Underclassmen lead Grizzlies into Bozeman

The Montana track & field program is headed to Bozeman for the third time in less than two weeks on Friday, competing against Idaho State, Utah State and host Montana State in a dual meet. All events will be streamed for free on WatchBigSky.com.

The four-team meet will be a traditional dual-scoring format, with individuals earning five points for a first-place finish, three points for second place, two points for third place and one point for a fourth-place result. The top two relay teams will also earn points (five and three points, respectively).

Action begins Friday morning at 11 a.m. with field events, followed by track events in the afternoon.

"It's a really competitive meet," head coach Brian Schweyen said. "Each school is going to bring some great athletes, and it will be a high-quality meet."

Coming back from the winter break with very little prep time, Montana won eight of 12 events in the heptathlon and pentathlon early last week, followed by seven more event wins during the MSU Invitational later in the week.

The performances were full of some ups and downs, but ultimately, Schweyen sees his team heading in the right direction.

"We had some great performances, and then we had some where we didn't quite meet expectations," Schweyen said. "That's typically the way it goes. I'm not disappointed and I'm not overly excited. I've been doing this for a lot of years, and I think we're right around where we need to be."

Several of the highlights have come from a variety of different events, with Montana athletes ranking in the top 10 in the Big Sky a total of 36 times. The Grizzlies are best represented in the 5000 meters, with Jessica Bailey and four others ranking in the top 10 on the women's side, while Jonathan Eastwood leads the Big Sky on the men's side, followed by five other Grizzlies that rank in the top 10.

Montana will not compete in the 5,000 meters on Friday, but will send athletes for several distance events that Schweyen has high hopes for. Additionally, in the 800 meters, Jacob Lamb is the top performer in the Big Sky so far this season and is one of four Grizzlies in the top 10.

Lamb is one of a handful of underclassmen who are excelling early on. Of the 26 events that Montana has competed in this season, the team's top performer is either a freshman or sophomore in 18 of them.

Freshmen who are Montana's top performer in an event include: Andrea Baratte (1 mile), Madeline Hamilton (800 meters, 1 mile), Deszmon Humphries (weight throw), Lamb (800 meters), Jacob Price (triple jump), Jordan Stow (long jump), Brent Yeakey (shot put) and Jansen Ziola (60-meter hurdles, long jump, pentathlon).

"We have a young team," Schweyen said. "I like having youth, especially knowing that we have experienced juniors and seniors who are redshirting. I'm excited for our future."

In addition to the distance events, many of the field events have been strong points for the Griz, with Jane Booth and Matt Quist currently leading the Big Sky for the women's and men's high jump, respectively. In the pole vault, Charlie Bush and Carrie Jacka rank third in the conference, while Madison Neufeld (triple jump), Mariah Harvey (shot put), and Kayla Holmes (weight throw) rank fourth.

Friday will be the second of six consecutive weekends of competition leading up to the Big Sky Indoor Track & Field Championships.

"This week, everyone should be a little bit more comfortable and everybody's performances should bump up from what they were last week," Schweyen said. "Some will make big gains, some will make small gains, but as long as there are gains being made, that's what we're looking for."

Scheduled to compete on Friday for the Grizzlies are:
Event 1 – Women's 1 mile: Madeline Hamilton, Madison Ward
Event 2 – Men's 1 mile: Andrea Baratte, Kyle Kredo
Event 3 – Women's 60-meter hurdles: Hannah Coburn, Jansen Ziola, Jenna Dukovcic
Event 4 – Men's 60-meter hurdles: Chase Armstrong, Grant Whitcutt, Morgan Eitel
Event 5 – Women's 400 meters: Carly Smiedala, Mijah McLeod, Mattison McAnally
Event 6 – Men's 400 meters: Sterling Reneau, Chase Armstrong, Trevor Henry, Ty Rather, Colton Hess
Event 7 – Women's 60 meters: Alanna Vann, Hannah Coburn
Event 8 – Men's 60 meters: Courtlynd Brown, Rhett Streeter
Event 9 – Women's 800 meters: Emily Cheroske, Megan Franz, Madeline Hamilton
Event 10 – Men's 800 meters: Karsten Pease, Noah Adams, Jacob Lamb, Andrea Baratte
Event 11 – Women's 200 meters: Alanna Vann, Jaree Mane, Mijah McLeod, Mattison McAnally, Jansen Ziola
Event 12 – Men's 200 meters: Chase Armstrong, Colton Hess, Rhett Streeter, Courtlynd Brown
Event 13 – Women's 3,000 meters: Jessica Bailey, Samantha Engebretsen, Madison Carr, Evie Tate
Event 14 – Men's 3,000 meters: Nathan Wellington, Dillon May, Kyle Peterson, Kyle Kredo, Micah Drew
Event 19 – Women's 4x400 meter relay: Carly Smiedala/Jaree Mane/Mijah McLeod/Emily Cheroske
Event 20 – Men's 4x400 meter relay: Colton Hess/Jacob Lamb/Sterling Reneau/Ty Rather, Trevor Henry/Noah Adams/Andrea Baratte/Karsten Pease
Event 21 – Women's pole vault: Carrie Jacka, Chloe Seferos
Event 22 – Men's pole vault: Charlie Bush, Grant Whitcutt, Jordan Stow, Morgan Eitel
Event 23 – Women's high jump: Jane Booth, Jansen Ziola, Abby Dodge
Event 24 – Men's high jump: Matt Quist, Jordan Stow, Charlie Bush, Morgan Eitel
Event 25 – Women's long jump: Hannah Coburn, Jansen Ziola, Jenna Dukovcic
Event 26 – Men's long jump: Jordan Stow, Grant Whitcutt, Jacob Price
Event 27 – Women's triple jump: Arielle Walden, Carla Nicosia, Madison Neufeld
Event 28 – Men's triple jump: Jacob Price
Event 29 – Women's weight throw: Kayla Holmes, Mariah Harvey
Event 30 – Men's weight throw: Deszmon Humphries, Oliver Grajeda, Brent Yeakey
Event 31 – Women's shot put: Mariah Harvey, Kayla Holmes
Event 32 – Men's shot put: Nick Jackson, Brent Yeakey, Deszmon Humphries, Oliver Grajeda

University of Montana Athletics

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