Wilde wins Big Sky title, Griz start strong in Spokane

Photo by: Bryson Lester

Wilde wins Big Sky title, Griz start strong in Spokane

2/23/2024 11:22:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

By: Montana Sports Information

Erin Wilde had been on top of the Big Sky once before. The freshman shocked the conference last year in Greeley at the outdoor championships, jumping 5-9.25 to claim the Big Sky title in her first year. This time around, there would be no element of surprise for the Whitefish product. She wouldn't need it.

Wilde won her second Big Sky title on Friday night in Spokane, clearing her first four jumps of the meet and finishing with an indoor PR of 5-8.5. Wilde entered as one of the favorites having won two regular season meets already. She finished in the top three in all five of the Grizzlies meets heading to Spokane.

It all came together for her inside The Podium. She opened at 5-3 and was perfect all the way through her final mark, where she would miss just once. It gave her the edge over Idaho State senior Kapri Sylvester, who finished in second.

"It's really cool," head coach Doug Fraley said of Wilde's performance. "She won it last year as a freshman without really any pressure, and it's totally different when you're coming into it in year two as the defending outdoor champ and you have a big target on your back. She was flawless in her first several jumps and put the pressure on the other women and just did a fantastic job and took home the title. I couldn't be prouder of her."

Wilde is the first Grizzly female to win the indoor high jump since current assistant coach Lindsey Hall did it in 2011.

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Wilde was one of three Grizzlies on the day to reach the podium. The men had two all-conference performers in Jason Upton and Zane Johnson.

Upton had a fantastic day overall, and started it off with an impressive performance in the long jump. He entered as the third seed in the event and had hopes of reaching the podium after a narrow miss of both the podium and the NCAA regionals in the event during last year's outdoor season.

He started off with a jump of 23-8 on his first attempt, which was good enough to get him into the finals. Once there, he improved upon his mark with a jump of 24-3.5 to finish as the runner-up in the event and earn All-Conference honors.

He also had a record-setting day on the track. He qualified for the 60m finals with a time of 6.80. It would have been a school record had Cooper Hewett not run faster in the heat just ahead of him.

"Jason had a great day," Fraley said. "He was pretty hell-bent on making the podium. He had just missed it last outdoor season and was really focused and locked in on what it would take for him to do that. He got off to a good first jump and got the momentum started and was able to hit a better one to stay in second in the finals."

Johnson, another Grizzly senior, joined Upton on the podium. Similar to Upton, he had just missed out on All-Conference honors last year at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships in Greeley. He had even more history with heartbreak, placing fourth three times total in his career.

The pole vaulter from Dillon wasn't going to be denied in 2024. Johnson opened at 15-8.5 and cleared his first three marks with ease. Once he got to the 16-10.25 mark, he had to make some adjustments. ON his third attempt at the height, he was able to clear and secure a third-place finish.

"Zane was on a mission because he's been fourth three different times," Fraley said. "Twice last year and once a couple of years ago, and he's been saying all along I'm tired of being fourth place and not making the podium. He went out and really took care of business with a huge jump over 16-10 and some good attempts at the school record. The bottom line is he made the podium, and that's been his goal since Greeley last spring."

SCHOOL RECORD FALLS

Montana had three All-Conference performers on Friday, an impressive feat for the Grizzly program. They also had a spectacular achievement on the track in the men's 60-meter preliminary round. The Grizzlies didn't compete in any individual finals on the track, but got off to a tremendous start in the short sprint.

Cooper Hewett, who has battled several injuries in his Grizzly career, entered the field after running just once this indoor season. He ran a 6.89 in early December in Bozeman, setting a new PR in the process. But since then, Hewett has been on the sideline nursing an injury.

He returned to the track on Friday in the third heat of the men's 60m, and blew all expectations out of the water. Hewett started fast and finished strong, winning his heat with a time of 6.72 to qualify for the finals with the second-fastest time in the Big Sky this season.

Hewett also broke the Montana school record that had stood for 26 years. Todd Herring's 6.84 time set back in 1998 was finally beaten as Hewett flew down the track in Spokane.

Cooper Hewett with a new 𝑺𝑪𝑯𝑶𝑶𝑳 𝑹𝑬𝑪𝑶𝑹𝑫 run in the 60m!

Hewett runs a 6.72 to qualify with the second-best time in the Big Sky this season!#GrizTF | #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/SEI0BoUohC
— Montana Griz TF & XC (@MontanaGrizTFXC) February 24, 2024

In the very next heat, Upton stepped into the starting blocks. He had tied Herring's record in the final meet of the regular season, and bested it on Friday night with a time of 6.80. He qualified for the final with the fourth fastest time, and will have to wait until Saturday to try to give Hewett a run for the record.

"(Hewett) had just an amazing run," Fraley said. "The guy hadn't run since December and to come out and run the way he did, his PR was 6.89 and to come out and beat the guys that he did in that heat and PR at 6.72, that is an enormous improvement in the 60. To have him and Jason in the finals with the second and fourth fastest times was big time, I'm really happy with their performances."

MELICE MAKES A RETURN

Senior Xavier Melice has been through quite a bit in his time as a Grizzly. He tore his Achilles in the first meet of the 2021 indoor season, and has been working to return to full strength since the incident. He has had several bright moment since, making his way back to the form that earned him the Big Sky Freshman of the Year in 2019.

This season has seen him limited once again. The Helena Capital product had run a pair of short sprints early in the year, but hadn't competed in the 400m until the Whitworth Invitational two weeks ago. When that meet went well, he knew he would be prepared to go all out at the Big Sky Championships.

He ran in the fourth heat of the day, and left everything he had on the track, setting a new indoor PR of 48.30 seconds in his final indoor meet. The time was good enough to advance him to the finals on Saturday.

It's just an added bonus for an athlete who was happy to just return to the track and compete again.

"I talked to him before the meet started and asked him how he felt," Fraley said. "He said, 'Coach it's really good to feel ready for once and not be wondering if I'm going to be healthy or if I'm fit enough or anything like that. I just get to go run and compete.' That's exactly what he did in his section, he ran a great race for a huge indoor PR and made the finals. It's a tough final to make, and I'm really proud of how he's worked his way back, never given up, kept a positive attitude and been a great teammate to guys."

How about this run from Xavier Melice!? He had run just one 400m this year and entered as the 16 seed, but he kicks it home for an indoor PR and qualifies for the finals with a time of 48.30!#GrizTF | #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/ZMZNWX4SCP
— Montana Griz TF & XC (@MontanaGrizTFXC) February 24, 2024

STAYNER SCORES IN THE PENTATHLON

Brooke Stayner highlighted the opening day of the meet with a sixth-place finish in the women's pentathlon. The sophomore from Missoula set a new PR with a score of 3,533 and finished in the top five in three of the five events.

The pentathlon opens and closes with her two strengths, and she performed well in both events. She ran an 8.93 60-meter hurdle time to begin the event in third place overall. She missed her PR by just .01 seconds and had herself in good position.

The event led to heartbreak for her teammate Whitney Morrison. Morrison was caught on the second-to-last hurdle and went to the ground. She got back up and finished out the race, but wouldn't compete in the rest of the pentathlon.

In the high jump, Stayner once again performed about as well as she ever has, matching her PR with a mark of 5-3.75. It was her best start to a pentathlon in her career. She dropped in the standings after the shot put with a mark of 30-4.75.

She got redemption at the long jump. Earlier this season at the Lauren McCluskey Memorial meet, Stayner fouled on all three attempts to score zero points in the long jump. This time around she was able to set a mark of 16-10 on her opening jump.

Stayner entered the 800 in seventh place, and in the first 200 meters of the race dropped back to eighth. But she finished strong, moving up to fourth at the halfway point and finishing second in the race to improve her final pentathlon standing to sixth. Last year, Stayner finished eighth with a score of 3,409. She improved two places and over 100 points in her sophomore season.

On the men's side, Porter Coffield was one of nine athletes to compete in the heptathlon. He got off to an impressive start on Friday, but ultimately an injury forced him to withdraw from the competition on Saturday.

He opened with a PR time of 7.14 in the 60m, finishing fourth overall but within .03 seconds of second place.

MEN IN FOURTH ENTERING SATURDAY
Montana's men's team had five individual points scorers and also placed sixth in the distance medley relay to enter the final day of the meet in fourth place with 25 points.

Jethro Thorne and Gordon McMillion each earned points for Montana in the men's long jump, making three out of the eight scorers in the event Grizzlies. Thorne had a season-best mark of 22-6.25 to finish sixth and McMillion came in seventh at 22-5.75.

Carson Weeden also scored for Montana with a new PR in the pole vault. Weeden cleared 16-6.5 to finish in sixth place in the event and join Johnson in the scoring in an event that is becoming a strength for Montana.

Hewett and Upton will have a chance at hardware tomorrow in the 60m final, and Melice will be a point scorer in the 400m. Freshman Karsen Beitz missed out on the 200m finals by just a single position.

The women are in eighth place overall with 16 points. Wilde earned 10 for her win, and Stayner added five with her finish in the pentathlon and a seventh place result in the high jump.

Cathlene Van Zyl also scored for Montana with a new PR in the women's shot put. The Grizzly rookie had a mark of 42-8 on her third throw of the day to get into scoring range.

Jayel Dovichak qualified for the 60m hurdles finals with a time of 8.83, but the freshman was the only female Grizzly to reach the Saturday finals. Mikenna Ells and Katie Whitehurst both missed out by just a single spot in the 400 and 800, respectively. Tara Ohlwiler finished 10^th in the 60m to miss out by two places.

There will also be three field events on both sides on Saturday.

"We had some really good things happen. Getting three people on the podium today is a huge deal for us, but as good as that is we had some near misses," Fraley said. "We had some ninths and tenths and just missing finals for tomorrow. Those are tough breaks, but at the end of the day that's the way competitions roll.

"You take the bad with the good and move to the next day," he continued. "I can tell you, I was really proud of the way the entire team competed. We got points today in areas we weren't supposed to and that's always a great thing. The team competed and fought hard in every event, so we're very proud of the effort."

Women's Results
60m Prelims- Tara Ohlwiler (7.67, 10^th), Audrey Smith (7.72*, 16^th) Claire Hutchison (7.73*, 17^th), Rileigh McGree (7.74, 19^th)
200m Prelims- Tara Ohlwiler (25.08, 16^th), Claire Hutchison (25.10*, 18^th), Audrey Smith (25.48*, 24^th)
400m Prelims- Mikenna Ells (56.05, 9^th), Lily Meskers (57.16, 15^th)
800m Prelims- Katie Whitehurst (2:13.43, 9^th), Mackenzie Morgan (2:14.84, 12^th)
60mH Prelims- Jayel Dovichak (8.83q, 8^th/15), Brooke Stayner (8.89*, 10^th), Ailsa Gilbert (9.01, 12^th), Whitney Morrison (9.16, 14^th)
Distance Medley Relay- McKean, Bruno, Dean, Ingraham (12:31.21, 9^th)
High Jump- Erin Wilde (5-8.5*, 1^st), Brooke Stayner (5-3, 7^th), Whitney Morrison (5-1, 13^th)
Long Jump- Ailsa Gilbert (17-0.75, 21^st), Perry Paffhausen (17-0.5, 22^nd), Ainsley Shipman (16-10.75, 23^rd)
Shot Put- Cathlene Van Zyl (42-8*, 8^th), Ariel Clark (41-4.25, 10^th)

Men's Results
60m Prelims- Cooper Hewett (6.72*^Q, 2^nd), Jason Upton (6.80Q*, 4^th), Karsen Beitz (6.89, 15^th), Teagun Holycross (6.92, 18^th)
200m Prelims- Karsen Beitz (21.74, 9^th), Teagun Holycross (22.62, 27^th), Cooper Hewett (DNS)
400m Prelims- Xavier Melice (48.30Q*, 7^th), Taylor Johnson (48.57, 10^th), Jay Beagle (49.19, 15^th), Ty Ferguson (49.59, 17^th)
800m Prelims- Henry Ballinger (1:52.13*, 11^th), Casey Crouch (1:54.93, 16^th)
Distance Medley Relay- Morris, Ballinger, Thompson, Cole (10:09.20, 6^th)
Pole Vault- Zane Johnson (16-10.25*, 3^rd), Carson Weeden (16-6.5*, 6^th), Carson Hegele (15-8.5*, 12^th), Jackson Merrill (15-2.75, 13^th), Kevin Swindler (NH)
Long Jump- Jason Upton (24-3.5, 2^nd), Jethro Thorne (22-6.25, 6^th), Gordon McMillion (22-5.75, 7^th)
Weight Throw- Walker McDonald (55-8.5, 9^th)

Men's Team Scores
1. Northern Arizona, 74
2. Montana State, 47
3. Weber State, 30.5
4. Montana, 25
5. Eastern Washington, 19.5
T6. Idaho State, 14
T6. Sacramento State, 14
8. Idaho, 8
9. Portland State, 2
10. Northern Colorado, 0

Women's Team Scores
1. Northern Arizona, 58
2. Weber State, 36
3. Montana State, 32
4. Idaho, 25
5. Idaho State, 18
6. Eastern Washington, 18
7. Sacramento State, 17
8. Montana, 16
9. Northern Colorado, 10
10. Portland State, 1

Men's Point Scorers
Jason Upton, 8
Zane Johnson, 6
Jethro Thorne, 3
Carson Weeden, 3
DMR, 3
Gordon McMillion, 2

Women's Point Scorers
Erin Wilde, 10
Brooke Stayner, 5
Cathlene Van Zyl, 1

Women's Pentathlon – Brooke Stayner (3,533*, 6^th/16), Whitney Morrison (DNF)
60mH- Stayner (8.93, 3^rd), Morrison (16.53, 16^th)
High Jump- Stayner (5-3.75, 5^th)
Shot Put- Stayner (30-4.75, 13^th)
Long Jump- Stayner (16-10, 8^th)
800m- Stayner (2:23.77, 2^nd)

Men's Heptathlon – Porter Coffield (2,660, 9^th/9)
60m- Coffield (7.14*, 4^th)
Long Jump- Coffield (21-0.5*, 5^th)
Shot Put- Coffield (35-3.25, 4^th)
High Jump- Coffield (5-10.5, 5^th)
60mH- Coffield (DNF)
Pole Vault- Coffield (NH)
1,000m- Coffield (DNF)