COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Montana sent seven track & field student-athletes to College Station, Texas, this week for the NCAA West Regional meet. The qualifiers – ranked in the top 48 in the region for their specific events – will now compete on a national stage for the right to advance to the NCAA Championships, which will take place at the end of the month in Eugene, Oregon.
For senior thrower Brent Yeakey, going back to his home state would be extra sweet.
The Redmond native has done a little bit of everything during his Griz career, scoring at the Big Sky Championships eight times and reaching the podium during his most-recent meet, finishing second in the discus at the 2021 Big Sky Championships. Yeakey holds three school records and has now qualified for NCAA Regionals twice.
The unique thing for Yeakey, though, is his versatility.
In 2019, he was competing at NCAA Regionals in the shot put. On Friday, he'll be throwing the discus.
"I'm excited," Yeakey said. "Discus was my first event, so I feel like I'm going back to my roots. Because of this, I carry a lot more passion with discus, and when I enjoy something more, I tend to do better."
Yeakey set a Montana school record with a throw of 180-9 in an April meet in Corvallis, Oregon. Two weeks ago at the Big Sky Championships, he placed second in the event. He also scored in the shot put at that meet, but given that there was no indoor season for Montana, he felt it put him a little behind in the shot this spring, and the discus kept going well, so he stuck with it.
Being back at NCAA Regionals is a big deal for Yeakey, who loves the thrill of competing on a national stage with so many incredible competitors around him. More than that, though, he loves who he's doing it alongside.
Success is nothing new for Montana's throwing group, which is sending five athletes to NCAA Regionals this week. In fact, over the past 10 seasons, more than half of Montana's regionals qualifiers (33 of 62) have been throwers. The Grizzlies' last two nationals qualifiers have been throwers, including hammer thrower Hana Feilzer in 2019.
Success from the throwers is not new, even as the Grizzlies are on their third throws coach in the past three seasons. What is new, however, is the bond between the group.
"It's so enjoyable being out here with my fellow throwers," Yeakey said. "We have one of the best throws group in school history, we have a great coach in Ryan Weidman who has really taken the reigns, and we just love being together."
To sum up the group, one just has to look to its self-given nickname: the Hog Squad.
According to Yeakey, the name proclaimed earlier this year in a group text messaging chat.
Why, the Hog Squad? Well, it's pretty simple.
"We're all throwers so we're the big boys and girls," he said. "Hogs are awesome and it rhymes."
"The next day we made shirts, and it's taken off from there. We're a really tight-knit group and I think it helps us all have success." Dubbed the Hog Squad, Montana's throwers pose together
at the Big Sky Championships in Ogden, Utah.
So tight, in fact, that the Hog Squad is the main reason why Yeakey has plans to unexpectedly return next spring for a super senior season.
He participated in Montana's Senior Day ceremony last month and had told the coaches that this spring would be his last. He graduated in May with a degree in health and human performance, with a focus in health enhancement, and already had a student-teaching gig lined up in Oregon for the fall.
Logistics are still being ironed out, but Yeakey is hopeful that he'll be able to take remote classes from Oregon, while he's student teaching, before coming back to Missoula in the spring for one last ride with his teammates.
"This group made me want to come back to be part of this again," Yeakey said. "If everything works out, I definitely have a goal of coming back and throwing another year and laying down some huge marks with my throwers."
As for this week, Yeakey is trying to learn from his 2019 experience, when he finished 46th out of 48 shot putters in his NCAA Regionals debut.
"It's a difficult spot to be in," Yeakey reflected. "Two years ago, I felt like my tail was between my legs. I was one of the smallest guys, and everything felt so big."
Yeakey will again have an uphill climb, currently seeded 38th in the region. But now, as the upperclassman and the only Griz athlete making a return to NCAA Regionals, his advice to his teammates is simple:
"I want to show up and compete my absolute best, and I want to see the entire University of Montana track program do the same," Yeakey said. "As for what I'd tell my teammates? We all deserve to be here and anything can happen on any given day."
As good as Montana's throwers have been in general, the javelin has been the Grizzlies' bread and butter. Over the past 10 seasons, Montana has qualified 23 javelin throwers to NCAA Regionals. Dating back to at least 2009, the Grizzlies have qualified at least one javelin thrower each season, with multiple throwers competing in 11 of those 12 seasons.
That's no different in 2021, with three of Montana's seven NCAA Regionals qualifiers doing so in the javelin. Senior Dylan Kipp and freshman Evan Todd will throw on the men's side, while senior Kimberly Earhart will represent the women.
Montana has had the best collective group of javelin throwers in the Big Sky Conference all season, and now it will get to showcase itself on a bigger stage.
High expectations aren't a problem for Kipp. In fact, he relishes them.
He's already looked at his heat, seeing that nearly all of his competitors have surpassed 70 meters this season. He's seen the forecast for Wednesday's competition, knowing that he'll be throwing in the middle of the day in Texas heat, with the possibility of rain splashed in.
He also knows that, at least on paper, he has Montana's best chance of qualifying for nationals, currently seeded 13th, with the top 12 throwers advancing. His top mark of 230-4 is one inch shy of where 12th place currently sits.
"I know all of the obstacles I'm facing, but I also know what I can do," Kipp said Tuesday following a practice in College Station. "All that matters is having my best day on Wednesday."
Kipp popped a throw of 230-4 in his first meet of the spring, the second-best throw in school history, second only to his former college roommate Jensen Lillquist, who himself was a four-time NCAA Regionals qualifier.
Kipp won his first two meets of the spring, but finished 11th at the Big Sky Championships, after entering the meet as the favorite. It's one of the reasons why he isn't focused on his competition or specific marks he has to hit, but instead focusing on his own performance.
"I've had a few hiccups here and there, I've had a few injuries," Kipp said. "But I also know the feeling in my throw of doing what it takes. When I keep my arm back and remain patient, I know I can compete against this field. I just have to remember what it feels like."
The other thing helping Kipp is balance.
Kipp, who graduated in May with a degree in health and human performance, began medical school this week in South Carolina. His degree concentration is in physical therapy, and will even have remote class Wednesday morning, prior to competing in the biggest meet of his life.
"I don't over-stress myself with trying to do everything," Kipp said. "I have my hours of practice, lifting and film study, but then I try to keep my mind off the javelin, as well. It's a good distraction."
And as overwhelmed or anxious or stressed as some athletes might be entering this type of competition with that type of schedule, Kipp is in a good place both mentally and physically.
"I'm in a good head space," he said. "My body feels good, my mind feels good, it's warm.
"Just go out and do it. I'm going to throw well and I'll be back in Oregon in two weeks. That's the mindset you have to have as a thrower."
Kipp, along with his teammate Todd, will open competition for the Grizzlies on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. (MT). Also competing on Wednesday will be Montana's two runners, Cade Johnstone (400 meters prelims at 6:25 p.m. MT) and Jacob Lamb (800 meters prelims at 6:50 p.m. MT). Montana will have two female throwers compete on Thursday (Tanessa Morris in the hammer throw and Earhart in the javelin, both at 12:30 p.m. MT), before Yeakey throws on Friday (12:30 p.m. MT), in addition to the potential for one or two running finals.
Below is a look at each Montana athlete and when he or she will compete:
What to know about the NCAA West Regional: Who: The top 48 West Regional athletes in each event. There is also an East Region that selects the top 48 athletes from that side of the country. When: Wednesday-Saturday (click here for a complete schedule) Where: E.B. Cushing Stadium, on the campus of Texas A&M in College Station, Texas How to follow: Live results can be tracked online. A live video feed via ESPN will be available for each day, with links below:
Kimberly Earhart / Senior / Plains, Montana
Event: Javelin
When: Thursday, 12:30 p.m. (MT)
Regional Experience: —
Season-Best Mark: 153-11
NCAA West Region Rank: 47th
Current Mark Needed To Finish Top 12: 171-7
Notes: Earhart has represented Montana at the Big Sky Championships three times in her career, scoring once. She recorded a lifetime-best throw of 153-11 in Montana's opening meet of the spring – her first competition in nearly two years – when she won the Al Manuel Northwest Invite and, in turn, threw a qualifying mark.
Cade Johnstone / Sophomore / Forsyth, Montana
Event: 400 Meters
When: Wednesday, 6:25 p.m. (MT): preliminaries; Friday, 6:20 p.m. (MT): finals
Regionals Experience: –
Season-Best Time: 46.69 (adj.)
NCAA West Region Rank: 48th
Current Time Needed To Finish Top 12: 45.95
Notes: The sophomore sprinter had a day to remember at the Big Sky Championships, scoring 16 points and reaching the podium twice. His big moment came in the 400 meters. A day after winning the preliminary race with a time of 47.50, Johnstone cut nearly a full second off his time (46.64), coming from behind to win the race and break a 36-year-old school record. Johnstone now owns two school records and has two Big Sky titles under his belt (also the 4x400-meter relay in 2019).
— Montana Griz Track & Field (@MontanaGrizTF) May 15, 2021
Dylan Kipp / Senior / New London, Ohio
Event: Javelin
When: Wednesday, 12:30 p.m. (MT)
Regionals Experience: –
Season-Best Mark: 230-4
NCAA West Region Rank: 13th
Current Mark Needed To Finish Top 12: 230-5
Notes:While his Big Sky Championship performance didn't go as planned, Kipp owns the Big Sky's top javelin throw of the season, reaching 230-4 in late March, the second-best throw in school history and 2 feet shy of a school record. He has twice won a meet and has surpassed 200 feet in four of five competitions this spring. Kipp enters regionals with a realistic chance to advance, currently seeded 13th in the field.
Jacob Lamb / Senior / Glendora, California
Event: 800 meters
When: Wednesday, 6:50 p.m. (MT): preliminaries; Friday, 6:35 p.m. (MT): finals
Regionals Experience: –
Season-Best Time: 1:49.36 (adj.)
NCAA West Region Rank: 44th
Current-Time Needed To Finish Top 12: 1:47.66
Notes:Lamb is a two-time Big Sky champion, winning the 800 meters and 4x400-meter relay at the 2020 Big Sky Indoor Track & Field Championships, but his best performance may have been earlier this month when he won the preliminary round of the 800 meters, with an adjusted time of 1:49.36, a PR by nearly 2 full seconds and the fastest time in the Big Sky this season. The race qualified Lamb for regionals.
What a performance for Jacob Lamb! The senior entered today ranked 10th in the Big Sky in the 800 meters, but ran the fastest time this season by a #BigSkyTF athlete (1:49.92).
— Montana Griz Track & Field (@MontanaGrizTF) May 14, 2021
Tanessa Morris / Junior / Patricia, Alberta, Canada
Event: Hammer Throw
When: Thursday, 12:30 p.m. (MT)
Regionals Experience: –
Season-Best Mark: 202-1
NCAA West Region Rank: 26th
Current Mark Needed To Finish Top 12: 214-8
Notes: Morris was the favorite entering the Big Sky Championships, and she didn't disappoint, cruising to a victory in the hammer throw with a top mark of 199-0, more than 17 feet better than second place. The Canadian thrower, a junior in her first season at Montana after beginning her career at the University of Lethbridge, has been dominant all year, winning seven of her eight events and ranking No. 2 in Montana history with a PR of 202-1.
Evan Todd / Freshman / Kalispell, Montana
Event: Javelin
When: Wednesday, 12:30 p.m. (MT)
Regionals Experience: –
Season-Best Mark: 214-11
NCAA West Region Rank: 23rd
Current Mark Needed To Finish Top 12: 230-5
Notes: Todd has had an impressive freshman season, including a fourth-place showing at the Big Sky Championships two weeks ago. The freshman has surpassed 200 feet in four of his six meets this spring, with a top throw of 218-11, when he won the Bengal invitational.
Brent Yeakey / Senior / Redmond, Oregon
Event: Discus
When: Friday, 12:30 p.m. (MT)
Regionals Experience: –
Season-Best Mark: 180-9
NCAA West Region Rank: 38th
Current Mark Needed To Finish Top 12: 189-11
Notes: After qualifying for NCAA Regionals in 2019 in the shot put, Yeakey showed his versatility by making it during his senior season in the discus (he also nearly qualified in the shot put, as well, ranking 57th). In 2019, Yeakey set a school record in the outdoor shot put. In 2020, he became the school's record-holder in the indoor shot put. This spring, with a throw of 180-9 in his home state of Oregon, he set the school's discus record. Yeakey reached the podium at the Big Sky Championships, finishing second in the discus, and now enters his second regionals meet, and first in the discus.
