Griz beef up track & field rosters by dipping into neighboring states, adding Missoula standout
12/29/2021 4:25:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field
The future for the Montana track & field program continues to grow as head coach Clint May announced four more additions to his teams' rosters on Wednesday. This comes after the Griz initially added 10 newcomers during the early-signing period last month.
"I was so grateful to have 10 rock-solid student-athletes commit to the University of Montana and our track & field and cross country programs by early December," May said. "Now, having four more student-athletes with stellar resumes make the commitment in the month of December is incredible. This is what you hope for and what you work for. Our coaching staff has done a great job."
Included in the group are three out-of-state athletes in Adam Maxwell (West Linn, Oregon), Shay Pederson (Alta Loma, California), and Ani Smith (Boise, Idaho).
"These newest recruits represent the geographic diversity that we currently have on the team, that have meshed well with Missoula and the University of Montana," May said. "California, Oregon and Washington have been good for our track program. As you look at the marks from our three athletes coming from neighboring states, you will see that we got some very strong talent."
In addition to the trio of out-of-state athletes, Griz fans will recognize the name of the newest in-state commit. Brooke Stayner, a high-profile athlete from Missoula Sentinel, chose Montana over multiple Power-5 and Pac-12 offers.
"I said it three weeks ago: I want the University of Montana track & field program to truly show who we are, show our interest and show our passion and hopes for the future to every top-notch athlete in the state," May said. "Having Brooke see those things, and to ultimately feel that we, as a program, can and will elevate her as an athlete and student, is really rewarding.
"She is a very talented track & field athlete, and there is no doubt that many high-profile programs would have wanted her. Montana is a relatively small state by population. Yet, in any given year, when you look at the top two or three high school girls and top two or three boys in our state, you are truly looking at athletes that are likely to make waves in Division I. Brooke is one of those athletes."
Below is a look at Montana's newest commits:
Adam Maxwell
While competing for West Linn High School, Maxwell was one of the state's top jumpers and hurdlers, winning a 2021 Oregon Class 6A state title in the high jump (6-4, PR of 6-7). He won all six high-jump meets he competed in in 2021, in addition to 15 other wins across the 110-meter hurdles, 300-meter hurdles, 4x100-meter relay and 4x400-meter relay. In addition to his state championship, Maxwell placed second at state in the 300-meter hurdles (38.93) and third in the 110-meter hurdles (144.93).
Maxwell comes from an athletic family, with his father, Bill, running track and his mother, Toni, playing basketball at Western Oregon University. Away from track, Maxwell enjoys snowboarding, golfing, hunting and hiking. He plans to study business marketing at Montana.
A distance runner from Alta Loma High School in California, Pederson's junior season was highlighted by several appearances at the Palomares League meet. She ran a personal-best 2:29.56 in the 800 meters, finishing seventh, while placing fifth in the 4x400-relay (4:27.66). Pederson also ran the 1,600 and 3,200 meters throughout her junior season and is a two-time CIF-Southern Section cross country qualifier, twice earning all-league honors in cross country.
Pederson, who was born in Fontana, California, plans to study mathematics at Montana. Her brother, Koby, ran cross country collegiately at Loyola Marymount.
A pole vaulter from Boise, Idaho, Ani Smith won eight of the 10 meets she competed in last year, as a junior at Boise High School, including a personal best of 11-8 and a third-place finish at the Idaho state meet. She has even more room for growth, too, increasing her height by more than 3 feet from her sophomore to junior seasons.
Away from competition, she enjoys being outdoors, saying she's most-likely to be found in the mountains, if not studying or in the gym. She also said she uses fear to her advantage in the pole vault and enjoys being the 'team mom' of her teams. She is undecided on a major.
Competing as not only one of the state's top athletes, but one of the top athletes in the region, Stayner won Montana Class AA-C state titles in the 100-meter hurdles (14.71), 300-meter hurdles (43.94) and long jump (18-7) this past spring. She also placed fourth in the 200 meters (25.91), after running the best time in the preliminary round. Her performances helped the Spartans win a state championship, and her versatility could allow her to be a standout multi-event athlete at Montana.
Stayner, a native of Missoula, said she chose Montana because she loves the community 'for all the little things that make this the best place in the U.S.'. She grew up watching Griz football games and participating in the Riverbank Run. She intends to study integrative physiology at Montana, where she eventually wants to get into the healthcare field.
"I was so grateful to have 10 rock-solid student-athletes commit to the University of Montana and our track & field and cross country programs by early December," May said. "Now, having four more student-athletes with stellar resumes make the commitment in the month of December is incredible. This is what you hope for and what you work for. Our coaching staff has done a great job."
Included in the group are three out-of-state athletes in Adam Maxwell (West Linn, Oregon), Shay Pederson (Alta Loma, California), and Ani Smith (Boise, Idaho).
"These newest recruits represent the geographic diversity that we currently have on the team, that have meshed well with Missoula and the University of Montana," May said. "California, Oregon and Washington have been good for our track program. As you look at the marks from our three athletes coming from neighboring states, you will see that we got some very strong talent."
In addition to the trio of out-of-state athletes, Griz fans will recognize the name of the newest in-state commit. Brooke Stayner, a high-profile athlete from Missoula Sentinel, chose Montana over multiple Power-5 and Pac-12 offers.
"I said it three weeks ago: I want the University of Montana track & field program to truly show who we are, show our interest and show our passion and hopes for the future to every top-notch athlete in the state," May said. "Having Brooke see those things, and to ultimately feel that we, as a program, can and will elevate her as an athlete and student, is really rewarding.
"She is a very talented track & field athlete, and there is no doubt that many high-profile programs would have wanted her. Montana is a relatively small state by population. Yet, in any given year, when you look at the top two or three high school girls and top two or three boys in our state, you are truly looking at athletes that are likely to make waves in Division I. Brooke is one of those athletes."
Below is a look at Montana's newest commits:
Adam Maxwell
While competing for West Linn High School, Maxwell was one of the state's top jumpers and hurdlers, winning a 2021 Oregon Class 6A state title in the high jump (6-4, PR of 6-7). He won all six high-jump meets he competed in in 2021, in addition to 15 other wins across the 110-meter hurdles, 300-meter hurdles, 4x100-meter relay and 4x400-meter relay. In addition to his state championship, Maxwell placed second at state in the 300-meter hurdles (38.93) and third in the 110-meter hurdles (144.93).
Maxwell comes from an athletic family, with his father, Bill, running track and his mother, Toni, playing basketball at Western Oregon University. Away from track, Maxwell enjoys snowboarding, golfing, hunting and hiking. He plans to study business marketing at Montana.
Shay Pederson𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗺 𝗠𝗮𝘅𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹
— Montana Griz Track & Field (@MontanaGrizTF) December 29, 2021
📌 West Linn, Oregon
👟 Jumps/Hurdles#GrizTF #BigSkyTF #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/vCy4C2wFC8
A distance runner from Alta Loma High School in California, Pederson's junior season was highlighted by several appearances at the Palomares League meet. She ran a personal-best 2:29.56 in the 800 meters, finishing seventh, while placing fifth in the 4x400-relay (4:27.66). Pederson also ran the 1,600 and 3,200 meters throughout her junior season and is a two-time CIF-Southern Section cross country qualifier, twice earning all-league honors in cross country.
Pederson, who was born in Fontana, California, plans to study mathematics at Montana. Her brother, Koby, ran cross country collegiately at Loyola Marymount.
Ani Smith𝗦𝗵𝗮𝘆 𝗣𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻
— Montana Griz Track & Field (@MontanaGrizTF) December 29, 2021
📌 Alta Loma, California
👟 Distance#GrizTF #BigSkyTF #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/RJ2DUdsIVv
A pole vaulter from Boise, Idaho, Ani Smith won eight of the 10 meets she competed in last year, as a junior at Boise High School, including a personal best of 11-8 and a third-place finish at the Idaho state meet. She has even more room for growth, too, increasing her height by more than 3 feet from her sophomore to junior seasons.
Away from competition, she enjoys being outdoors, saying she's most-likely to be found in the mountains, if not studying or in the gym. She also said she uses fear to her advantage in the pole vault and enjoys being the 'team mom' of her teams. She is undecided on a major.
Brooke Stayner𝗔𝗻𝗶 𝗦𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗵
— Montana Griz Track & Field (@MontanaGrizTF) December 29, 2021
📌 Boise, Idaho
👟 Pole Vault#GrizTF #BigSkyTF #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/4tkrMuNnev
Competing as not only one of the state's top athletes, but one of the top athletes in the region, Stayner won Montana Class AA-C state titles in the 100-meter hurdles (14.71), 300-meter hurdles (43.94) and long jump (18-7) this past spring. She also placed fourth in the 200 meters (25.91), after running the best time in the preliminary round. Her performances helped the Spartans win a state championship, and her versatility could allow her to be a standout multi-event athlete at Montana.
Stayner, a native of Missoula, said she chose Montana because she loves the community 'for all the little things that make this the best place in the U.S.'. She grew up watching Griz football games and participating in the Riverbank Run. She intends to study integrative physiology at Montana, where she eventually wants to get into the healthcare field.
Earlier this winter, Montana added 10 athletes to its rosters. They can be read about here.𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆𝗻𝗲𝗿
— Montana Griz Track & Field (@MontanaGrizTF) December 29, 2021
📌 Missoula, Montana
👟 Multis#GrizTF #BigSkyTF #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/QvWmtWOMyK
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