Grizzly men picked 3rd, women 4th in Big Sky Preseason Polls

The Montana track and field program has been steadily rising under the direction of fourth-year head coach Doug Fraley. The efforts of Fraley and his staff have been noticed by the rest of the Big Sky, as evidenced by the Preseason Coaches' Poll that the league released on Friday.

Montana's men were picked third and the women were picked fourth by the league's 10 head coaches. It's the highest preseason ranking for the men since 2015 and the best for the women since 2018.

Overall, this is the best combined ranking for the Montana program. The Grizzly men are coming off 3^rd place finishes during both the indoor and outdoor seasons in 2025. The Grizzly women finished 4^th indoors last season and 3^rd outdoors.

Northern Arizona's men and women were both picked as the preseason favorites, receiving all nine possible first-place votes to earn 99 points. Montana State was second with 91 points on the women's side and 90 on the men's. Montana's men earned 76 points to come in 3^rd place. They were 30 points clear of a five-way tie for 4^th.

Sacrament State was 3^rd on the women's side with 75 points. Montana's women earned 68 points to come in 4^th.

Montana returns several Big Sky Champions and All-Conference performers from last year's team. Erin Wilde is seeking a 6^th straight high jump title while Patrick Kremer and Karsen Beitz are looking to repeat All-Big Sky performances from 2025.

There are eight point scorers back from last year's 3^rd place men's team. Braden Ankeny finished 5^th in the men's 400m indoors before becoming an All-Conference runner outdoors and earning the Big Sky Freshman of the Year award.

Kevin Swindler (pole vault), Donaven Humphries (weight throw), Alex Shields (shot put), Carson Hegele (pole vault), and Oliver Simianer (heptathlon) all return in 2026 after scoring for the Grizzlies at the 2025 outdoor meet.

The women return four individual point scorers from last season while also bringing Brooke Stayner back from a redshirt season. They also have the same core back from last year's 4^th place 4x400m relay team.

Montana opened the indoor season on Thursday, Dec. 4 in Bozeman at the Bobcat Preview. They will return to action on Jan. 16-17 at the Spokane Indoor Challenge. The team will return to Bozeman three more times, competing in the Bobcat Challenge (Jan. 23-24), Carignan Classic (Feb. 6), and Big Sky Tuner (Feb. 20).

The Grizzlies will also compete at the Riverfront Multi in Spokane on Feb. 5-6 and head to Pocatello for the Mountain State Games on Feb. 13-14. The meet will give them a preview of the Big Sky Championship host site.

The 10 Big Sky teams will descend upon Pocatello on Feb. 26-28 for the Big Sky Championship.

2025-26 Men's Indoor Track & Field Coaches' Poll
1: Northern Arizona (9) – 99
2: Montana State (1) – 90
3: Montana – 76
T4: Eastern Washington – 46
T4: Idaho – 46
T4: Idaho State – 46
T4: Northern Colorado – 46
T4: Weber State – 46
9: Sacramento State – 43
10: Portland State – 12

2025-26 Women's Indoor Track & Field Coaches' Poll
1: Northern Arizona (9) – 99
2: Montana State (1) – 91
3: Sacramento State – 75
4: Montana – 68
5: Idaho State – 58
6: Idaho – 46
7: Weber State – 40
8: Eastern Washington – 36
9: Northern Colorado – 25
10: Portland State – 12

University of Montana Athletics

Grizzly men picked 3rd, women 4th in Big Sky Preseason Polls

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Players Mentioned

Braden Ankeny

Karsen Beitz

Carson Hegele

Donaven Humphries

Patrick Kremer

Alex Shields

Oliver Simianer

Brooke Stayner

Kevin Swindler

Erin Wilde

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