Griz head to Bozeman for Big Sky Championship

Wednesday, May 8

Bozeman, Mont.

Montana

Big Sky Conference Championship

Tickets

Scenes from the Tom Gage Classic at Dornblaser Track on May 4, 2024 in Missoula, Montana.

Photo by: Ella Palulis/University of Montana

5/7/2024 3:15:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

Performance List

By: Montana Sports Information

The work that began in September will culminate this weekend for the Montana track and field program as it heads to Bozeman for the 2024 Big Sky Championships. Montana's multi-athletes will compete Wednesday and Thursday with the full meet opening Friday morning.

The meet can be streamed live on ESPN+ and you can follow along on Athletic Live for up to date results.

The Grizzlies have put together a very impressive spring season with school records dropping week after week and the squad improving as a whole with plenty of PRs at every single meet.

Now, they head over the Continental Divide hoping to take all of the progress and turn it into a solid showing at the league championships. The Grizzlies will have plenty of title and all-conference contenders and will look to build on last year's sixth place finishes for both the men and women.

The meet will open with Whitney Morrison and Brooke Stayner competing in an 11-woman field in the heptathlon.

Morrison enters the heptathlon with the top score in the Big Sky this season and Stayner enters as the third seed in the event based on their performances in California at the Bryan Clay Invitational. Morrison scored 4,928 points while Stayner had 4,765 in California.

They will also be challenged with the weather, similar to last year's conference championships in Greeley. While it rained for most of the competition in 2023, the forecast in Bozeman on Wednesday and Thursday calls for cool temperatures and the potential for snow and rain.

The duo should be All-Conference and title contenders if they manage conditions and put together a good week, but with the uncertainty of a multi and the limited participation during the regular season, there are plenty of question marks surrounding the event.

"There is a bit of an unknown there, but one thing that we do know is that we've got two very good multis that have been competing at a high level in their individual events," Fraley said. They both did really well in California and are ranked high, and there's no reason to believe that Brooke and Whitney aren't going to go in and do a great job."

Friday will be a big day for the Grizzlies as they look to gain some valuable momentum early in the meet. The field events serve as a strength for Montana, and plenty of the top athletes on the team will be competing Friday.

The meet opens Friday at 12:30 p.m. with what may be the marquee event of the entire weekend, the men's javelin. Evan Todd is the two-time defending champion in the event and broke the Montana school record earlier this season with a throw of 234-5.

But he will enter the meet ranked fourth in the Big Sky. There are five athletes from the league in the top 20 in the West Region, making it perhaps the strongest event in the entire conference. Todd will have his hands full trying to defend his crown, but should have an edge in experience over his competitors.

The women's hammer follows at 1:45 p.m., and Ariel Clark and Savana Ramirez both rank inside the top five in the conference and will have a good chance at the podium. It leads into the men's long jump at 2:15 p.m., where Jason Upton will enter as the second seed after an All-Conference performance indoors.

The women's high jump starts at 4:00 p.m. Montana's new school record holder Erin Wilde will look to defend her 2023 title and win the third overall Big Sky Championship in her first two year at Montana. Wilde cleared 5-10.5 last Saturday, which gives her more than three inches of an advantage on the closest competition.

While that is going on, the men's pole vault will also be in action beginning at 4:15 p.m. Zane Johnson is Montana's school record holder and was All-Conference indoors, and is one of four Grizzlies in the top 10 in the league in an event that could lead to some serious points for UM.

"I feel good about where we're at in a lot of the field events as far as ranking goes, but it's a championship meet and you've always got to go in and do it on the day," Fraley said. "It always goes back to holding serve on your rank or improving your rank team-wide. That's what will make or break a team finish in a championship meet."

Morrison and Stayner should provide a strong opening line for Montana's championship story. The field events on Friday are also strengths of the program, which should give the Grizzlies a good start to the week.

"Like any sport, momentum is critical," Fraley said. "You get a couple of good things that go your way early in the meet and it makes the rest of the team say, 'Hey, why not me?' Hopefully we will be able to get off to a good start early and ride the momentum into the rest of the championship."

There are three other field events on Friday, and prelims in all of the track events outside of the steeplechase and 10,000m. The Grizzlies don't possess quite the same strength on the track, but it will be key for Fraley to get as many of his athletes through to Saturday's finals as possible.

The top eight advance, which means you will be guaranteed at least one team point by reaching the final.

"Obviously, we've got a lot of strong athletes in the field events which are finals, but in the track events how we do as a team is going to depend on how many of the men and women that are slated to make the finals make it," Fraley said. "And we also need some athletes on the fringe in those 9, 10, 11 spots to possibly squeak into the top eight and give us scoring opportunities on the track."

Jaydon Green, Montana's school record holder and the defending conference champion in the men's 110-meter hurdles, will be the highlight of the track events. Green will run his prelim at 3:20 p.m. against a loaded field that includes Northern Colorado's Jerome Campbell, the indoor 60-meter champion that currently ranks 23^rd in the NCAA.

"We've got some athletes that are favorites. We've got some that have won before that are not the favorites," Fraley said. "I feel that we've got a good number that are potential podium finishers. We've got a few that if they really hit it on the day could be league champs."

Montana has a lot of athletes that fall in the 6-12 range in the seeds, and that is a make-or-break area. If the Griz can hold their positions in the top eight and have a few surprises that surpass where they rank on paper, it could lead to a very good team score.

The key to making finals is to find another level, which is easier said than done. But it's what the athletes have been training for all season.

"The key is to go out and have your best performance of the year. We prepare all year with this being the pinnacle of the season for our athletes," Fraley said. "We design the training so that our athletes are going to have a chance to give their very best performance at the most important meets"

Saturday will feature the relays, which Montana is expected to compete well in, and the finals on the track. There will also be eight more field events, beginning with the women's javelin at 10:00 a.m. Lea Moose is ranked 5^th and Ashley Carroll 8^th in the event.

Montana will also have athletes entering in scoring ranks with Walker McDonald in the men's hammer at 10:05 a.m. and Upton in the triple jump at 10:10 a.m.

The women's pole vault begins at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Samantha Serex is regaining her regional form at UCLA after being injured to start the season and is seeded fourth, while Emma Zimmerman has scoring potential.

Men's high jump rounds out the field events on Saturday at 1:15 p.m. Patrick Kremer and Adam Maxwell are tied for fourth in the Big Sky in the event while Zachary Travis scored indoors and is 10^th headed into Bozeman.

"I feel good about where we're at going in, and ultimately the story will be written based on what takes place in Bozeman and not what you see on paper going into the meet," Fraley said. "We've got some veterans on this team that have a chance to do really well, they've got the experience, and they know how to operate in a championship situation. We're relying heavily on our veteran group to get things done at the top."

On the back burner for several Montana athletes is the potential of qualifying for the NCAA First Rounds in Fayetteville, Arkansas at the end of May. Todd, Johnson, and Wilde have locked up spots at regionals, but there are six other Grizzlies that are within 20 spots of qualifying.

Fraley said that a regional qualifying mark should go hand-in-hand with a high finish at the conference championship. The focus should be on the competition, and not on a potential mark

"If the people in bubble situations go out at this conference meet and take care of business and do what they can do to place high in the meet, that's the biggest thing that gives them a chance to hit an improved regional mark and potentially get into the first rounds," Fraley said.

"The thing you really don't want right now is to go into the conference championship thinking about whether or not they are going to qualify for regionals. It puts them in a space where they're not necessarily focused on the task at hand," Fraley continued. "If they just put their head down and get what they can get done at the conference meet, it gives them their very best chance to make regionals."

Montana's men were picked 5^th in the conference in the preseason polls and the women were picked 9^th. Northern Arizona will be the heavy favorites to win the team titles as both the men and women have won every title dating back to 2021. The depth and talent of the conference should make the weekend one to remember.

"In any track meet, there are so many variables that can take place to really boost your team finish or lead to a sub-par finish," Fraley said. "When the league is good and deep the way that ours is, things can fall a lot of ways. I'm really looking forward to this meet because the league is really good in a lot of event areas with a lot of good programs.

"With the good weather we're expecting for the weekend, I'm looking forward to a heck of a track meet."

Montana Men's Entries (Seed)
100m- Karsen Beitz (10^th), Jason Upton (16^th), Teagun Holycross (17^th)
200m- Karsen Beitz (5^th), Xavier Melice (9^th), Teagun Holycross (20^th), Cade Johnstone (24^th)
400m- Taylor Johnson (8^th), Paul Johnstone (9^th), Jay Beagle (10^th), Ty Ferguson (14^th)
800m- Henry Ballinger (10^th), Truman Thompson (18^th)
1,500m- Lane Cole (15^th)
5,000m- Lane Cole (25^th), Truman Thompson (NT), Henry Ballinger (NT)
110mH- Jaydon Green (3^rd), Easton Brotherson (10^th)
4x100m- Montana (2^nd)
4x400m- Montana (5^th)
High Jump- Patrick Kremer (6^th), Adam Maxwell (7^th), Zachary Travis (12^th)
Pole Vault- Zane Johnson (2^nd), Carter Petersen (6^th), Kevin Swindler (8^th), Carson Hegele (9^th)
Long Jump- Jason Upton (2^nd), Jethro Thorne (5^th), Gordon McMillion (8^th), Patrick Kremer (14^th)
Triple Jump- Jason Upton (13^th)
Shot Put- Alex Shields (9^th), Wade Rykal (13^th)
Hammer- Walker McDonald (7^th), Wade Rykal (18^th), Alex Shields (21^st)
Discus- Walker McDonald (9^th)
Javelin- Evan Todd (4^th), Everett Fred (9^th)

Montana Women's Entries (Seed)
100m- Audrey Smith (16^th)
400m- Claire Hutchison (7^th), Mikenna Ells (9^th), Lily Meskers (12^th), Cosley Bruno (16^th)
800m- Katie Whitehurst (9^th), Mackenzie Morgan (13^th)
1,500m- Jaylyn Hallgrimson (20^th), Jade Hallgrimson (21^st)
5,000m- Kayla Ingraham (27^th), Jade Hallgrimson (28^th), Jaylyn Hallgrimson (NT)
100mH- Jayel Dovichak (7^th), Brooke Stayner (9^th), Ailsa Gilbert (11^th), Ainsley Shipman (14^th)
400mH- Whitney Morrison (9^th), Jayel Dovichak (13^th)
4x100m- Montana (5^th)
4x400m- Montana (4^th)
High Jump- Erin Wilde (1^st), Whitney Morrison (13^th), Brooke Stayner (15^th)
Pole Vault- Samantha Serex (4^th), Emma Zimmerman (9^th), Molly Chambers (12^th)
Long Jump- Ainsley Shipman (14^th)
Triple Jump- Ainsley Shipman (15^th), Ailsa Gilbert (16^th)
Shot Put- Cathlene Van Zyl (13^th), Scout Nadeau (14^th), Ariel Clark (15^th), Morgan Thomas (19^th)
Hammer- Ariel Clark (3^rd), Savana Ramirez (5^th), Mary Mickelson (18^th), Morgan Thomas (21^st), Scout Nadeau (23^rd)
Discus- Morgan Thomas (13^th), Mary Mickelson (18^th), Cathlene Van Zyl (21^st)
Javelin- Lea Moose (4^th), Ashley Carroll (6^th), Tatum McNamara (11^th)
Heptathlon- Whitney Morrison (1^st), Brooke Stayner (3^rd)

(Seed Rank)