Montana earns several surprise performances Friday in Pocatello

Photo by: Montana State Athletics

Montana earns several surprise performances Friday in Pocatello

2/28/2020 8:42:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

By: Montana Sports Information

POCATELLO, Idaho – Montana had several surprise breakout performances on Friday, during the first full day of the 2020 Big Sky Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships.

Of Montana's nine scored events, the Grizzlies got points in five of them, including a second-place finish in the women's distance medley relay, despite never before competing in the event this season. Montana's team of Samantha Engebretsen, Jaree Mane, Carly Dahms and June Eastwood finished with a time of 11:51.69.

Highlighting the day were Jane Booth's eight points in the women's high jump.

Booth, a senior from Corvallis, Montana, was expected to score in the event. After all, Friday marked the fourth indoor championship of her career, with the talented jumper scoring at the previous two. She exceeded expectations, though, with the best jump of her senior season. Booth cleared 5-7 to place second and earn All-Big Sky honors for the second year in a row.

Montana was one of two schools with multiple point-scorers in the event, with Morgan Radtke placing fifth with a jump of 5-4.5. The performance comes a year after the sophomore recorded no height at her debut Championship meet.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day, though, came in the men's long jump, with three Griz athletes earning nine total points. Montana was the only school to have three jumpers earn points.

Competing at his first Championships, freshman Peterson Bohannon fouled on his first attempt, before clearing 22 feet on his second attempt and a career-best 23-8.25 on his third jump. That distance was good for a fourth-place finish.

Bohannon was joined by fellow first-time scorer Jordan Stow (PR 23-5.25, sixth) and sophomore Aidan Diggs (22-8, eighth). For Stow, his performance came after placing 10^th in 2018 and ninth in 2019 – narrowly missing a scoring mark each year.

In the women's 5,000 meters, Montana recorded points from both Beatrix Frissell (17:26.89, fifth) – a first-time competitor – and Emily Pittis (17:27.28, sixth). The pair scored despite not running the 5,000 meters once this season.

In addition to Montana's point-scorers, several additional Grizzlies are in line to score on Saturday. The majority of running events held preliminary rounds on Friday, with plenty of Grizzlies posting qualifying times for Saturday's finals.

Senior Olivia Ellis qualified in the 60-meter hurdles, with a time of 8.85 and a sixth-place finish.

Sophomore Paul Johnstone, who entered the meet with the Big Sky's top time in the 400 meters, is right where he needs to be. He ran the second-fastest preliminary time (48.40) and was within 16-hundredths of a second of the top spot. Johnstone also qualifeid in the men's 200 meters (21.76, fifth), along with teammate Callum Macnab (21.72, third).

In the men's 800 meters, the Grizzlies were the only school to have two of the top-six runners, with Jacob Lamb (1:53.49, fourth) and Noah Adams (1:5425, sixth) advancing to the finals. Also advancing on Friday was Jaydon Green in the 60-meter hurdles (8.16).

In the men's weight throw, junior Shawn Humphries entered the meet seeded fourth, before falling to 12^th. Earlier this season, Humphries set a Montana school record in the event; if he could have matched that performance, he would have earned a top-three finish on Friday.

The Montana women currently are in seventh place with 43 points, while the men have earned 13 points and are in eighth. Both are well within striking distance of top-half finishes with good performances on Saturday, which marks the final day of the Championships. Action begins at 10 a.m. Fans can watch and follow the action online.

Women's 60 meters (prelims) – Olivia Ellis (7.70, 9^th); Emma Normand (7.75, 11^th)
Women's 200 meters (prelims) – Olivia Ellis (25.09, 10^th); Emma Normand (25.59, 19^th); Cree Bell (26.70, 25^th)
Women's 5,000 meters – Beatrix Frissell (17:26.89, 5^th); Emily Pittis (17:27.28, 6^th)
Women's distance medley relay – Samantha Engebretsen, Jaree Mane, Carly Dahms, June Eastwood (11:51.69, 2^nd)
Women's 60-meter hurdles (prelims) – Olivia Ellis (8.85, 6^th); Jaree Mane (9.10, 15^th); Ailsa Gilbert (9.12, 17^th); Hannah Coburn (9.17, 18^th)
Women's high jump – Jane Booth (5-7, 2^nd); Morgan Radtke (5-4.5, 5^th); Abby Dodge (NH)
Women's long jump – Aly Tekippe (17-3, 20^th); Hannah Coburn (16-7, 23^rd); Ailsa Gilbert (foul)
Women's shot put – Mariah Harvey (43-11, 12^th)

Men's 60 meters (prelims) – Kip Krebsbach (6.95, 11^th)
Men's 200 meters (prelims) – Callum Macnab (21.72, 3^rd); Paul Johnstone (21.76, 5^th); Kip Krebsbach (22.06, 13^th); Xavier Melice (22.18, 17^th)
Men's 400 meters (prelims) – Paul Johnstone (48.40, 2^nd); Chase Armstrong (49.16, 9^th); Callum Macnab (49.51, 11^th); Xavier Melice (49.72, 15^th)
Men's 800 meters (prelims) – Jacob Lamb (1:53.49, 4^th); Noah Adams (1:54.25, 6^th); Quincy Fast (1:54.54, 10^th); Noah Kells (2:01.69, 21^st)
Men's 60-meter hurdles (prelims) – Jaydon Green (8.16, 8^th); Aidan Diggs (8.20, 9^th); Chase Armstrong (8.45, 16^th)
Men's distance medley relay – Andrea Baratte, Jacob Lamb, Colton Hess, Hunter May (10:13.44, 5^th)
Men's long jump – Peterson Bohannon (23-8.25, 4^th); Jordan Stow (23-5.25, 6^th); Aidan Diggs (22-8, 8^th); Jethro Thorne (22-5, 10^th)
Men's pole vault – Lawrence Moore (15-0, 11^th); Zane Johnson (14-8, 15^th)
Men's weight throw – Shawn Humphries (52-8, 12^th)