyone has any complaints about this meet or this trip."

Evans' was the only event victory Saturday, but the Grizzlies had a pair of runner-up finishes. Sterling Reneau placed second in the 400 meters in a time of 47.96, his third straight quarter mile under 48 seconds, and Jensen Lillquist finished second in the javelin at 210-4.25.

Emily Cheroske went sub-2:14 in the 800 meters for the third straight meet, running a 2:13.67, McLeod finished fifth in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:03.07, Hana Feilzer placed fourth in the hammer throw at 181-3.25, and Dylan Reynolds finished sixth in the 400-meter hurdles in a time of 53.81.

Montana will compete next Saturday at the Griz-Cat Dual in Bozeman.