Scott wins double, Griz make strides at WSU Open

Thursday, February 2

Spokane, Wash.

Montana

WSU Open

Savana Ramirez at Spokane Indoor Challenge (1.14.23)

Photo by: Torrey Vail

2/4/2023 10:33:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

Results (PDF)

By: Montana Sports Information

Montana track and field returned to the Podium in Spokane this weekend, competing at the WSU Open hosted by Washington State and featuring some of the best schools in the PNW. The Grizzlies competed well against the increased competition, recording plenty of personal bests as the marks continue to improve and a great performance in the distance running on the men's side.

"It was a solid weekend across the board for both squads," said head coach Doug Fraley. "It's great to see continued progress in the different event areas as we enter the stretch run to the Big Sky Indoor Championship.

It was a large squad travelling for Montana with depth in several areas, but one Grizzly really left his mark on the Podium. Maxwell Scott raced in the 5,000m on Friday, finishing strong in the race to claim the title with a time of 14:37.86.

Scott didn't rest on his laurels on Saturday. Instead, he went back out to compete in the 3,000m and again put together a fantastic run. He closed the race in 8:22.41, once again outpacing all other competition in Spokane to make it a double.

"Max has gotten healthy and is starting to race with confidence," Fraley said. "To be able to win the 5,000m on Friday and come back today and win the 3,000m is a testament to his level of fitness and competitiveness."

The meet began on Thursday with the multi-events, where Montana had a lone competitor in Morgan Radtke. The Drummond-native had been performing well in practice and training, and he results reflected it. Radtke finished in seventh place with a score of 3,482, a new personal best.

She finished in the top five in both the high jump (5-5.25) and the 800m (2:24.78), finishing the final event strong to move up six places in the standings against a stacked field.

"It was great to see Morgan set a PR in her first multi of the season," Fraley said. "She had a very consistent day and still has plenty of room for improvement in each event."

Grizzly freshman Erin Wilde had an outstanding performance. She improve for the third consecutive week, going up a couple of inches on Friday to 5-6.5. She just missed out on a top three performance, coming in at fourth place for the highest individual finish on the women's side.

Holly Sudol had another couple of strong performances this weekend. She made her season debut in Moscow a few weeks ago and picked up where she left off, setting a new PR in both the 200m race with a time of 24.87 and the 400m at 55.97. The performance in the 400m was good for fifth in the entire event, and was the best of all the Big Sky competitors.

In the 4x400m relay, Sudol was the anchor to Montana's team. She closed with a blistering time of 55.68, which would have been her PR in the individual race. It helped Montana to a fifth place finish in the event for the team of Brooke Stayner, Lily Meskers and Katie Whitehurst.

"Holly is really coming into her own this indoor season," Fraley said. "Her performances in all three races this weekend was outstanding.

Meskers, a true freshman, also had new personal best times in the 200 and 400 this week, improving for the third straight week to start her collegiate career.

It was another strong week for Jaydon Green in the 60m hurdles. After breaking his own school record at Montana's last event, Green again finished in the top three this week. He qualified through the prelims with a time of 8.00, then cut time off for a third-place finish in 7.97 seconds.

The 400m is a strength for Montana on the men's side, and the depth of the Grizzly stable in that event was on display. Paul Johnstone returned from injury to lead the Grizzlies with a time of 49.16. He was one of four Grizzlies in the top 17, as Jay Beagle, Ty Ferguson and Taylor Johnson all finished right in a row at 15-17.

In the men's pole vault, Zane Johnson led the Grizzlies with a vault of 15-6.25 for a sixth place finish in the Invite. Carson Weeden won his event against the open field, going 15-0.25.

Montana's throwers had another strong weekend of improvement as well. Friday night saw Savana Ramirez break her personal best in the weight throw with a toss of 53-3, while her brother Noah Ramirez did the same in the shot put with a throw of 54-11.25. He cracked the top 10 in both the shot put and weight throw, where he measured 53-4.25.

Montana are now three-quarters of the way through the indoor season, and regardless of event they went against some top-level talent in Spokane. The challenge should push a hungry Grizzly team even further as they continue to prep for the Big Sky Indoor Championships.

"The level of competition at this meet was a step up from the previous two and for the most part we responded well," Fraley said. "That's exactly what we need at this point of the season."

WSU Open Montana Results
Men's 60m – Jason Upton (7.02*, 21^st), Teagun Holycross (7.03, 22^nd)
Men's 200m – Taylor Johnson (22.22*, 26^th), Teagun Holycross (22.56*, 39^th), Xavier Melice (22.69, 44^th), Porter Coffield (22.88, 53^rd), Ty Ferguson (23.21, 58^th)
Men's 400m – Paul Johnstone (49.16, 11^th), Jay Beagle (49.56*, 15^th), Ty Ferguson (49.61*, 16^th), Taylor Johnson (49.71, 17^th), Adam Maxwell (52.74, 45^th)
Men's 800m – Casey Crouch (1:56.07, 15^th), Will Dauenhauer (1:56.28, 17^th), Cooper Morris (2:00.72, 37^th), Colin Shaules (2;01.18, 38^th)
Men's Mile – Rogelio Mares (4:19.38*, 26^th), Lane Cole (4:19.94*, 27^th), Colin Shaules (4:26.31*, 42^nd), Cooper Morris (4:29.11, 45^th)
Men's 3,000m – Maxwell Scott (8:22.41, 1^st), Nathan Carter (8:32.56, 7^th)
Men's 5,000m – Maxwell Scott (14:37.86, 1^st)
Men's 60m hurdles – Jaydon Green (7.97, 3^rd), Porter Coffield (8.58, 6q)
Men's 4x400m relay – Ferguson, Crouch, Dauenhauer, Johnson (3:21.78, 6^th)
Men's DMR – Mares, Beagle, Cole, Carter (10:15.81, 2^nd)
Men's High Jump – Patrick Kremer (6-2, 16^th), Alfred Peterson (6-0, 21^st)
Men's Long Jump – Jason Upton (21-9.5, 13^th), Gordon McMillion (20-3.75, 26^th)
Men's Triple Jump – Jason Upton (43-11.25, 10th)
Men's Pole Vault Open - Carson Weeden (15-0.25, 1^st)
Men's Pole Vault Invite – Zane Johnson (15-6.25, 6^th)
Men's Shot Put – Noah Ramirez (54-11.25*, 5^th)
Men's Weight Throw – Noah Ramirez (53-4.25, 9^th)

Women's 60m – Audrey Smith (7.95*, 37^th)
Women's 200m – Holly Sudol (24.87*, 17^th), Lily Meskers (25.63*, 43^rd), Audrey Smith (25.99, 59^th)
Women's 400m – Holly Sudol (55.97, 5^th), Lily Meskers (57.94*, 19^th), Mikenna Ells (58.37*, 24^th), Whitney Morrison (1:01.79, 51^st)
Women's 800m – Katie Whitehurst (2:16.43, 12^th)
Women's Mile – Bridget Boyle (5:17.75, 42^nd)
Women's 3,000m – Jaylyn Hallgrimson (10:23.73*, 16^th), Beatrix Frissell (10:28.88, 20^th), Iris McKean (10:31.36*, 23^rd)
Women's 5,000m – Beatrix Frissell (18:16.53, 10^th)
Women's 60m hurdles – Kara Mattson (9.22*, 22^nd), Ainsley Shipman (9.22*, 23^rd), Ailsa Gilbert (9.35, 26^th)
Women's 4x400m relay – Stayner, Meskers, Whitehurst, Sudol (3:49.34, 5^th)
Women's DMR – Boyle, Ells, McKean, Hallgrimson (12:23.01, 3^rd)
Women's High Jump – Erin Wilde (5-6.5*, 4^th), Whitney Morrison (4-10.5, 25^th), Ainsley Shipman (4-8.75, 26^th)
Women's Long Jump – Kara Mattson (17-4.25, 19^th), Aly Tekippe (17-3.25, 21^st), Ailsa Gilbert (16-10.75, 30^th), Whitney Morrison (16-6.5, 36^th), Brooke Stayner (16-5.75, 39^th), Perry Paffhausen (16-1.75, 44^th)
Women's Triple Jump – Kara Mattson (35-11.5, 20^th)
Women's Pole Vault Open – Emma Zimmerman (11-10, 3^rd), Molly Chambers (11-10, 3^rd), Shealyne McGee (11-4.25, 6^th), Ani Smith (11-4.25, 6^th)
Women's Shot Put – Ariel Clark (41-3.25*, 24^th), Whitney Morrison (34-9, 46^th), Morgan Radtke (32-2.75, 49^th), Ainsley Shipman (30-2.75, 51^st), Brooke Stayner (29-2.75, 52^nd)
Women's Weight Throw – Savana Ramirez (53-3*, 12^th), Ariel Clark (50-11, 19^th)
Women's Pentathlon – Morgan Radtke (3,482*, 7^th)
*denotes personal record