Griz take center stage in Spokane

Friday, January 14

Spokane, Wash.

Montana

Cougar Classic Open

Jaydon Green_2020 Big Sky Indoor Championship

1/15/2022 11:03:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

Cougar Classic Open Results Cougar Classic Invitational Results

By: Montana Sports Information

SPOKANE, Wash. – The Montana track & field team had a busy weekend, sending 74 athletes to compete across three separate meets. By number, it was the biggest weekend of the season, with several individuals standing out against a wide-range of competition from across the western United States.

Cougar Classic Invitational
In a highly competitive meet that required time and mark standards in order to compete, several Grizzlies shined bright on the big stage, out-performing several Pac-12 athletes. The meet featured athletes from UCLA, Oregon and Washington State of the Pac-12, in addition to numerous Mountain West and West Coast athletes from across California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.

After placing fifth in the prelims of the 60-meter hurdles (8.20), ahead of nine Pac-12 athletes, junior Jaydon Green shaved off another 13-hundredths of a second off of his time in the finals, moving up to third place. His finals time was a personal best and within three-hundredths of a second from Jan Harland's 1981 school record (8.04).
After winning the 400 meters at the 2021 Big Sky Outdoor Championships and setting a Montana record in the process, Cade Johnstone was back in action at the Cougar Classic Invitational, and this time, running beside his identical twin teammate, Paul Johnstone, for the first time in nearly three years. The two were dominant, with Paul finishing second in the 400 meters (48.85) and Cade placing third (49.14). Only UCLA's Myles Misener-Daley – who ran in the Canadian Olympic Trials – beat out the Johnstone twins.
Sophomore Joel Mendez won the men's 5,000 meters with a personal-best time of 14:44.62.
Several females also were competitive, including junior Emma Normand, who ran both the women's 60 meters (7.80) and 200 meters (25.71), and Tanessa Morris, who placed fifth in the women's weight throw (53-6.25) a season after winning a Big Sky championship in the outdoor hammer throw.

Men's 60 meters – Kip Krebsbach (DQ)
Women's 60 meters – Emma Normand (7.80, 14^th/25)
Men's 200 meters – Kip Krebsbach (22.03, 9^th/21); Cutter Thatcher (23.14, 19^th)
Women's 200 meters – Emma Normand (25.71, 20^th/24)
Men's 400 meters – Paul Johnstone (48.85, 2^nd/15); Cade Johnstone (49.14, 3^rd); Jay Beagle (51.30, 11^th)
Women's 400 meters – Abby Harmon (1:00.42, 11^th/13)
Women's 800 meters – Mikenna Ells (2:23.95, 12^th/20); McKinlee Mihelish (2:23.98, 13^th)
Men's 800 meters – Will Dauenhauer (1:59.98, 12^th/15)
Men's 3,000 meters – Ben Vanderbosch (8:44.87, 14^th/30); AJ Eckmann (8:49.02, 19^th); Hunter May (8:49.80, 20^th)
Women's 3,000 meters – Beatrix Frissell (10:09.90, 3^rd/17); Olivia Lackland Henry (10:10.36, 5^th)
Men's 5,000 meters – Joel Mendez (14:44.62, 1^st/7); AJ Eckmann (15:16.94, 3^rd)
Men's 60-meter hurdles (prelims) – Jaydon Green (8.20, 5^th/18)
Men's 60-meter hurdles (finals) – Jaydon Green (8.07, 3^rd)
Men's distance medley relay – Will Dauenhauer, Cutter Thatcher, Quincy Fast, Ben Vanderbosch (10:22.90, 4^th/4)
Women's distance medley relay – Bridget Boyle, Mikenna Ells, McKinlee Mihelish, Beatrix Frissell (12:42.18, 5^th/5)
Men's shot put – Noah Ramirez (foul)
Women's shot put – Ariel Clark (36-0, 17^th/20)
Men's weight throw – Matt Ward (53-1.75, 8^th/15); Noah Ramirez (47-9.75, 10^th)
Women's weight throw – Tanessa Morris (53-6.25, 5^th/20); Ariel Clark (52-8.75, 6^th); Kaitlyn Gallo (49-2.25, 10^th)

Cougar Classic Open
While the Cougar Classic Invitational was held on Saturday, featuring some of the top athletes from each school, the Cougar Classic Open was a prequel to the Invitational, held on Friday. Several Grizzlies – including many newcomers – had some really strong showings.

Freshman Emma Zimmerman won the women's pole vault with a top height of 11-7, which would have been third-best on the team in 2020. She beat out 14 other competitors, including ones from UC Santa Barbara and UCLA.
Montana had two men qualify for the finals of the men's 60 meters, with freshmen Cooper Hewett (fourth) and Teagun Holycross (seventh) both scoring. Hewett's time of 6.96 would have tied for the best time by a Griz runner in 2020. Hewett was also Montana's top finisher in the 200 meters (22.72) and placed seventh in the long jump (21-0).
Freshman Carson Weeden finished second in the men's pole vault (15-1), which would have been the second-best jump among all Griz athletes in 2020.
Freshman Maxwell Scott (8:30.61, 5^th/16) and sophomore Ellis McKean (8:33.14, 6^th) both performed well in the men's 3,000 meters. Scott's time would have been the best by a Griz runner in 2020 while McKean's time would have been third.

Men's 60 meters (prelims) – Cooper Hewett (6.98, 4^th/36); Teagun Holycross (7.04, 7^th); Jason Upton (7.21, 16^th); Gordon McMillion (7.64, 31^st)
Men's 60 meters (finals) – Cooper Hewett (6.96, 4^th); Teagun Holycross (7.53, 7^th)
Women's 60 meters – Camryn Dezember (8.05, 12^th/24); Audrey Smith (8.34, 18^th); Destiny Santiago (8.43, 19^th); Grace Denman (8.49, 20^th)
Men's 200 meters – Cooper Hewett (22.72, 7^th/22); Brandon Jones (23.27, 12^th); Jason Upton (23.40, 15^th)
Women's 200 meters – Camryn Dezember (26.62, 12^th/34); Audrey Smith (27.78, 23^rd); Destiny Santiago (25^th, 27.96); Grace Denman (28.57, 28^th)
Men's 400 meters – Ty Ferguson (51.14, 5^th/20); Brandon Jones (51.93, 10^th)
Men's 800 meters – Casey Crouch (1:58.97, 3^rd/5)
Women's 800 meters – Katie Whitehurst (2:21.07, 4^th/9); Molly Sherman (2:32.35, 6^th); Abby Sherwood (2:37.48, 7^th)
Men's 1 mile – Josh Haynes (4:28.52, 3^rd/8); Rogelio Mares (4:38.48, 5^th); Brady Woods (4:38.75, 6^th)
Women's 1 mile – Carly Dahms (5:21.47, 5^th/15)
Men's 3,000 meters – Maxwell Scott (8:30.61, 5^th/16); Ellis McKean (8:33.14, 6^th); Nathan Carter (8:54.04, 9^th); Jordan Hansen (9:02.81, 12^th)
Women's 3,000 meters – Jocelyn Stansberry (11:48.28, 9^th/12)
Men's 4x400-meter relay – Ty Ferguson, Brady Woods, Casey Crouch, Josh Haynes (3:35.22, 7^th/8)
Women's 4x400-meter relay – Katie Whitehurst, Mikenna Ells, Abby Harmon, Camryn Dezember (4:01.80, 3^rd/7)
Men's high jump – Alfred Peterson (6-2.75, 3^rd/12)
Men's long jump – Jason Upton (21-6.75, 3^rd/19); Gordon McMillion (21-2, 5^th); Cooper Hewett (21-0, 7^th); Alfred Peterson (19-11.5, 10^th)
Women's triple jump – Kolby Gibbs (31-9.25, 13^th/13)
Men's pole vault – Carson Weeden (15-1, 2^nd/11); Zane Johnson (14-7.25, 3^rd)
Women's pole vault – Emma Zimmerman (11-7, 1^st/15); Molly Chambers (10-10, 5^th); Jadyn Campbell (10-10, 5^th); Shealyne McGee (NH)

Bobcat Challenge
While nearly the entire track & field team was in Spokane, five female multi-event athletes were in Bozeman, Montana, competing at the Bobcat Challenge in the pentathlon. Senior Jaree Mane won the event with a top score of 3,282, followed by teammates Morgan Radtke (3,241) and Whitney Morrison (3,057).

Mane is a veteran at this point in her career, competing in six Big Sky Championship meets and placing sixth in the pentathlon in 2020, the most-recent indoor meet. Her score on Thursday, which included a win in the shot put (career-best 38-11), was within 100 points of her personal best.

Considering no Montana athlete has competed in the pentathlon in nearly two years, it was an encouraging start. So, too, were Montana's other results from the meet.

Radtke and Morrison had both competed in the outdoor heptathlon before, but never the indoor pentathlon. Radtke won the high jump (5-3.75) and placed second in the long jump (17-0.5). Morrison had three top-three finishes, including finishing second in the shot put (33-6.75) and 800 meters (2:33.15).

Freshman Carlee Fryberger also made her multis debut – in indoor or outdoor – placing fifth with a score of 2,746. Fryberger had the second-best 60-meter hurdles time (9.31). Junior Jansen Ziola, who won the pentathlon at the Big Sky Championships as a freshman in 2018 and finished second in 2019, was back in action after redshirting in 2020 and having the 2021 season canceled. Working her back from being away from training, she intentionally did not compete in the 800 meters, but had she been able to score, she would have been in line for one of the top places. Ziola won the 60-meter hurdles (8.92) and long jump (17-5.25) and finished third in the high jump (5-2.5).