Montana women move up several spots, still leave points on the board

Thursday, February 21

Ogden, Utah

Montana

Big Sky Conference

Photo by: Montana State Athletics

Montana women move up several spots, still leave points on the board

2/23/2019 7:27:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

Final Results Photo Gallery

By: Montana Sports Information

BOZEMAN, Mont. – A year after placing 10^th in 2018, Montana's took a step in the right direction this week, moving up several spots at the 2019 Big Sky Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships. The women earned 65 points, nearly triple its amount from a year ago, but still, the Grizzlies felt as if they left some points on the board, placing sixth. On the men's side, a year after finishing last, the Grizzlies moved up to ninth this year, highlighted by six point-scorers.

Montana's women were fighting for a top-two finish throughout the day, and were in third place and within reach of second entering the final two events. The Grizzlies added just two more points, however, falling three spots in the tight standings; the difference between second place and seventh place was just 14.5 points.

"We had some kids who did great today and this weekend, but it's hard not to wonder 'What if?'" head coach Brian Schweyen said, noting that the Grizzlies had one athlete lose a shoe mid-race after getting bumped, another trip over a hurdle and yet another miss three races due to a tight calf.

"It's really easy to look and find 14 points."

The highlight of Saturday came from Jane Booth in the women's high jump.

A year ago, the talented jumper entered the Championships as the favorite to win the meet before placing seventh. She got a little redemption on Saturday, though, nearly winning an individual title. Her height of 5-9.75 was a career best and it got her into a jump-off with Sacramento State's Lucy Corbett, the eventual winner.

"She battled today," Schweyen said of Booth. "She worked hard to make a lot of bars. It was never easy for her, but she never quit and never gave up. She did fantastic."

(2/26/2019) TF: Big Sky Championships (2.21-23-19)

Sophomore Jansen Ziola garnered some more hardware, as well, earning another podium finish. Her time of 8.53 in the 60-meter hurdles finals (a PR and one-tenth of a second faster than Friday's prelims) was good for second place; she also placed second in the heptathlon, earning a team-most 16 points on the week. Four Grizzlies qualified for the eight-person finals, with Olivia Ellis (fifth) and Morgan Sulser (seventh) also scoring.

Ellis was busy on Saturday. In addition to her 8.75 in the 60-meter hurdles, she placed fifth in the 200 meters (25.04) and seventh in the 60 meters (7.72). Erika McLeod, who qualified for the finals of the 200 meters and 60-meter hurdles and was expect to help the Griz in the 4x400 relay, was unable to participate on Saturday due to a calf strain.

Montana was one of two schools with multiple scorers in the women's 800 meters, with Carly Smiedala (2.13.81, fourth) and Madeline Hamilton (2:20.49, eighth) scoring. Smiedala did so despite running the final 300 meters with one shoe. Carla Nicosia placed eighth in the triple jump with the second-best jump of her career (38-4.75).

On the men's side, Callum Macnab placed fourth in the finals of the 200 meters, running a season-best 22.23. The junior entered the meet seeded 31^st, moving up 27 spots.

"That's awfully impressive," Schweyen said of Macnab. "He's a big-meet competitor. When the big stage is set, he showed today that he can and does."

While Saturday wasn't the finish Montana was hoping for, the meet as a whole had plenty of highlights. On Thursday, McLeod won her third pentathlon title, doing so in record-breaking fashion. Her 4,128 points were a school, Big Sky Championships and Big Sky Conference record. The Grizzlies went 1-2 in the event, with Ziola posting the seventh-best score in conference history. Ziola, just a sophomore, had a team-most 16 points on the weekend. On Friday, Hana Feilzer threw the second-best mark in school history for the weight throw, winning an individual title (63-5.5).

Montana will now shift its focus to a highly anticipated outdoor season, one which culminates with the Big Sky Championships in Missoula. A year after the Grizzlies redshirted a handful of their top athletes, Montana should be poised for strong finishes on both sides.

"There were some good moments from this weekend, but good or bad, it's time to move to outdoor and get ready to go," Schweyen said.

Montana's point-scorers (women):
10, Erika McLeod, 1^st, pentathlon
10, Hana Feilzer, 1^st, weight throw
8, Jansen Ziola, 2^nd, pentathlon
8, Jansen Ziola, 2^nd, 60-meter hurdles
8, Jane Booth, 2^nd, high jump
5, Carly Smiedala, 4^th, 800 meters
4, Olivia Ellis, 5^th, 60-meter hurdles
4, Olivia Ellis, 5^th, 200 meters
2, Morgan Sulser, 7^th, 60-meter hurdles
2, Olivia Ellis, 7^th, 60 meters
1, Madeline Hamilton, 8^th, 800 meters
1, Carla Nicosia, 8^th, triple jump

Montana's point-scorers (men):
6, Matt Quist, 3^rd, high jump
5, Callum Macnab, 4^th, 200 meters
4, Aidan Diggs, 5^th, heptathlon
3, Josh Riley, 6^th, heptathlon
3, Brent Yeakey, 6^th, shot put
1, Noah Ramirez, 8^th, shot put

Women's team standings:
1. Sacramento State – 100
2. Montana State – 79
3. Northern Arizona – 75
4. Southern Utah – 70
5. Weber State – 68
6. Montana – 65
7. Idaho State – 64.5
8. Idaho – 53
9. Eastern Washington – 48
10. Northern Colorado – 32.5
11. Portland State – 5

Men's team standings:
1. Northern Arizona – 178.5
2. Montana State – 113
3. Southern Utah – 74
4. Eastern Washington – 61.5
5. Idaho – 52.5
6. Idaho State – 44
7. Weber State – 40
8. Northern Colorado – 36
9. Montana – 27
10. Sacramento State – 19.5
11. Portland State – 14