Griz track and field off to Flagstaff for Big Sky Championships

Thursday, February 27

Flagstaff, Ariz.

Montana

Big Sky Indoor Championships

Scenes from the Spokane Indoor Challenge (11.18.25).

Photo by: Torrey Vail

Griz track and field off to Flagstaff for Big Sky Championships

2/26/2025 5:51:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

Meet Schedule Live Results Performance List

By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana track and field team will head up to the elevation of Flagstaff, Ariz. this weekend for the Big Sky Indoor Championship meet hosted by Northern Arizona. The meet opens on Thursday and runs through Saturday afternoon and can be streamed live on ESPN+.

Now in his third season, head coach Doug Fraley has made significant strides with the Grizzly program. The results from this season have been evident as Montana has rewritten the record book during an impressive regular season.

There have been six record breaking performances total for Montana as several of the school's all-time marks have been toppled in each of the last two meets. And outside of the records, Montana has placed plenty of athletes in scoring position in a difficult Big Sky Conference.

"I feel great about the regular season progress that we made," Fraley said. "We have a group of coaches and athletes that are really excited coming off a weekend off and are really excited to get Flagstaff and get this meet going."

The Grizzlies will be faced with one of the most unique venues in all of college athletics as they head to Flagstaff and the Walkup Skydome. They will be more than 7,000 feet above sea level, which changes performances in every event.

It's the first time that any of the current Grizzlies have competed collegiately in Flagstaff. There are pros and cons to the elevation change, as Fraley can attest to first hand after competing there in college.

"The Skydome is a great place. I competed there in college and always had really good performances there. That thin air is real, which is a big benefit if you're a sprinter or jumper," Fraley said. "It's quite a bit tougher if you're running middle or long distance. It's a great venue and should be a really fine Championship in Flagstaff."

For Montana, the elevation should play to their strengths. The records that they broke on the track all came in the short sprints, and one of the strengths of the team has been the jumps and throws.

"It's great to know that the venue is one that is good for areas of our strengths," Fraley said. "It gives you confidence going in and hopefully those areas will continue to progress this week."

In the Big Sky Preseason Coaches' Poll, Montana was picked 5^th on the men's side and 9^th on the women's side. To this point in the season, they have performed well past those expectations.

Last year at this meet, the men finished 5^th and the women 9^th in Spokane. They are looking to rise above those predictions, but they are just focused on individual goals as they head to Flagstaff.

"We have our own expectations, and that's the most important thing to our team," Fraley said. "We have solid goals, and I think they are realistic, and I feel good about where we are at going into this meet on both the men's and women's side. I think we can have good meets on both sides."

The Grizzlies have three athletes that will enter the meet on top of the performance lists that will be competing for championships. Erin Wilde has the top mark in the women's high jump and will attempt to defend her indoor title.

The Montana school record holder has won three straight titles between indoor and outdoor.

Shealyne McGee also enters the game as the top seed in the women's pole vault after breaking the Montana school record in Spokane. McGee's top mark of 13-6.5 puts her as the favorite in a loaded field in Flagstaff.

Alex Shields, a sophomore from Missoula, is at the top of the league's performance list in the men's shot put. He has a season-best mark of 57-11.75.

"It's great having people ranked high going into the meet. Ultimately, you have to get there and do that," Fraley said. "One of the things that we preach going into conference meets is protecting your seed. If you're the No. 1 seed, your job is to go in and try to win. If you're the No. 8 seed, your job is to try to go in there and score one point."

Montana has 14 men and 11 women in scoring positions in the meet's performance list. They also have 10 athletes that are inside the top 10 but just outside of scoring range, giving them plenty of potential if they can exceed expectations.

"If you're in a running event, the first order of business is reaching the final if you're supposed to reach a final," Fraley said. "Then you take care of business the next day if you make it that far, but for this meet you have to take it one day at a time, especially in the events where there are prelims and finals. You can't score in the final if you don't get there."

The meet starts on Thursday morning at 10:00 a.m. with the women's pentathlon. The event is typically a strength for Montana, and they have two potential point scorers this year as well in Whitney Morrison and Kensey Gault.

Oliver Simianer will also be competing in the men's heptathlon on day one as the Grizzlies look to get off to a good start to the Championship.

"We get started on Thursday with the multis, which is a strength for us, especially on the women's side," Fraley said. "As with any athletic competition, momentum is very important. Good events at the beginning of the meet can create positive momentum for our team as we approach Friday's prelims."

The key for Fraley's team is to maintain the performance level that they have been at this season. The Grizzlies have improved through the month of January and into February.

Fraley likes the direction that his team has been going this season, and knows they have a chance to do something good at the biggest meet of the year.

"I think that for us to exceed the conference expectations we need to go in and be exactly who we have been this indoor season," Fraley said. "If we perform at the level that we have the last few meets, we have a chance to have a really good competition."

MEN'S ENTRIES
60m- Cooper Hewett, Teagun Holycross, Malaki Simpson, Karsen Beitz
200m- Karsen Beitz, Braden Ankeny, Malaki Simpson
400m- Braden Ankeny, Jay Beagle, Taylor Johnson, Ty Ferguson
Mile- Lane Cole, Morgan Amano, Keagen Crosby
60mH- Easton Brotherson
4x400m- One squad
DMR- One squad
High jump- Patrick Kremer, Zachary Travis, Adam Maxwell
Pole vault- Carson Hegele, Carson Weeden, Kevin Swindler
Long jump- Gordon McMillion, Caiden Sekuterski, Patrick Kremer
Triple jump- Caiden Sekuterski
Shot put- Alex Shields, Donaven Humphries, Wade Rykal
Weight throw- Donaven Humphries, Tyler Bates
Heptathlon- Oliver Simianer

WOMEN'S ENTRIES
60m- Tara Ohlwiler, Brooke Zetooney, Rileigh McGree
200m- Lily Meskers, Tara Ohlwiler, Brooke Zetooney,
400m- Sophia Clark
Mile- Libby Hartz
3,000m- Iris McKean
60mH- Whitney Morrison, Jayel Dovichak, Kensey Gault
4x400m- One squad
DMR- One squad
High jump- Erin Wilde, Maddie Kremer
Pole vault- Shealyne McGee, Samantha Serex, Molly Chambers, Emma Weeden, Hannah Moses
Long jump- Ainsley Shipman, Whitney Morrison, Rileigh McGree
Triple jump- Ainsley Shipman
Shot put- Scout Nadeau, Cathlene Van Zyl, Morgan Thomas
Weight throw- Savana Ramirez, Scout Nadeau, Morgan Thomas
Heptathlon- Whitney Morrison, Kensey Gault