Montana will send off 14 seniors during final outdoor tune-up

Tom Gage Classic (Montana vs. Montana State)
Friday, May 4 / 11 a.m.
Dornblaser Field / Missoula, Mont. – Free Admission

Montana will close the regular season on Friday, which means track & field fans have one more opportunity to catch this year's squad in action. The Grizzlies will host a variety of local teams in the Tom Gage Classic.

The annual dual meet between the Treasure State's two Division-I schools honors the late Tom Gage, a longtime local track & field official who passed away in 2010. Gage was an active Maters thrower and set numerous U.S. and world records, and was a finalist at the 1967 Munich Olympics in the hammer throw. He is in the Masters Division of the USATF National Track and Field Hall of Fame and is jointly honored by Montana and Montana State for his great athletics spirit that has inspired so many athletes from both universities.

In addition to honoring the life of Gage, Montana will also recognize 14 student-athletes who will be competing in their final meet at Dornblaser Field. Those seniors being recognized during the meet will be:

Paden Alexander / Distance / St. Ignatius, Mont.
Jake Alme / Jumps / Phoenix, Ariz.
Dominique Bobo / Springs/Jumps / Wichita Falls, Texas
Emily Cheroske / Distance / Bigfork, Mont.
Micah Drew / Distance / Boise, Idaho
Jenna Dukovcic / Multi-Events / Longview, Wash.
Rosa Hardarson / Distance / Littleton, Colo.
Nick Jackson / Throws / Billings, Mont.
Madison Neufeld / Jumps / Belgrade, Mont.
Peter Sirmon / Jumps / Walla Walla, Wash.
Alanna Vann / Sprints / Federal Way, Wash.
Arielle Walden / Jumps / Newport, Wash.
Jordon Wallin / Distance / Edmonds, Wash.
Nathan Wellington / Distance / Rocklin, Calif.

"Any time you have a graduating class, for me I have to appreciate the time and effort they put in during their four or five years here," head coach Brian Schweyen said. "The accomplishments which they had on the track bear nothing to me in regards to the people that they are and the time and dedication they gave to the program and the university. To see all of them leaving with a degree is the No. 1 thing, and hopefully they're leaving with tools that they learned during their time here that will allow them to be successful.

"With this class, it's a large class, and it's an incredible accumulation of individuals. Every one of our coaches is proud of every one of them. They will always be part of the Montana Grizzly track & field program."

Friday's meet will take place just four days before the 2018 Big Sky Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships begin in Moscow, Idaho (May 8-11). Often times, athletes will rest their bodies leading into the biggest meet of the year, but this year for the Grizzlies, many of their top competitors will compete – at least to some degree.

Of the 13 Montana athletes who are currently in line to score at next week's Championships, 10 will be competing this weekend in Missoula.

"Most of our athletes will be out there to some degree, getting a final tune-up," Schweyen said. "We as a coaching staff generally know what each athlete needs and we communicate to get a feel from them as well."

For some, Friday is one last opportunity to prove to the coaching staff that he or she belongs on next week's trip to Moscow. For others who know they will be traveling, it's to get a little more practice or training to put themselves in the best position to score next week.

For the second consecutive season, rosters for the Big Sky Championships will not be decided by qualifying standards and instead with each team having a 28-person roster, per gender. The coaching staff will make their final decisions following Friday's meet.

"There's no concrete list at this point, and after Friday we'll know," Schweyen said. "We're reaching the pinnacle of the season and we want to be at our best at this time. I think across the board we're there. This meet is to go out and get comfortable, and to have a little bit more confidence going into next week."

Action begins at 11 a.m. with the hammer throw. Running events will begin at 2 p.m. A complete schedule can be found here.

A complete list of Montana athletes competing…

Men: Noah Adams (800 meters); Chase Armstrong (110-meter hurdles, 400-meter hurdles; 4x100-meter relay, 4x400-meter relay); John Beckers (javelin); Courtlynd Brown (100 meters, 200 meters, 4x100-meter relay); Charlie Bush (high jump, pole vault); Brady Coffman (javelin); Micah Drew (steeplechase); Jonathan Eastwood (1,500 meters); Morgan Eitel (pole vault, shot put, discus); Oliver Grajeda (shot put, hammer); Nathan Graves (discus, javelin); Colton Hess (200 meters, 400 meters, 4x400-meter relay); Trevor Henry (200 meters, 400 meters; 4x100-meter relay, 4x400-meter relay); Nick Jackson (hammer); Will Jones (200 meters, 400 meters, javelin); Noah Kells (800 meters); Kyle Kredo (1,500 meters); Jensen Lillquist (javelin); Peter McMahon (shot put, hammer); Alex Mustard (100 meters, 200 meters); Karsten Pease (400 meters, 4x400-meter relay); Kyle Peterson (1,500 meters); Jacob Price (triple jump); Josh Riley (pole vault, discus, javelin); Parker Spadt (high jump); Nolan Staats (long jump); Rhett Streeter (100 meters, 200 meters; 4x100-meter relay), Brandon Thurber-Blaser (shot put, discus, javelin); Nathan Wellington (steeplechase); Grant Whitcutt (pole vault, discus, javelin); Brent Yeakey (shot put, discus).

Women: Kahsiah Benson (pole vault); Jane Booth (high jump); Madison Carr (1,500 meters); Emily Cheroske (400 meters); Hannah Coburn (100-meter hurdles, long jump, javelin); Abby Dodge (high jump); Jenna Dukovcic (shot put, javelin); Kimberly Earhart (javelin); Olivia Ellis (100-meter hurdles, 400-meter hurdles, 4x400-meter relay); Hana Feilzer (discus, hammer); Maddie Foulk (javelin); Madeline Hamilton (400 meters); Rosa Hardarson (400 meters); Mariah Harvey (shot put, discus, hammer); Darby Henthorn (javelin); Mariah Hinson (javelin); Holly Houston (shot put, discus); Kayla Holmes (discus); Carrie Jacka (pole vault); Rachel Lewis (triple jump); Jaree Mane (high jump, shot put, javelin); Mattison McAnally (200 meters, 400 meters); Erika McLeod (100-meter hurdles, long jump); Mijah McLeod (400 meters); Madison Neufeld (triple jump); Carla Nicosia (triple jump); Natalie Peterson (javelin); Chloe Seferos (pole vault); Zena Smith (javelin); Morgan Sulser (100-meter hurdles, 4x400-meter relay); Alanna Vann (100 meters, 200 meters); Madison Ward (800 meters); Janzen Ziola (100-meter hurdles, 4x400-meter relay, high jump, long jump).

University of Montana Athletics

Montana will send off 14 seniors during final outdoor tune-up

Next Event

Related Videos