Thursday, February 21
Ogden, Utah
Montana
at
Big Sky Conference
Montana enters indoor championships with confidence, team mentality
2/20/2019 4:49:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field
BOZEMAN, Mont. – What a difference a year makes. A year ago at this time, Montana, with a roster full of injured and redshirting athletes, came to the Big Sky Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships with little expectations and looking, more than anything, to gain experience.
Now, a year later, Montana has most of its team back, plus a large number of previous scorers who redshirted a season ago, and the Grizzlies are looking to make a splash.
Of the 45 competitors for Montana this weekend, more than half (23) did not compete a year ago. And while there are a handful of freshmen, some of Montana's best athletes didn't compete in 2018 due to redshirting – purposefully holding them back a year in preparation for this week, in addition to what is expected to be a big outdoor season.
Montana had a strong regular season across the board. The Grizzlies currently have 23 athletes ranked in the top eight for individual events and 13 more in the top 12, well within reach of a top-eight scoring finish. Montana had 10 point-scorers last year.
"I think we're excited and ready to go," head coach Brian Schweyen said. "I've seen some incredible positives from practice this week. They're level headed, they're calm and they're ready to compete."
Women have a shot: Montana showed it belonged near the top of the Big Sky standings earlier this month when the Griz women swept the D1 Invitational Team Challenge in Moscow, Idaho, beating Big Sky schools Eastern Washington, Idaho and Portland State, in addition to Gonzaga and Washington State.
It will be tough to dethrone two-time defending champion Northern Arizona, but expect Montana's women's team to be competitive near the top this week. Montana has projected medalists in the 200 meters, 800 meters, 60-meter hurdles (two athletes), high jump, long jump, triple jump, weight throw and pentathlon.
Montana has finished in the top three four times, including a runner-up finish in 2017. The Griz women have had an individual event winner in 14 consecutive seasons.
For the men: Of the 20 men competing for Montana, just eight competed at last year's Championships. Still, the Grizzlies have a good mix of veteran leadership and young talent.
Feilzer's dominance: Hana Feilzer has twice scored in the weight throw at the indoor championships, but she's competing at a different level this season. After redshirting a year ago, Feilzer has come out with force, winning two Big Sky Conference Athlete of the Week awards and establishing a school record in the event (64-5).
Feilzer has reached at least 60 feet in all seven meets this season. Just one other Big Sky athlete has hit that mark, doing so just once.
McLeod will be busy: Also making her return after a redshirt season in 2018 is Erika McLeod. The versatile athlete has scored in five different events during her indoor career, which is a large reason why she will be competing a team-most six times this week – including the seven-event pentathlon.
McLeod can score points in – and win – any of her events. She's currently ranked third for the 200 meters and long jump, seventh for the 60-meter hurdles and high jump, and part of a relay team that is projected to finish second. Her best event, though, is the pentathlon, which she won back-to-back individual titles in during 2016 and 2017.
Depth in the hurdles, multis: Top to bottom, Montana is strong in both the 60-meter hurdles – men and women – and the multis. The Griz will have five competitors in both the men's and women's 60-meter hurdles, and all 10 have an opportunity to score, with each one currently ranked in the top 14 on their respective side. Jansen Ziola is the favorite for the women (8.66), but Morgan Sulser currently ranks third, Erika McLeod is seventh and Olivia Ellis ranks ninth.
The multis will kick off the meet on Thursday, and Montana has several strong performers. For the men, Aidan Diggs (fourth) and Josh Riley (sixth) are ranked among the leaders, putting up their top performances of the season at the UW Invitational in Seattle. Montana has won the past three pentathlon titles, and has both winners competing this week. Erika McLeod won in back-to-back years in 2016 and 2017. Then in 2018, with McLeod redshirting, freshman Jansen Ziola surprised everyone to win the title. Overall, Montana has had six of the past eight individual winners in the pentathlon.
Low expectations coming in: Montana's women finished second in 2017, but between intentional redshirting and unintentional injuries, fell back to 10th in 2018. The men dropped from sixth to 12th. In the preseason poll, fellow Big Sky coaches predicted the Montana women to finish seventh out of 11 teams, while slotting the men at eighth.
Both sides are better than that, though, and look to prove it this week.
"Last year we didn't have a chance," Schweyen said. "We had some individuals who had the opportunity to go and do great things but we weren't there as a team. This year, we have more individuals, and from a team aspect, all of these athletes are going with a purpose to do something to help the team achieve a team goal."
All about the team: Track is an individual sport, sure, but at the end of the day, the goal of the conference tournament is to be the team at the top when all is said and done. It's an area Brian Schweyen has seen his team rally around, putting aside some of their individual goals, knowing that if they do what is asked of them, they can accomplish both individual goals and team accolades.
"The biggest difference I see is there's more team talk," Schweyen said. "'I'm doing this for the team' or 'Our team can do this'. Track and field is an individual sport, but the more you are part of a team and helping them – cheering, competing, pushing, driving – it benefits everyone."
Just another day: Brian Schweyen has preached all season about making each day the best day. The idea is that if you can train with the focus of the current day being the most important – whether it's a practice, a small meet or the Championships – then you will be prepared to compete when the lights are brightest.
"Your aspirations and expectations should always be to be better than you've ever been, and to go out and improve on something," Schweyen said. "The only difference with this meet is that there's going to be more excitement. The goals and the mindset are exactly the same."
Home away from home: While Montana will still be making the three-hour drive southeast to Bozeman, the Grizzlies have a familiarity with Worthington Arena. After all, six of Montana's nine indoor meets this season were inside the venue.
"It's our home track," Schweyen said. "It's not a home advantage like Montana State has, but it's a home advantage, certainly more than anyone else. We understand that facility, this drive is easy for us, we know the track. It sets up well for us."
Goal setting: Schweyen and his coaching staff talk with his team – both individually and collectively – about goals, but he noted it's less of a rah-rah, pump-up speech, and more continuously, day by day, letting it sink in to the athletes.
"All of the coaches talk with their athletes about goals, and we address the team in that manner, but more specifically, it's talking with individuals day to day and what they're capable of achieving," Schweyen said. "It's a daily conversation throughout a year rather than an incredible, 15-mintue speech that inspires someone."
Schedule of events: The three-day meet begins Thursday at 10 a.m. with the first four events of the men's heptathlon and the entirety of the women's pentathlon. The heptathlon will conclude Friday at 10 a.m.
The rest of the meet will pick back up Friday at 3 p.m. The meet concludes Saturday, beginning at 10:30 a.m., with an awards presentation scheduled for approximately 4 p.m. A complete schedule can be found online.
Follow Along: A live stream of the Big Sky Championships will be available each day of the meet, excluding the final three heptathlon events which begin Friday morning. Fans can watch the meet on Pluto TV or the Pluto TV app by visiting channel 238. It will also be available on WatchBigSky.com. Live results are available online.
Those attending the meet can purchase tickets at the venue. Admission is free for Thursday's multis. Single-day passes are $6; a full-weekend pass is $11 for adults and $6 for children.
Montana's Competitors (number in parenthesis is current Big Sky rank)
Men's 60 meters – Alex Mustard (12), Kip Krebsbach (18)
Women's 60 meters – Olivia Ellis (12)
Men's 200 meters – Paul Johnstone (18), Alex Mustard (23), Callum Macnab (31)
Women's 200 meters – Erika McLeod (3), Jansen Ziola (7), Olivia Ellis (15)
Men's 400 meters – Sterling Reneau (14), Paul Johnstone (15), Xavier Melice (20)
Men's 800 meters – Noah Adams (12), Karsten Pease (13)
Women's 800 meters – Carly Smiedala (4), Madeline Hamilton (6), Megan Franz (10), Mijah McLeod (17)
Men's 1 mile – Ben Vanderbosch (37)
Women's 3,000 meters – Samantha Engebretsen (25), Jessica Bailey (26)
Women's 5,000 meters – Jessica Bailey (11), Samantha Engebretsen (17)
Men's 60-meter hurdles – Aidan Diggs (6), Jaydon Green (12), Chase Armstrong (13), Callum Macnab (14)
Women's 60-meter hurdles – Jansen Ziola (1), Morgan Sulser (3), Erika McLeod (7), Olivia Ellis (9), Hannah Coburn (13)
Men's 4x400-meter relay – Paul Johnstone, Callum Macnab, Xavier Melice, Sterling Reneau (4)
Women's 4x400-meter relay – Carly Smiedala, Jansen Ziola, Olivia Ellis, Erika McLeod (2)
Men's DMR – Noah Adams, Chase Armstrong, Noah Kells, Ben Vanderbosch (N/A)
Women's DMR – Megan Franz, Mijah McLeod, Carly Smiedala, Madeline Hamilton (3)
Men's high jump – Matt Quist (2), Jordan Stow (9), Josh Riley (14)
Women's high jump – Jane Booth (2), Erika McLeod (7), Morgan Radtke (15), Abby Dodge (16)
Women's pole vault – Carrie Jacka (10), Grace Slevin (10)
Men's long jump – Jordan Stow (10), Aidan Diggs (20), Brendan Thurber-Blaser (36)
Women's long jump – Erika McLeod (3), Hannah Kearns (5), Jansen Ziola (12), Hannah Coburn (22)
Women's triple jump – Carla Nicosia (3), Rachel Lewis (15)
Men's shot put – Brent Yeakey (6), Shawn Humphries (11), Noah Ramirez (13)
Women's shot put – Holly Houston (13), Kayla Holmes (17), Mariah Harvey (20)
Men's weight throw – Shawn Humphries (6)
Women's weight throw – Hana Feilzer (1), Kayla Holmes (8), Mariah Harvey (16), Holly Houston (20)
Men's heptathlon – Aidan Diggs (4), Josh Riley (6)
Women's pentathlon – Erika McLeod (1), Jansen Ziola (5), Jaree Mane (12)
Now, a year later, Montana has most of its team back, plus a large number of previous scorers who redshirted a season ago, and the Grizzlies are looking to make a splash.
Of the 45 competitors for Montana this weekend, more than half (23) did not compete a year ago. And while there are a handful of freshmen, some of Montana's best athletes didn't compete in 2018 due to redshirting – purposefully holding them back a year in preparation for this week, in addition to what is expected to be a big outdoor season.
Montana had a strong regular season across the board. The Grizzlies currently have 23 athletes ranked in the top eight for individual events and 13 more in the top 12, well within reach of a top-eight scoring finish. Montana had 10 point-scorers last year.
"I think we're excited and ready to go," head coach Brian Schweyen said. "I've seen some incredible positives from practice this week. They're level headed, they're calm and they're ready to compete."
Women have a shot: Montana showed it belonged near the top of the Big Sky standings earlier this month when the Griz women swept the D1 Invitational Team Challenge in Moscow, Idaho, beating Big Sky schools Eastern Washington, Idaho and Portland State, in addition to Gonzaga and Washington State.
It will be tough to dethrone two-time defending champion Northern Arizona, but expect Montana's women's team to be competitive near the top this week. Montana has projected medalists in the 200 meters, 800 meters, 60-meter hurdles (two athletes), high jump, long jump, triple jump, weight throw and pentathlon.
Montana has finished in the top three four times, including a runner-up finish in 2017. The Griz women have had an individual event winner in 14 consecutive seasons.
For the men: Of the 20 men competing for Montana, just eight competed at last year's Championships. Still, the Grizzlies have a good mix of veteran leadership and young talent.
- Matt Quist enters the Championships with the second-best high-jump height. He has scored in the event all three seasons of his collegiate career.
- Both throwing events – the shot put and weight throw – are potential big events for the Griz. Brent Yeakey (shot put) and Shawn Humphries (weight throw) both scored at last year's outdoor championships, and are in line to do so again this week.
- A handful of men redshirted last year, but have prior Championships experience, including Sterling Reneau (400 meters, 4x400 relay) and Alex Mustard (60 meters, 200 meters).
- The future is bright for the men, with seven participants being freshmen and five being sophomores. One of the freshmen, Aidan Diggs, is projected to score in both the 60-meter hurdles and heptathlon.
Feilzer's dominance: Hana Feilzer has twice scored in the weight throw at the indoor championships, but she's competing at a different level this season. After redshirting a year ago, Feilzer has come out with force, winning two Big Sky Conference Athlete of the Week awards and establishing a school record in the event (64-5).
Feilzer has reached at least 60 feet in all seven meets this season. Just one other Big Sky athlete has hit that mark, doing so just once.
McLeod will be busy: Also making her return after a redshirt season in 2018 is Erika McLeod. The versatile athlete has scored in five different events during her indoor career, which is a large reason why she will be competing a team-most six times this week – including the seven-event pentathlon.
McLeod can score points in – and win – any of her events. She's currently ranked third for the 200 meters and long jump, seventh for the 60-meter hurdles and high jump, and part of a relay team that is projected to finish second. Her best event, though, is the pentathlon, which she won back-to-back individual titles in during 2016 and 2017.
Depth in the hurdles, multis: Top to bottom, Montana is strong in both the 60-meter hurdles – men and women – and the multis. The Griz will have five competitors in both the men's and women's 60-meter hurdles, and all 10 have an opportunity to score, with each one currently ranked in the top 14 on their respective side. Jansen Ziola is the favorite for the women (8.66), but Morgan Sulser currently ranks third, Erika McLeod is seventh and Olivia Ellis ranks ninth.
The multis will kick off the meet on Thursday, and Montana has several strong performers. For the men, Aidan Diggs (fourth) and Josh Riley (sixth) are ranked among the leaders, putting up their top performances of the season at the UW Invitational in Seattle. Montana has won the past three pentathlon titles, and has both winners competing this week. Erika McLeod won in back-to-back years in 2016 and 2017. Then in 2018, with McLeod redshirting, freshman Jansen Ziola surprised everyone to win the title. Overall, Montana has had six of the past eight individual winners in the pentathlon.
Low expectations coming in: Montana's women finished second in 2017, but between intentional redshirting and unintentional injuries, fell back to 10th in 2018. The men dropped from sixth to 12th. In the preseason poll, fellow Big Sky coaches predicted the Montana women to finish seventh out of 11 teams, while slotting the men at eighth.
Both sides are better than that, though, and look to prove it this week.
"Last year we didn't have a chance," Schweyen said. "We had some individuals who had the opportunity to go and do great things but we weren't there as a team. This year, we have more individuals, and from a team aspect, all of these athletes are going with a purpose to do something to help the team achieve a team goal."
All about the team: Track is an individual sport, sure, but at the end of the day, the goal of the conference tournament is to be the team at the top when all is said and done. It's an area Brian Schweyen has seen his team rally around, putting aside some of their individual goals, knowing that if they do what is asked of them, they can accomplish both individual goals and team accolades.
"The biggest difference I see is there's more team talk," Schweyen said. "'I'm doing this for the team' or 'Our team can do this'. Track and field is an individual sport, but the more you are part of a team and helping them – cheering, competing, pushing, driving – it benefits everyone."
Just another day: Brian Schweyen has preached all season about making each day the best day. The idea is that if you can train with the focus of the current day being the most important – whether it's a practice, a small meet or the Championships – then you will be prepared to compete when the lights are brightest.
"Your aspirations and expectations should always be to be better than you've ever been, and to go out and improve on something," Schweyen said. "The only difference with this meet is that there's going to be more excitement. The goals and the mindset are exactly the same."
Home away from home: While Montana will still be making the three-hour drive southeast to Bozeman, the Grizzlies have a familiarity with Worthington Arena. After all, six of Montana's nine indoor meets this season were inside the venue.
"It's our home track," Schweyen said. "It's not a home advantage like Montana State has, but it's a home advantage, certainly more than anyone else. We understand that facility, this drive is easy for us, we know the track. It sets up well for us."
Goal setting: Schweyen and his coaching staff talk with his team – both individually and collectively – about goals, but he noted it's less of a rah-rah, pump-up speech, and more continuously, day by day, letting it sink in to the athletes.
"All of the coaches talk with their athletes about goals, and we address the team in that manner, but more specifically, it's talking with individuals day to day and what they're capable of achieving," Schweyen said. "It's a daily conversation throughout a year rather than an incredible, 15-mintue speech that inspires someone."
Schedule of events: The three-day meet begins Thursday at 10 a.m. with the first four events of the men's heptathlon and the entirety of the women's pentathlon. The heptathlon will conclude Friday at 10 a.m.
The rest of the meet will pick back up Friday at 3 p.m. The meet concludes Saturday, beginning at 10:30 a.m., with an awards presentation scheduled for approximately 4 p.m. A complete schedule can be found online.
Follow Along: A live stream of the Big Sky Championships will be available each day of the meet, excluding the final three heptathlon events which begin Friday morning. Fans can watch the meet on Pluto TV or the Pluto TV app by visiting channel 238. It will also be available on WatchBigSky.com. Live results are available online.
Those attending the meet can purchase tickets at the venue. Admission is free for Thursday's multis. Single-day passes are $6; a full-weekend pass is $11 for adults and $6 for children.
Montana's Competitors (number in parenthesis is current Big Sky rank)
Men's 60 meters – Alex Mustard (12), Kip Krebsbach (18)
Women's 60 meters – Olivia Ellis (12)
Men's 200 meters – Paul Johnstone (18), Alex Mustard (23), Callum Macnab (31)
Women's 200 meters – Erika McLeod (3), Jansen Ziola (7), Olivia Ellis (15)
Men's 400 meters – Sterling Reneau (14), Paul Johnstone (15), Xavier Melice (20)
Men's 800 meters – Noah Adams (12), Karsten Pease (13)
Women's 800 meters – Carly Smiedala (4), Madeline Hamilton (6), Megan Franz (10), Mijah McLeod (17)
Men's 1 mile – Ben Vanderbosch (37)
Women's 3,000 meters – Samantha Engebretsen (25), Jessica Bailey (26)
Women's 5,000 meters – Jessica Bailey (11), Samantha Engebretsen (17)
Men's 60-meter hurdles – Aidan Diggs (6), Jaydon Green (12), Chase Armstrong (13), Callum Macnab (14)
Women's 60-meter hurdles – Jansen Ziola (1), Morgan Sulser (3), Erika McLeod (7), Olivia Ellis (9), Hannah Coburn (13)
Men's 4x400-meter relay – Paul Johnstone, Callum Macnab, Xavier Melice, Sterling Reneau (4)
Women's 4x400-meter relay – Carly Smiedala, Jansen Ziola, Olivia Ellis, Erika McLeod (2)
Men's DMR – Noah Adams, Chase Armstrong, Noah Kells, Ben Vanderbosch (N/A)
Women's DMR – Megan Franz, Mijah McLeod, Carly Smiedala, Madeline Hamilton (3)
Men's high jump – Matt Quist (2), Jordan Stow (9), Josh Riley (14)
Women's high jump – Jane Booth (2), Erika McLeod (7), Morgan Radtke (15), Abby Dodge (16)
Women's pole vault – Carrie Jacka (10), Grace Slevin (10)
Men's long jump – Jordan Stow (10), Aidan Diggs (20), Brendan Thurber-Blaser (36)
Women's long jump – Erika McLeod (3), Hannah Kearns (5), Jansen Ziola (12), Hannah Coburn (22)
Women's triple jump – Carla Nicosia (3), Rachel Lewis (15)
Men's shot put – Brent Yeakey (6), Shawn Humphries (11), Noah Ramirez (13)
Women's shot put – Holly Houston (13), Kayla Holmes (17), Mariah Harvey (20)
Men's weight throw – Shawn Humphries (6)
Women's weight throw – Hana Feilzer (1), Kayla Holmes (8), Mariah Harvey (16), Holly Houston (20)
Men's heptathlon – Aidan Diggs (4), Josh Riley (6)
Women's pentathlon – Erika McLeod (1), Jansen Ziola (5), Jaree Mane (12)
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track and Field
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Jumps
/ Women's Track and Field
Multi-events
/ Women's Track and Field
Multi-events
/ Men's Track and Field
Jumps
/ Women's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Throws
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track and Field
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Throws
/ Women's Track and Field
Throws
/ Women's Track and Field
Throws
/ Women's Track and Field
Throws
/ Men's Track and Field
Jumps
/ Women's Track and Field
Sprints/Jumps
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints/Jumps
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track and Field
Jumps
/ Women's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track and Field
Multi-events
/ Women's Track and Field
Multi-events
/ Women's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track and Field
Jumps
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Jumps
/ Men's Track and Field
Jumps
/ Women's Track and Field
Throws
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track and Field
Multi-events
/ Men's Track and Field
Jumps
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Multi-events
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track and Field
Multi-events
/ Men's Track and Field
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Throws
/ Men's Track and Field
Multi-events
/ Women's Track and FieldGriz Football vs North Dakota Highlights
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