Montana picks up four wins in limited action

Saturday, May 6

Bozeman, Mont.

Montana

Tom Gage Classic

Scenes from the Montana Griz Track & Field final home meet on April 22, 2023 at Dornblaser Field in Missoula.

Photo by: UM Photo / Ridley Hudson

5/6/2023 4:49:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

Results

By: Montana Sports Information

The regular season has concluded for the Montana track and field team. A small squad of athletes competed in Bozeman on Saturday at the Tom Gage Classic, picking up four event wins to wrap up the final meet on the schedule. The Grizzlies will next be in action at the Big Sky Championships in Greeley, Colo.

"It was a good opportunity for some kids that we have going to the conference meet next week to continue to sharpen their skills and progress," Fraley said of the meet. "I thought we got that accomplished today, especially in the pole vault."

Senior Beatrix Frissell picked up a win on the women's side, leading the entire way to pick up a 24-second win in the women's 5,000m race. Frissell finished in a time of 19:01.92. Fellow senior Leah Gath also competed for the final time in a Grizzly uniform, running a 21:30.78 time.

"We had a couple of seniors who were with us today and competed for the last time in a Grizzly uniform. It was great to see them finish out their careers and we are very thankful for what they've done for our program and proud that they've represented the University of Montana," Fraley said.

There were also a pair of Grizzlies on the women's side to pick up PR's in the final event of the season. It was a double-PR day for sprinter Destiny Santiago. The sophomore ran a 13.01 in the 100-meter and a 26.51 in the 200m to record the fastest time in both events in her two-year career at Montana.

Molly O'Dell had the other PR for the women in the hammer. She finished in sixth place in the event with a new best throw of 142-8. Kaitlyn Gallo also competed for the Grizzlies in the event, finishing third with a throw of 166-9.

Montana performed well in the women's pole vault, where they brought their full roster. The Grizzlies finished in four of the top five spots of all D-1 athletes. Shealyne McGee finished second only to an unattached athlete, clearing 12-8. Emma Zimmerman and Aly Tekippe both cleared 12-2 while Molly Chambers went 11-8.

There were three PR's on the men's side to go along with three event wins. The Grizzlies shared the medalist honors in the pole vault. Zane Johnson and Carson Weeded, who both rank in the top four in the Big Sky heading to Greeley, will head to the conference meet fresh off a win. They tied at the top, both clearing 15-11 with the same number of misses.

On the track, Nathan Carter won the 5,000-meter for Montana. The sophomore from Spokane ran a 15:14.67 to win the event by 22 seconds.

Freshman Dylan Zink had a new personal best by nearly eight inches in the triple jump, winning the event with a mark of 44-8.

There were also PR's from a pair of freshmen. Porter Coffield had a season-best time in the 110-meter hurdles at 15.72 to place third. Carter Petersen reached a new height in the pole vault with a mark of 14-5.25 to take fifth.

The Grizzlies competed just 10 men and 18 women in the regular season finale. Montana was one of just three Big Sky teams in action this week as all eyes now turn toward Greeley for the conference championships.

While many competing on Saturday won't be in Greeley, this meet provided them one final chance to get the feel of live competition before the summer break. Fraley was excited by what he saw from the youth of his team.

"It was a good opportunity for the kids that are not going to the conference meet to finish their seasons on a positive note, which several of them did," Fraley said. "I was really happy that they had the opportunity to do that today and end the season feeling good about things. Hopefully that momentum will carry into next fall when we start training."

Tom Gage Classic Results
Women's 100m – Destiny Santiago (13.01*, 6^th)
Women's 200m – Destiny Santiago (26.51*, 5^th)
Women's 400m – Cosley Bruno (59.04, 2^nd)
Women's 800m – MacKenzie Dean (2:22.19, 5^th)
Women's 1,500m – Iris McKean (5:00.91, 9^th)
Women's 5,000m – Beatrix Frissell (19:01.92, 1^st), Leah Gath (21:30.78, 6^th)
Women's 100m hurdles – Rileigh McGree (16.29, 2^nd)
Women's long jump – Perry Paffhausen (17-3.25, 4^th), Rileigh McGree (16-3, 9^th)
Women's pole vault – Shealyne McGee (12-8, 2^nd), Emma Zimmerman (12-2, 4^th), Aly Tekippe (12-2, 5^th), Molly Chambers (11-8, 6^th), Ani Smith (11-2.25, 8^th)
Women's discus – Molly O'Dell (111-0, 6^th)
Women's hammer – Kaitlyn Gallo (166-9, 3^rd), Molly O'Dell (142-8*, 6^th)
Women's shot put – Whitney Morrison (30-0, 7^th)
Women's javelin – Tatum McNamara (122-0, 4^th), Cyisa Weidman (105-4, 9^th)

Men's 5,000m – Nathan Carter (15:14.67, 1^st)
Men's 110m hurdles – Porter Coffield (15.72*, 3^rd)
Men's 400m hurdles – Porter Coffield (56.73, 3^rd)
Men's long jump – Gordon McMillion (22-7*, 3^rd), Dylan Zink (18-10, 7^th)
Men's triple jump – Dylan Zink (44-8*, 1^st)
Men's pole vault – Zane Johnson (15-11, t-1^st), Carson Weeden (15-11, t-1^st), Carter Petersen (14-5.25*, 5^th), Carson Hegele (13-11.25, 8^th)
Men's discus – Walker McDonald (142-0, 10^th)
Men's hammer – Walker McDonald (164-2, 3^rd)
Men's shot put – Wade Rykal (48-10, 4^th), Walker McDonald (45-1, 9^th)