Griz gear up for track & field Championships in Bozeman

Thursday, February 24

Bozeman, Mont.

Montana

Big Sky Indoor Championships

Photo by: Montana State University

Griz gear up for track & field Championships in Bozeman

2/22/2022 6:19:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

Meet Schedule ESPN+ Live Stream Live Results Big Sky Performance Lists

By: Montana Sports Information

Montana has reached the pinnacle of its 2022 indoor track & field season, traveling this week to the Big Sky Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships in Bozeman, Montana. The three-day meet begins Thursday with the pentathlon and continues through Saturday.

Follow Along
For fans traveling to Bozeman, tickets for the weekend can be purchased online. For those unable to make the meet in person, live results will be available, as well as an online video stream through ESPN+.

Fans can expect to watch live coverage of the meet on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; on Friday from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and again from 2:45 to 8:30 p.m.; and on Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Familiar Setting
One of the benefits to competing in Bozeman is that it is a familiar venue to Montana's student-athletes. Of the Grizzlies' six competition weekends this winter, three have been held inside MSU's Worthington Arena.

Indoor Season Recap (So Far)
Montana's indoor season began in December with the Bobcat Preview and continued every weekend from Jan. Jan. 14 through Feb. 11. Despite a roster made up of an overwhelming number of young athletes, the Grizzlies have had several individual successes this winter, including a pair of school records.

Competing at the WSU Invitational in mid-January – against a high number of athletes from across the western United States, including several from Pac-12 schools – junior Jaydon Green ran an historic race in the 60-meter hurdles. His finals time of 7.97 broke a 41-year-old school record, previously held by Jan Harlan (8.04). He ran an 8.15 in the preliminary race, enough to secure him a spot in the finals, where later in the afternoon he trimmed 18-hundredths of a second off of his time to break the long-held record.

In Montana's most-recent meet, junior sprinter Emma Normand won the 60 meters, but most impressive, her time of 7.56 seconds set a school record, breaking Olivia Ellis' mark (7.58) from 2019.

Also on the men's side, distance runner Joel Mendez has had an impressive sophomore season. In late January, he became the first Grizzly on record to run a sub-4:15 mile and the 3,000 meters in under 8:30 on the same day. A week later, he set a facility record in the 5,000 meters at The Podium in Spokane, Washington, with the best time by a Griz athlete (14:30.36) in more than two decades.

Young Talent
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 indoor season was canceled, meaning an overwhelming number of student-athletes are competing in their first indoor season. In fact, of the 45 Montana student-athletes registered to compete this week, more than half (25) are freshmen or are in their first season at Montana.

Just 14 of this week's competitors have competed at the Big Sky Conference indoor championships before with 10 previously scoring points. Jaydon Green, who earlier this winter set a school record in the 60-meter hurdles, is a two-time indoor participant, placing seventh in 2020; distance runner Hunter May placed fifth in the 2020 distance medley relay; Noah Ramirez has twice placed eighth in the shot put; and Paul Johnstone scored in three events in 2020, winning the 4x400-meter relay, finishing second in the 400 meters and seventh in the 200 meters.

The most experience on the men's side comes from thrower Brent Yeakey, who returned this winter for a graduate senior season. Yeakey holds three school records, including the indoor mark in the shot put. In three previous indoor championships, Yeakey has scored twice, including fourth in 2020. He also has scored six times in the shot put and discus at the outdoor championships, finishing as high as second (2021 discus).

Seven female athletes have also competed in an indoor championship before, with five scoring: Carly Dahms (fifth in the 2020 distance medley relay); Beatrix Frissell (fifth in the 2020 5,000 meters); Jaree Mane (second in the 2020 distance medley relay and sixth in the pentathlon); Morgan Radtke (fifth in the 2020 high jump) and Jansen Ziola.

Ziola, who is set to begin her third indoor championship but first since 2019, competed in three events as a freshman in 2018 and four as a sophomore in 2019. The Canadian multi-athlete has had a ton of success, winning the pentathlon in 2018 and finishing second in both the pentathlon and 60-meter hurdles in 2019.

Where They Were Picked
Montana's men were picked to finish seventh out of 11 teams in the preseason coaches' poll, announced in January, while the Griz women were slotted eighth. Northern Arizona was the unanimous favorite for men and women, with Weber State, Montana State and Idaho also in the mix on both sides.

What To Expect
Men: Montana's best chances at scoring come from junior hurdler Jaydon Green, who enters the week seeded third in the 60-meter hurdles, and senior thrower Brent Yeakey, who also is currently ranked third in the shot put… Four other Griz athletes are expected to score (top eight), with Paul Johnstone seeded sixth in the 400 meters; Quincy Fast sixth in the 800 meters; Jason Upton seventh in the long jump and Matt Ward seventh in the weight throw… Nine of Montana's 22 male athletes will compete in multiple events, led by Johnstone (four)… Montana's biggest event, by number, will be the 3,000 meters, with seven distance runners registered but just two ranked in the top 20, led by Maxwell Scott (12^th).

Women: Sixteen of Montana's 23 female competitors will be asked to participate in multiple events, including Carlee Fryberger (three); Ailsa Gilbert (three); Jaree Mane (three); Morgan Radtke (three); and Jansen Ziola (four)… Mane, Radtke and Ziola are all registered for the pentathlon, where Montana should be able to get ample points from… Mane (seeded sixth), Radtke (10^th) and freshman Whitney Morrison (11^th) are all have opportunities to score, while Ziola – who is seeded just 15^th due to incomplete pentathlon performances so far this season – has the most potential of the group, winning the event in 2018 and placing second in 2019… Ziola is also likely to score in other events, seeded fourth in the long jump and seventh in the 60-meter hurdles… Montana has three or more representatives in eight events, mostly in the sprints (60 meters, 200 meters) and jumps (pole vault, long jump, triple jump)… Montana has three of the top-14 60-meter hurdlers and three of the top-11 weight throwers… Others who enter the meet in position to score (top eight) include: Emma Normand (fourth in the 60 meters); Radtke (fifth in the high jump); Ariel Clark (eighth in the weight throw) and Emma Zimmerman (eighth in the pole vault).

Montana's Registered Competitors
Men's 60 meters – Cooper Hewett (6.96, 14^th); Jason Upton (7.06, 30^th)
Men's 200 meters – Paul Johnstone (22.14, 18^th)
Men's 400 meters – Paul Johnstone (48.49, 6^th); Ty Ferguson (50.28, 21^st); Brandon Jones (50.31, 23^rd)
Men's 800 meters – Quincy Fast (1:52.54, 6^th)
Men's 3,000 meters – Maxwell Scott (8:11.83, 12^th); Joel Mendez (8:16.78, 19^th); Ellis McKean (8:33.14, 41^st); Nathan Carter (8:36.09, 43^rd); Ben Vanderbosch (8:37.00, 45^th); AJ Eckmann (8:49.02, 55^th); Hunter May (8:49.80, 57^th)
Men's 5,000 meters – Maxwell Scott (14:42.23, 21^st); AJ Eckmann (15:13.27, 30^th)
Men's 60-meter hurdles – Jaydon Green (7.97, 3^rd)
Men's 4x400-meter relay – Ty Ferguson, Cutter Thatcher, Brandon Jones, Paul Johnstone (3:21.12, 7^th)
Men's distance medley relay – Quincy Fast, Paul Johnstone, Casey Crouch, Joel Mendez (10:22.90, 3^rd)
Men's high jump – Alfred Peterson (6-6.25, 12^th)
Men's pole vault – Zane Johnson (15-3, 11^th); Carson Weeden (15-1, 13^th)
Men's long jump – Jason Upton (23-1.75, 7^th)
Men's shot put – Brent Yeakey (55-5.75, 3^rd); Noah Ramirez (52-6, 12^th)
Men's weight throw – Matt Ward (61-4, 7^th); Noah Ramirez (53-11.75, 17^th)

Women's 60 meters – Emma Normand (7.58, 4^th); Catie Buck (7.72, 10^th); Camryn Dezember (7.93, 30^th)
Women's 200 meters – Emma Normand (25.27, 15^th); Camryn Dezember (26.04, 33^rd); Catie Buck (26.11, 36^th); Carlee Fryberger (26.66, 52^nd)
Women's 400 meters – Abby Harmon (59.25, 19^th)
Women's mile – Bridget Boyle (4:57.38, 25^th); Carly Dahms (5:17.28, 64^th)
Women's 3,000 meters – Beatrix Frissell (10:07.84, 36^th); Olivia Lackland Henry (10:10.36, 40^th)
Women's 5,000 meters – Olivia Lackland Henry (17:22.86, 9^th); Beatrix Frissell (17:23.89, 10^th)
Women's 60-meter hurdles – Jansen Ziola (8.83, 7^th); Ailsa Gilbert (8.93, 12^th); Jaree Mane (9.06, 14^th); Carlee Fryberger (9.09, 19^th)
Women's 4x400-meter relay – Mikenna Ells, Katie Whitehurst, Abby Harmon, Jansen Ziola (3:57.62, 6^th)
Women's distance medley relay – Carly Dahms, Mikenna Ells, Katie Whitehurst, Bridget Boyle (12:42.18, 4^th)
Women's high jump – Morgan Radtke (5-6.5, 5^th)
Women's pole vault – Emma Zimmerman (12-1.5, 8^th); Shealyne McGee (11-9.75, 11^th); Moly Chambers (11-3.75, 14^th); Jadyn Campbell (11-1.75, 15^th)
Women's long jump – Jansen Ziola (18-11.25, 4^th); Ailsa Gilbert (17-11.75, 12^th); Carlee Fryberger (16-10, 33^rd)
Women's triple jump – Morgan Radtke (36-11.5, 15^th); Ailsa Gilbert (36-7, 16^th); Whitney Morrison (34-11.25, 21^st)
Women's shot put – Jaree Mane (39-6, 22^nd)
Women's weight throw – Ariel Clark (53-9, 8^th); Tanessa Morris (53-6.25, 9^th); Kaitlyn Gallo (53-3.5, 11^th)
Women's pentathlon – Jaree Mane (3,438, 6^th); Morgan Radtke (3,278, 10^th); Whitney Morrison (3,078; 11^th); Jansen Ziola (2,785, 15^th)