Track & field season begins this weekend

Friday, December 1

Cheney, Wash.

Montana

Candy Cane X

11/29/2017 2:21:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

Schedule of Events Men's Roster Women's Roster Schedule 2017 Indoor Performance List Record Book

By: Montana Sports Information

For most teams across the nation, the indoor track & field season won't begin for another several weeks, after the holidays and into the new year. Again this year, however, Montana will get a head start to its season, beginning action this weekend.

There are just a handful of meets across the country this weekend, and Montana is partaking in two of them. The Grizzlies are sending the majority of their athletes to the Candy Cane X in Cheney, Wash., in addition to traveling several to Bozeman.

"They're eager and so are the coaches," head coach Brian Schweyen said. "We get a lot out of competing in these early-season meets because it allows us to assess our team prior to our long winter break. We want them to go into winter break excited and motivated to continue working hard so we can come back in January ready to roll."

The Candy Cane has become an annual season-kickoff meet for the Grizzlies, as Montana has competed in it all the way back to the original one in 2008. The Grizzlies will be represented by 44 student-athletes in Cheney, competing in the 55 meters, 55-meter hurdles, 600 meters, heptathlon, high jump, long jump, pole vault, shot put, triple jump and weight throw.

"The Candy Cane is a great early-season meet," Schweyen said. "It's always a fun, low-key meet, but we always seem to get some great performances out of it. Everyone's in great shape and they're healthy and ready."

The meet is unofficially a dual meet vs. Eastern Washington, but also includes athletes from Central Washington and Multnomah University participating in the men's heptathlon and women's pentathlon. Action begins at 1 p.m. MT on Friday and 10 a.m. on Saturday.

With the Candy Cane being limited to mostly shorter distances, Montana will also send 14 athletes to Bozeman on Saturday for distance events. Montana will compete in the 800 meters, 1 mile and 5,000 meters against Carroll, Montana State and MSU-Billings.

"It's nice for some of our cross country kids, coming off of their season, to get on the track and be able to run some of the events they'll be running for us this winter season," Schweyen said.

Schweyen noted that his team has had success in the early-season events in the past, and he expects to see more of that this weekend in both Cheney and Bozeman. More than that, though, he wants to get a better feel for his athletes so he can adjust moving forward.

"An early meet like this is a great opportunity for self-evaluation," he said. "I want to see who's competing and who's scared. I know I'm going to see some great performances and some performances that are down a little, but ultimately, I want to see some competition and some excitement."

Among the 58 student-athletes competing are 18 freshmen and seven who scored at last year's Big Sky Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships.

Candy Cane X Participants
Noah Adams: 600m, heptathlon
Chase Armstrong: 55m hurdles
Courtlynd Brown: 55m
Charlie Bush: High jump, pole vault
Brett Dringman: Pole vault
Morgan Eitel: Heptathlon
Oliver Grajeda: Shot put, weight throw
Nathan Graves: Heptathlon
Trevor Henry: 600m
Colton Hess: 600m
Deszmon Humphries: Shot put, weight throw
Nick Jackson: Shot put
Peter McMahon: Shot put, weight throw
Jacob Price: Long jump, triple jump
Matt Quist: High jump
Ty Rather: 600m
Josh Riley: Heptathlon
Parker Spadt: High jump
Nolan Staats: Long jump
Jordan Stow: Heptathlon, long jump
Rhett Streeter: 55m
Grant Whitcutt: Heptathlon
Brent Yeakey: Shot put, weight throw

Claire Bonsack: Triple jump
Jane Booth: High jump
Lee Camel: Long jump
Emily Cheroske: 600m
Hannah Coburn: 55m hurdles, long jump, pentathlon
Abby Dodge: High jump
Jenna Dukovcic: Long jump, pentathlon
Mariah Harvey: Shot put, weight throw
Holly Houston: Shot put, weight throw
Carrie Jacka: Pole vault
Carlie Jessop: Shot put, weight throw
Jaree Mane: Pentathlon
Mattison McAnally: 55m, 600m
Mijah McLeod: 600m
Madison Neufeld: Triple jump
Carla Nicosia: Triple jump
Chloe Seferos: Pole vault
Carly Smiedala: 600m
Alanna Vann: 55m
Arielle Walden: Triple jump
Jansen Ziola: High jump, long jump, pentathlon

Bobcat Preview Participants
Andrew Baratte: 800m, 1 mile
Micah Drew: 5000m
Jonathan Eastwood: 5000m
Jacob Lamb: 800m, 1 mile
Karsten Pease: 800m, 1 mile
Kyle Peterson: 5000m
Nathan Wellington: 5000m

Jessica Bailey: 5000m
Reagan Colyer: 5000m
Samantha Engebretsen: 5000m
Madeline Hamilton: 800m, 1 mile
Maeve Holman: 5000m
Maryn Lowry: 5000m (unattached)
Evie Tate: 5000m