Griz send three to NCAA First Round in Fayetteville

The Montana track and field program will send three athletes to the NCAA First Round in Fayetteville, Ark. next week. Zane Johnson, Evan Todd, and Erin Wilde have all qualified after finishing the season ranked in the top 48 in the west region.

The trio are all Montana program record holders with Todd (javelin) and Wilde (high jump) coming off Big Sky Championship performances last weekend and Johnson finishing as the runner-up in the pole vault.

Todd and Johnson will compete on Wednesday, May 22. The javelin will begin at 1:00 p.m. and the pole vault opens at 5:30 p.m. Wilde will compete on Saturday, May 25 at 1:00 p.m. All times are Mountain.

"They are three of our very best athletes on our team and all three had really good, consistent years to earn their spot at the regionals," head coach Doug Fraley said. "We feel good about all three of them going into Fayetteville having a chance to do well."

Todd shattered his own program record while also breaking the facility record and Big Sky Conference championship record last Friday on his way to a third consecutive conference title. On his fourth throw of the event, Todd launched his javelin 246-6 to win the event by 10 feet and break his previous best by over 12 feet.

The throw placed him 9^th in the West heading in the First Round. This is the fourth regional appearance in Todd's career. The Kalispell product finished 26^th as a freshman, 25^th in his second trip, and 19^th last year.

He's looking to become the first Grizzly to reach the NCAA Championships since 2019.

Wilde won her second Big Sky outdoor title in as many appearances last Friday. The sophomore from Whitefish also won the 2024 indoor title to give her three Big Sky Championships in just two years.

The performance came just a week removed from Wilde breaking a 30-year old program record with a mark of 5-10.5. The jump ranks Wilde 23^rd in the west heading into the regional meet.

This is her second trip to the NCAA First Round. She placed 38^th at the meet as a freshman. This year, she enters with higher hopes. She trails 12^th place in the region by 2.25 inches.

Johnson is also making a return trip to the regional meet after a 22^nd place finish in 2023. The senior from Dillon earned All-Conference honors for the third time in his career last week in Bozeman by jumping 17-0.25 for a runner-up finish.

It's the third time in his career that Johnson has cleared at least 17-feet. He did it for the first time last year at the regional meet in Sacramento. He broke the school record this year at the Bengal Invitational on April 27 with a clearance of 17-3.5.

Johnson is tied for 27^thin the region this year with his school record mark. He trails 12^th place in the region by five inches.

The trio all competed last year in Sacramento, which provides a huge advantage heading back to this First Round meet.

"I think a big part of it with the three of them is that all three have been to this meet before, so they know what to expect," Fraley said. "At meets like this you get a lot of athletes that are pretty much done after the conference meet and it's a surprise to a lot of people that go for the first time.

"One thing I can tell you about all three of our athletes is that they know exactly what to expect. It gives them an advantage on doing well as opposed to athletes that are going for the first time."

Montana had a pair of athletes that had heartbreaking near-misses on qualification for the First Round. Jason Upton in the men's long jump and Ariel Clark in women's hammer throw each finished in 49^th in the region after scratches, missing out on a Fayetteville trip by just a single spot.

The meet will be streamed live on ESPN+.

Griz send three to NCAA First Round in Fayetteville

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ariel Clark

Zane Johnson

Evan Todd

Jason Upton

Erin Wilde

University of Montana Athletics