Montana returns from break with Spokane Indoor Challenge

Friday, January 12

Spokane, Wash.

Montana

Spokane Indoor Challenge

Photo by: Torrey Vail

Montana returns from break with Spokane Indoor Challenge

1/11/2024 2:47:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

Performance List

By: Montana Sports Information

SPOKANE INDOOR CHALLENGE
Jan. 12-13 / Watch / Live Results / Schedule

The indoor track and field season begins in earnest on Friday night as the Griz open the Spokane Indoor Challenge. Montana has had over a month since the Bobcat Preview in Bozeman, but now begin a run through four meets in five weeks.

The Griz will be in action at The Podium, a recently opened venue that will also be the host of the Big Sky Indoor Championships in late February.

Montana is in year two under head coach Doug Fraley, who said that this week will be a good gauge of where his team stands after a long break. Most athletes went home for the holiday break following the Bobcat Preview in early December and just reported back this week.

"The biggest thing we're excited about is that this is a regrouping week. Everybody reported back on Monday after pretty much being gone close to a month," Fraley said. "The first thing you try to establish when everybody gets back is routine. When the young men and women go away for break they obviously get into a different routine, so the first thing we try to reestablish is a training and rest routine."

The Grizzlies will have 30 entries for both men's and women's competitions, bringing to Spokane a good mix of veterans and newcomers. In Bozeman, several of the newcomers made impressive debuts and will look to follow those up in Spokane.

There are also plenty of exciting returning athletes that could make a splash at the Big Sky meet down the road. Fraley and his staff expanded the roster from last year, adding depth on both sides. This meet will give them a good idea of what athletes are ready to compete at the D1 level.

"We have quite a few newcomers, so we're using this to be able to get a better handle on our travel roster as we move forward into the indoor season," Fraley said. "Spots for upcoming meets are up for grabs, so we'll be evaluating these results this week and paring things down a bit for the meet next week in Moscow. It's a big opportunity for a lot of the newcomers to prove themselves in a college competition."

The Grizzlies will be in Moscow, Idaho next week before returning to Bozeman the following week. They return to The Podium on Feb. 9-10 for the Whitworth Invite.

The Podium is a $53 million venue that opened in 2021. It features a 200m banked track that can be raised and lowered up to a 12 degree angle. The Grizzlies put up some great times at the venue last year and will look to recreate that success. And perhaps more importantly, they will get a feel for the eventual championship venue.

"We're real lucky to have that facility just a bus ride away. It's a venue we will have the conference championships at so we're looking forward to getting on that track twice before the championships," Fraley said. "It's an advantage to be able to run on those banks for the athletes that are runners, and also getting used to the runways and rings for the throwers and jumpers."

There will be four individual events and two relays held late Friday night. The bulk of the event will begin on Saturday with the men's 3,000m at 10:30 a.m. (MT) and will proceed until the 4x400m relays just after 5:00.

This weekend provides a chance to set a baseline for the 2024 season. The Griz used the December meet as a bit of an icebreaker, but now they will look to start the process of weekly competition.

"I think everybody on our roster knows that this is the start of track season. The ability to build through from meet to meet and week to week is key," Fraley said. "January is kind of the prep month for really getting it going in February. You can't stand still in January and expect the light to come on. It needs to be a progression, and I think the kids on our team understand that."

There are plenty of returning athletes that scored in the 2023 Big Sky meet that will aim to reach the podium in 2024, and some that soared during the outdoor season that will look to replicate that success indoors.

There is a level of expectations that those athletes enter with, but the excitement of what the newcomers might bring has Fraley excited to get to this meet.

"We look for the veterans on this team to carry the torch as far as performance goes, but also looking forward to seeing what some of these newcomers can do in a bigger meet versus the one we had in Bozeman," Fraley said.

The Grizzlies and Bobcats were the only D1 teams competing at the preview meet in December. In Spokane, there will plenty of high-level competition from D1 teams all across the west, including several Big Sky opponents.

The elevated level of competition should be telling to where some of the younger athletes may rank in the league through this season.

"It's great to go through that process at a bigger meet because there are a lot of schools at this meet," Fraley said. "The fields are bigger, there are a lot more heats, there are more flights, so it's good for some of these younger athletes to go through the process of a bigger meet and see how they respond to that."

There is plenty to be on the lookout for as the Grizzlies get the season going, but for Fraley the most important thing will to just enter the competitive arena again.

"We're real excited to get to a track meet, knock off the rust, and see where we are at coming off the break," Fraley said. "Overall, we're just excited to have everybody back and use this week in Spokane as an evaluation coming off the long break."

Montana Women's Entries
60m- Mikenna Ells, Tara Ohlwiler, Claire Hutchison, Audrey Smith, Rileigh McGree
200m- Mikenna Ells, Claire Hutchison, Jayel Dovichak, Audrey Smith, Cosley Bruno, Tara Ohlwiler
400m- Lily Meskers
800m- Katie Whitehurst, Mackenzie Morgan, MacKenzie Dean
3,000m- Kayla Ingraham, Iris McKean
60mH- Ailsa Gilbert, Jayel Dovichak, Brooke Stayner, Kara Mattson, Ainsley Shipman, Whitney Morrison
4x400m- Two squads
Distance Medley Relay- One squad
High Jump- Erin Wilde, Brooke Stayner, Whitney Morrison
Pole Vault- Emma Zimmerman, Molly Chambers, Chesney Lawrence, Hannah Moses
Long Jump- Kara Mattson, Perry Paffhausen, Ainsley Shipman, Rileigh McGree
Triple Jump- Ailsa Gilbert, Ainsley Shipman
Shot Put- Ariel Clark, Cathlene Van Zyl, Morgan Thomas
Weight Throw- Ariel Clark, Savana Ramirez, Morgan Thomas, Mary Mickelson, Cathlene Van Zyl, Molly O'Dell

Montana Men's Entries
60m- Teagun Holycross, Cooper Hewett, Jason Upton, Xavier Melice, Karsen Beitz, Porter Coffield,
200m- Teagun Holycross, Cooper Hewett, Xavier Melice, Karsen Beitz, Jason Upton
400m- Taylor Johnson, Ty Ferguson, Cutter Thatcher, Jay Beagle
800m- Casey Crouch
Mile- Henry Ballinger, Truman Thompson, Lane Cole, Cooper Morris
3,000m- Maxwell Scott
60mH- Porter Coffield
4x400m- Two squads
Distance Medley Relay- One squad
High Jump- Patrick Kremer, Zachary Travis, Porter Coffield
Pole Vault- Zane Johnson, Kevin Swindler, Carson Weeden, Carson Hegele, Jackson Merrill, Carter Petersen
Long Jump- Jason Upton, Jethro Thorne, Gordon McMillion, Patrick Kremer, Porter Coffield
Triple Jump- Dylan Zink
Shot Put- Wade Rykal, Alex Shields, Porter Coffield
Weight Throw- Walker McDonald, Alex Shields, Wade Rykal