Grizzlies prepare for busy week on the track

Wednesday, April 18

Azusa, Calif.

Montana

Bryan Clay Invitational

4/17/2018 4:24:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

Schedule of Events 2018 Performance Lists

By: Montana Sports Information

The Grizzlies will be all over the country this week, sending athletes to three different track meets. In addition to the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, Calif., Montana will also be represented at the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays (Walnut, Calif.) and Trudnowski Open (Helena, Mont.).

The majority of Montana's top competitors will be at the Bryan Clay Invitational, which begins Wednesday and runs through Friday.

"We're excited for this week because there will be solid competition all across the board at each meet," head coach Brian Schweyen said. "We're taking a small group to California, and are looking for some big things there, and hopefully some really good weather. Same thing for those going to Carroll, perhaps except for the weather."

Like some of the top track meets across the country, the Bryan Clay Invitational is a qualifying meet, meaning athletes had to meet certain standards in order to participate. In total, 27 Griz athletes will compete in 19 events.

Beginning Wednesday, Morgan Eitel, Josh Riley and Grant Whitcutt will represent the Grizzlies in the men's decathlon. The trio also participated in last week's decathlon in Missoula, with Eitel placing second with 5,881 points.

The decathlon will conclude on Thursday, along with the steeplechase and 5,000 meters. Dillon May will represent Montana in the steeplechase, while Samantha Engebretsen will run in the women's 5,000 meters.

The majority of Grizzlies will compete on Friday, beginning at 9 a.m. MT. Montana is coming off of its best meet of the spring season, winning 15 total events at the Montana Open. In fact, for a few, their performances at the Montana Open bought their ticket to California.

Event winners Chase Armstrong (400-meter hurdles), Emily Cheroske (800 meters), Abby Dodge (high jump), Holly Houston (discus), Jensen Lillquist (javelin), Madison Neufeld (triple jump), Karsten Pease (800 meters), Zena Smith (javelin) and Brent Yeakey (shot put, discus) will all be in action at the Bryan Clay Invitational, in addition to Carly Smiedala, who won the 400 meters last week but will make her 2018 debut in the 800 meters. The 800 meters has been Smiedala's staple throughout her young career, setting an indoor school record earlier this spring and placing third and qualifying for NCAA Regionals in outdoor last spring.

All three of Montana's female javelin throwers currently rank in the top 10 in the Big Sky, led by Smith's top mark (149-7). On the men's side, both Lillquist (second) and Luke Hilmes (sixth) rank in the top 10. Montana has seen plenty of success in the majority of its field events. Houston has won the discus in all three meets this outdoor season and holds the Big Sky's second-best mark of the season. She will also participate in the shot put.

"It's a big meet, and we'll be competing against athletes who will go on and do big things, just like our athletes will do," Schweyen said. "We'll be competing against athletes who are putting up similar times and distances as us, so it's a good barometer to measure where we're at."

Others competing in multiple events will be Charlie Bush, Jonathan Eastwood, Madeline Hamilton and Yeakey. Yeakey is coming off of event wins in both the shot put and discus last week and ranks in the top 12 in the Big Sky for both categories.

Another athlete who posted her first collegiate event win last weekend was Dodge. The freshman won the women's high jump with a mark of 5-5.75 (fifth in Big Sky), nearly five inches better than her previous best. Teammate Jane Booth finished second. Booth, a sophomore, placed third at last year's outdoor championships.

Montana athletes competing at the Bryan Clay Invitational
Men's decathlon: Morgan Eitel, Josh Riley, Grant Whitcutt
Women's 800 meters: Emily Cheroske, Madeline Hamilton, Carly Smiedala
Men's 800 meters: Noah Adams, Jacob Lamb, Karsten Pease
Women's 1,500 meters: Madeline Hamilton
Men's 1,500 meters: Jonathan Eastwood
Women's 5,000 meters: Samantha Engebretsen
Men's 110-meter hurdles: Chase Armstrong
Men's 400-meter hurdles: Chase Armstrong
Men's 3,000-meter steeplechase: Dillon May
Women's high jump: Jane Booth, Abby Dodge
Men's high jump: Charlie Bush
Men's pole vault: Charlie Bush
Women's triple jump: Madison Neufeld
Women's shot put: Holly Houston
Men's shot put: Brent Yeakey
Women's discus: Kayla Holmes, Holly Houston
Men's discus: Brent Yeakey
Women's javelin: Maddie Foulk, Darby Henthorn, Zena Smith
Men's javelin: Brady Coffman, Luke Hilmes, Jensen Lillquist