Record setting season continues for Griz track & field

Friday, February 14

Spokane, Wash.

Montana

Whitworth Invite

Photo by: Torrey Vail

Record setting season continues for Griz track & field

2/15/2025 6:19:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

Results

By: Montana Sports Information

This story will be updated with quotes from Coach Fraley.

The Montana track and field team has been rewriting the record book this season and the trend continued in Spokane this weekend at the Whitworth Invitational. The Grizzlies broke three school records in the final meet of the regular season.

Shealyne McGee, Tara Ohlwiler, and Karsen Beitz all etched their names into the history books with their performances. It was all part of an 11-win weekend for the Grizzlies as they picked up all sorts of momentum heading into the Big Sky Indoor Championships.

McGee got the record setting started on Friday night in the women's pole vault. She has been close in previous meets with attempts at a record bar, but put it all together in Spokane.

On her first attempt at 13-6.5, McGee went over to break Nicole Anskaitis' 10-year old program record. It's a lifetime best for McGee, who is also Montana's outdoor school record holder at 13-2.5.

McGee's mark is also the best in the Big Sky Conference this season, passing Montana State's Tatum Richards by nearly an inch.

The women continued the record setting early on Saturday in the women's sprints. Tara Ohlwiler nearly broke the record in the prelims of the women's 60-meter by running a time of 7.57 to reach the finals.

The sophomore from Mission Viejo, Calif. didn't miss her chance in the final, running a time of 7.53 to break Emma Normand's 2022 record of 7.56.

In a very fast conference, Ohlwiler now has herself in the discussion among the league's best as she is now tied for 4^th in the league standings and within a tenth of the conference leader.

Ohlwiler backed up the performance with a PR in the women's 200m, finishing second in the event to cap an impressive weekend.

The stable of sprinters on the men's side for Montana have put several records in danger every time they take to the track. Braden Ankeny broke the men's 200-meter record last weekend in Spokane.

The freshman's record lasted just a week. Karsen Beitz flew to the finish line in 21.42 seconds on Saturday to break his teammates record with a big win in the event. Beitz moves into 3^rd in the league's performance list as Montana now has two of the top five in the event.

The school records were the biggest highlights, but Montana made gains in the performance lists in other events as well. Alex Shields, the sophomore from Missoula, recorded a new personal best in the men's shot put.

Shields won the men's shot with a mark of 57-11.75 to move atop the Big Sky Conference's performance lists on the season. Shields overtook Northern Arizona's Desmond Lott with his big throw.

The men had another good performance in the field from Patrick Kremer. The junior high jumper won the men's event with a new PR of 6-10.25. Kremer already ranked 2^nd in the league entering the day and maintained his position, but moved closer to the Big Sky leader Miles Grant.

Montana's women dominated on the track. Ohlwiler won with her school record in the 60m, and teammate Lily Meskers picked up a win in the women's 200m with a time of 24.51. Freshman Sophia Clark added another win in the women's 400m with a time of 55.86 to complete a sweep of the sprints for the Griz.

The vertical jumps also saw a Montana sweep as Erin Wilde continued her dominant season with yet another win. The Whifefish product leapt to victory with a mark of 5-8, winning her 7^th straight indoor meet in the process.

Lane Cole provided Montana a distance win on the track in the men's mile, running a season best time of 4:12.25 to lead the field across the finish. Montana's distance medley relay team also won on Friday night.

The Grizzlies now have a week off before heading to Flagstaff, Ariz. for the Big Sky Conference Indoor Championships.

MEN'S RESULTS
60m Prelims- Malaki Simpson (6.90, 1Q), Karsen Beitz (6.92, 2Q), Brody Thornsberry (7.03, 7Q), Gordon McMillion (7.32, 25^th)
60m Semis- Malaki Simpson (6.89*, 3Q), Cooper Hewett (6.86, 4Q), Teagun Holycross (6.88, 5Q), Karsen Beitz (6.91, 6Q), Brody Thornsberry (7.07, 14^th)
60m Final- Teagun Holycross (6.90, 3^rd), Malaki Simpson (6.92, 5^th), Karsen Beitz (6.94, 6^th)
200m- Karsen Beitz (21.42^, 1^st), Malaki Simpson (21.71, 6^th), Teagun Holycross (21.97, 7^th), Brody Thornsberry (22.31, 13^th), Gordon McMillion (22.95, 23^rd), Easton Brotherson (23.40, 32^nd)
400m- Jay Beagle (48.62, 7^th), Taylor Johnson (49.62, 11^th), Ty Ferguson (49.71, 14^th)
800m- Morgan Amano (1:55.24*, 5^th), Keagen Crosby (1:55.68, 6^th)
Mile- Lane Cole (4:12.25, 1^st)
5,000m- Carson Steckelberg (16:04.95, 8^th)
60mH Prelim- Easton Brotherson (8.38, 5Q)
60mH Final- Easton Brotherson (8.26*, 3^rd)
DMR- Crosby, Thatcher, Amano, Cole (10:11.60, 1^st)
High jump- Patrick Kremer (6-10.25*, 1^st), Zachary Travis (6-6.75, 4^th), Adam Maxwell (6-4.75, 5^th)
Pole vault- Carson Hegele (16-0.75, 4^th), Carter Petersen (15-7, 5^th), Corbin Luce (14-7.25, 10^th)
Long jump- Patrick Kremer (22-7.25*, 3^rd/29), Gordon McMillion (22-0.75, 5^th), Caiden Sekuterski (21-10, 6^th), Brody Thornsberry (20-11.75, 10^th)
Triple jump- Caiden Sekuterski (43-4.25, 3^rd)
Shot put- Alex Shields (57-11.75*, 1^st), Wade Rykal (51-4.25, 4^th), Donaven Humphries (50-1.25, 6^th)
Weight throw- Donaven Humphries (59-7.5, 2^nd/21), Tyler Bates (53-11, 8^th)

Men's Heptathlon- Oliver Simianer (4,234, 3^rd)
60m- Simianer (7.52, 8^th)
Long jump- Simianer (21-8.75, 1^st)
Shot put- Simianer (25-9.25, 12^th)
High jump- Simianer (5-10, 3^rd)
60mH- Simianer (8.74, 2^nd)
Pole vault- Simianer (8-8.25, 13^th)
1,000m- Simianer (2:50.86, 1^st)

WOMEN'S RESULTS
60m Prelims- Isabelle Berry (8.02, Q)
60m Semis- Tara Ohlwiler (7.57, 1Q), Brooke Zetooney (7.63, 4Q), Rileigh McGree (7.75, 7Q), Lily Meskers (7.77, 9Q), Isabelle Berry (8.04, 20^th)
60m Final- Tara Ohlwiler (7.53^, 1^st), Brooke Zetooney (7.67, 4^th), Rileigh McGree (7.70*, 5^th)
200m- Lily Meskers (24.51, 1^st), Tara Ohlwiler (24.57*, 2^nd), Brooke Zetooney (25.06*, 3^rd), Sophia Clark (25.06*, 3^rd), Rileigh McGree (25.13*, 5^th)
400m- Sophia Clark (55.86*, 1^st), Claire Hutchison (57.77, 4^th)
800m- Libby Hartz (2:18.90, 5^th)
3,000m- Iris McKean (10:13.41, 4^th), Shay Pederson (10:28.59, 11^th)
60mH Prelims- Jayel Dovichak, (8.80, Q), Whitney Morrison (9.07, Q), Isabelle Berry (9.35, 9^th)
60mH Final- Jayel Dovichak (8.68, 4^th), Whitney Morrison (8.93, 5^th)
High jump- Erin Wilde (5-8, 1^st), Whitney Morrison (5-2.5,7^th), Maddie Kremer (5-2.5, 9^th)
Pole vault- Shealyne McGee (13-6.5^*, 1^st/18), Samantha Serex (12-11.5, 2^nd), Emma Weeden (12-5.5, 4^th), Molly Chambers (12-5.5, 5^th), Hannah Moses (11-11.75, 7^th), Chesnee Lawrence (10-11.75, 13^th)
Long jump- Rileigh McGree (17-1.25, 3^rd/14), Kensey Gault (16-10.75, 5^th)
Shot put- Scout Nadeau (43-7.25, 2^nd), Cathlene Van Zyl (42-10.75, 4^th), Morgan Thomas (40-7.75, 7^th), Whitney Morrison (35-3, 17^th), Kensey Gault (31-3.75, 22^nd)
Weight throw- Savana Ramirez (55-8.5*, 1^st/20), Scout Nadeau (50-8.75*, 4^th), Morgan Thomas (50-6.75, 5^th)

^School Record
*PR