Photo by: Ella Palulis/University of Montana
Griz off to Pocatello for Bengal Invitational
5/1/2025 3:14:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field
The Montana track and field team will look to make one final step in the progression towards the Big Sky Championships this week when they head to Pocatello, Idaho for the Bengal Invitational.
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The meet will be the final regular season appearance for the bulk of Montana's roster as they prepare for the conference meet May 14-17.
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It's been a good outdoor season for the Grizzlies under third-year head coach Doug Fraley. They built positive momentum at home last week during the Montana Open and will look to carry that into this week's competition.
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The meet will feature prelims on Friday and finals on Saturday for running events, mimicking the format of the Big Sky Championship. It will also feature several other Big Sky schools, giving the Griz good competition in what will be the final outing of the regular season for many athletes.
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"We're excited to be going to this meet. It's one of our favorites every outdoor season because of the format and the level of competition that is there," Fraley said. "It looks like we're going to have great weather there this weekend which makes for a really good track meet at that venue. We're looking forward to what is really the final regular season meet for a lot of our athletes that will be going to the conference meet."
Â
Montana had 31 PRs last week at home and saw a school record fall as Tara Ohlwiler ran a time of 11.61 seconds in the women's 100-meters to break Catie Buck's 2022 record. Ohlwiler's race was just one of many high-level performances by Grizzlies on the weekend.
Â
Freshman Kyle Iorg all but clinched a spot at the NCAA First Round meet in College Station, Texas at the end of May with his javelin mark of 216-3. Iorg joins Matthew Hockett (javelin) and Erin Wilde (high jump) as near locks for the regional meet.
Â
This weekend in Pocatello will provide a great opportunity for several Grizzly athletes that find themselves just outside of the regional bubble to improve upon their marks and punch a ticket to College Station.
Â
Carson Weeden and Kevin Swindler are tied for 48th in the region in the men's pole vault entering the week with a season-best of 16-8.25. The top 48 athletes make the NCAA First Round, so the pair will likely need another bar to earn a spot.
Â
Patrick Kremer is also on the outside looking in by a narrow margin in the men's high jump. The three-time All-Big Sky performer in the event has a season-best mark of 6-9. The requirement for regional qualification is currently 6-9.75.
Â
On the women's side, Samantha Serex is trying to improve upon her own school record in the pole vault to earn a place at the regional meet. This is the best year for vaulting in the history of the West region, as Serex' current mark would have qualified her for the regional in any other season.
Â
As it stands, her record mark of 13-5.25 ranks 50th in the West. She will need to clear another bar to continue her season into the NCAA First Round.
Â
Ashley Carroll joins Serex on the bubble in the women's javelin. Carroll's mark of 147-1 in the event ranks her 58th in the region. The Grizzlies have another 13 athletes that are inside the top 100 in the region.
Â
"Those kids that are just on the outside of the regional bubble, which we have a handful of on our squad right now, this is another great opportunity for them to go to a really good facility with good competition and test themselves," Fraley said. "Hopefully they can get over the hump and make some progress on the regional list."
Â
The meet provides a good opportunity for regional qualifying, but it also gives the Grizzlies an early taste of what the schedule at the Big Sky Championship will be like. There will be prelims for all races 400-meters and under on Friday beginning at 3:00 p.m.
Â
The goal for Montana will be to send as many athletes as possible through from the prelims and into the finals.
Â
"It's a great opportunity to run rounds. Just like in the conference meet, the goal of round one is to make it to the final and it's no different here," Fraley said. "Everybody is running their main events in the prelims on Friday and then we will make decisions on who needs to run the finals Saturday and who is running relays and things like that."
Â
It's a great opportunity for Montana to get athletes into finals in the running events, but there will also be good competition in the field events. The hammer, long jump, and javelin – in addition to the women's pole vault - will all be held on Friday. The rest of the field events will be held on Saturday.
Â
The Grizzlies are chasing regional marks and looking to improve in the Big Sky rankings. Fraley's team currently has 36 athletes – 19 women and 17 men - ranked inside the top eight in the league's performance list.
Â
But this week is also a chance for the athletes on the bubble of Montana's travel roster to make the case that they belong on the plane to Sacramento in two weeks.
Â
"This is a big opportunity for a lot of kids on our roster because we have several slots on each side that are going to be decided this weekend as far as who makes it to Sacramento," Fraley said. "It's a big weekend for a lot of our athletes given the fact that this is the last regular season meet where there's going to be really good depth in all of the events. It's going to be fun to see who reaches out and grabs those last few conference spots."
Â
MONTANA MEN'S ENTRIES
100m- Cooper Hewett, Karsen Beitz, Malaki Simpson, Brody Thornsberry
200m- Braden Ankeny, Karsen Beitz, Malaki Simpson, Brody Thornsberry, Cody Lease, Gordon McMillion
400m- Jay Beagle, Taylor Johnson, Ty Ferguson, Garrett Dahlke, Landon Shilhanek
800m- Truman Thompson, Lane Cole, Morgan Amano, Keagen Crosby, Colin Shaules
1,500m- Lane Cole, Truman Thompson, Keagen Crosby, Colin Shaules, Kanoa Blake, Morgan Amano
5,000m- Luke Mest, Zachary Giesch
10,000m- Zachary Giesch, Luke Mest
110mH- Oliver Simianer
400mH- Cutter Thatcher, Adam Maxwell
Steeple- Kanoa Blake
4x100m- One squad
4x400m- Three squads
High Jump- Patrick Kremer, Zachary Travis, Adam Maxwell, Porter Coffield, Oliver Simianer
Pole Vault- Carson Weeden, Carson Hegele, Kevin Swindler, Corbin Luce
Long Jump- Gordon McMillion, Caiden Sekuterski, Patrick Kremer, Brody Thornsberry, Oliver Simianer
Triple Jump- Caiden Sekuterski
Shot Put- Alex Shields, Donaven Humphries, Wade Rykal, Porter Coffield, Oliver Simianer
Discus- Tyler Bates, Porter Coffield, Oliver Simianer
Hammer- Donaven Humphries, Tyler Bates, Wade Rykal
Javelin- Matthew Hockett, Kyle Iorg, Ethan Grimm
Â
MONTANA WOMEN'S ENTRIES
100m- Tara Ohlwiler, Rileigh McGree, Lily Meskers, Audrey Smith, Brooke Zetooney, Isabelle Berry, Destiny Santiago
200m- Tara Ohlwiler, Lily Meskers, Rileigh McGree, Jayel Dovichak, Brooke Zetooney, Audrey Smith, Cosley Bruno, Isabelle Berry, Destiny Santiago
400m- Mikenna Ells, Sophia Clark, Claire Hutchison, Cosley Bruno
800m- Mackenzie Morgan, Libby Hartz, Olivia Coll
1,500m- Heidi Olson, Libby Hartz, Shay Pederson, Olivia Coll, Sofia Hinderman, Abigail Kotran
5,000m- Kayla Ingraham, Shay Pederson, Sofia Hinderman, Heidi Olson
100mH- Jayel Dovichak, Ainsley Shipman, Whitney Morrison, Kensey Gault, Isabelle Berry
Steeple- Abigail Kotran
4x100m- Two squads
4x400m- One squad
High Jump- Erin Wilde, Whitney Morrison, Maddie Kremer
Pole Vault- Samantha Serex, Shealyne McGee, Molly Chambers, Emma Zimmerman-Weeden, Hannah Moses
Long Jump- Ainsley Shipman, Kensey Gault, Emily Maughan
Triple Jump- Ainsley Shipman
Shot Put- Scout Nadeau, Cathlene Van Zyl, Morgan Thomas, Whitney Morrison, Kensey Gault
Discus- Morgan Thomas, Mary Mickelson, Cathlene Van Zyl
Hammer- Savana Ramirez, Mary Mickelson, Morgan Thomas, Scout Nadeau
Javelin- Ashley Carroll, Ella Moodry, Kensey Gault
Â
The meet will be the final regular season appearance for the bulk of Montana's roster as they prepare for the conference meet May 14-17.
Â
It's been a good outdoor season for the Grizzlies under third-year head coach Doug Fraley. They built positive momentum at home last week during the Montana Open and will look to carry that into this week's competition.
Â
The meet will feature prelims on Friday and finals on Saturday for running events, mimicking the format of the Big Sky Championship. It will also feature several other Big Sky schools, giving the Griz good competition in what will be the final outing of the regular season for many athletes.
Â
"We're excited to be going to this meet. It's one of our favorites every outdoor season because of the format and the level of competition that is there," Fraley said. "It looks like we're going to have great weather there this weekend which makes for a really good track meet at that venue. We're looking forward to what is really the final regular season meet for a lot of our athletes that will be going to the conference meet."
Â
Montana had 31 PRs last week at home and saw a school record fall as Tara Ohlwiler ran a time of 11.61 seconds in the women's 100-meters to break Catie Buck's 2022 record. Ohlwiler's race was just one of many high-level performances by Grizzlies on the weekend.
Â
Freshman Kyle Iorg all but clinched a spot at the NCAA First Round meet in College Station, Texas at the end of May with his javelin mark of 216-3. Iorg joins Matthew Hockett (javelin) and Erin Wilde (high jump) as near locks for the regional meet.
Â
This weekend in Pocatello will provide a great opportunity for several Grizzly athletes that find themselves just outside of the regional bubble to improve upon their marks and punch a ticket to College Station.
Â
Carson Weeden and Kevin Swindler are tied for 48th in the region in the men's pole vault entering the week with a season-best of 16-8.25. The top 48 athletes make the NCAA First Round, so the pair will likely need another bar to earn a spot.
Â
Patrick Kremer is also on the outside looking in by a narrow margin in the men's high jump. The three-time All-Big Sky performer in the event has a season-best mark of 6-9. The requirement for regional qualification is currently 6-9.75.
Â
On the women's side, Samantha Serex is trying to improve upon her own school record in the pole vault to earn a place at the regional meet. This is the best year for vaulting in the history of the West region, as Serex' current mark would have qualified her for the regional in any other season.
Â
As it stands, her record mark of 13-5.25 ranks 50th in the West. She will need to clear another bar to continue her season into the NCAA First Round.
Â
Ashley Carroll joins Serex on the bubble in the women's javelin. Carroll's mark of 147-1 in the event ranks her 58th in the region. The Grizzlies have another 13 athletes that are inside the top 100 in the region.
Â
"Those kids that are just on the outside of the regional bubble, which we have a handful of on our squad right now, this is another great opportunity for them to go to a really good facility with good competition and test themselves," Fraley said. "Hopefully they can get over the hump and make some progress on the regional list."
Â
The meet provides a good opportunity for regional qualifying, but it also gives the Grizzlies an early taste of what the schedule at the Big Sky Championship will be like. There will be prelims for all races 400-meters and under on Friday beginning at 3:00 p.m.
Â
The goal for Montana will be to send as many athletes as possible through from the prelims and into the finals.
Â
"It's a great opportunity to run rounds. Just like in the conference meet, the goal of round one is to make it to the final and it's no different here," Fraley said. "Everybody is running their main events in the prelims on Friday and then we will make decisions on who needs to run the finals Saturday and who is running relays and things like that."
Â
It's a great opportunity for Montana to get athletes into finals in the running events, but there will also be good competition in the field events. The hammer, long jump, and javelin – in addition to the women's pole vault - will all be held on Friday. The rest of the field events will be held on Saturday.
Â
The Grizzlies are chasing regional marks and looking to improve in the Big Sky rankings. Fraley's team currently has 36 athletes – 19 women and 17 men - ranked inside the top eight in the league's performance list.
Â
But this week is also a chance for the athletes on the bubble of Montana's travel roster to make the case that they belong on the plane to Sacramento in two weeks.
Â
"This is a big opportunity for a lot of kids on our roster because we have several slots on each side that are going to be decided this weekend as far as who makes it to Sacramento," Fraley said. "It's a big weekend for a lot of our athletes given the fact that this is the last regular season meet where there's going to be really good depth in all of the events. It's going to be fun to see who reaches out and grabs those last few conference spots."
Â
MONTANA MEN'S ENTRIES
100m- Cooper Hewett, Karsen Beitz, Malaki Simpson, Brody Thornsberry
200m- Braden Ankeny, Karsen Beitz, Malaki Simpson, Brody Thornsberry, Cody Lease, Gordon McMillion
400m- Jay Beagle, Taylor Johnson, Ty Ferguson, Garrett Dahlke, Landon Shilhanek
800m- Truman Thompson, Lane Cole, Morgan Amano, Keagen Crosby, Colin Shaules
1,500m- Lane Cole, Truman Thompson, Keagen Crosby, Colin Shaules, Kanoa Blake, Morgan Amano
5,000m- Luke Mest, Zachary Giesch
10,000m- Zachary Giesch, Luke Mest
110mH- Oliver Simianer
400mH- Cutter Thatcher, Adam Maxwell
Steeple- Kanoa Blake
4x100m- One squad
4x400m- Three squads
High Jump- Patrick Kremer, Zachary Travis, Adam Maxwell, Porter Coffield, Oliver Simianer
Pole Vault- Carson Weeden, Carson Hegele, Kevin Swindler, Corbin Luce
Long Jump- Gordon McMillion, Caiden Sekuterski, Patrick Kremer, Brody Thornsberry, Oliver Simianer
Triple Jump- Caiden Sekuterski
Shot Put- Alex Shields, Donaven Humphries, Wade Rykal, Porter Coffield, Oliver Simianer
Discus- Tyler Bates, Porter Coffield, Oliver Simianer
Hammer- Donaven Humphries, Tyler Bates, Wade Rykal
Javelin- Matthew Hockett, Kyle Iorg, Ethan Grimm
Â
MONTANA WOMEN'S ENTRIES
100m- Tara Ohlwiler, Rileigh McGree, Lily Meskers, Audrey Smith, Brooke Zetooney, Isabelle Berry, Destiny Santiago
200m- Tara Ohlwiler, Lily Meskers, Rileigh McGree, Jayel Dovichak, Brooke Zetooney, Audrey Smith, Cosley Bruno, Isabelle Berry, Destiny Santiago
400m- Mikenna Ells, Sophia Clark, Claire Hutchison, Cosley Bruno
800m- Mackenzie Morgan, Libby Hartz, Olivia Coll
1,500m- Heidi Olson, Libby Hartz, Shay Pederson, Olivia Coll, Sofia Hinderman, Abigail Kotran
5,000m- Kayla Ingraham, Shay Pederson, Sofia Hinderman, Heidi Olson
100mH- Jayel Dovichak, Ainsley Shipman, Whitney Morrison, Kensey Gault, Isabelle Berry
Steeple- Abigail Kotran
4x100m- Two squads
4x400m- One squad
High Jump- Erin Wilde, Whitney Morrison, Maddie Kremer
Pole Vault- Samantha Serex, Shealyne McGee, Molly Chambers, Emma Zimmerman-Weeden, Hannah Moses
Long Jump- Ainsley Shipman, Kensey Gault, Emily Maughan
Triple Jump- Ainsley Shipman
Shot Put- Scout Nadeau, Cathlene Van Zyl, Morgan Thomas, Whitney Morrison, Kensey Gault
Discus- Morgan Thomas, Mary Mickelson, Cathlene Van Zyl
Hammer- Savana Ramirez, Mary Mickelson, Morgan Thomas, Scout Nadeau
Javelin- Ashley Carroll, Ella Moodry, Kensey Gault
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track and Field
Throws
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track and Field
Hurdles
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track and Field
Throws
/ Women's Track and Field
Jumps
/ Women's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track and Field
Hurdles
/ Men's Track and Field
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track and Field
Hurdles
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track and Field
Hurdles
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Throws
/ Men's Track and Field
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Jumps - PV
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track and Field
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Throws
/ Men's Track and Field
Throws
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Throws
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track and Field
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Jumps
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Men's Track and Field
Jumps
/ Women's Track and Field
Jumps/Hurdles
/ Men's Track and Field
Jumps
/ Women's Track and Field
Jumps/Hurdles
/ Women's Track and Field
Jumps
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Throws
/ Women's Track and Field
Throws
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Multi-events/Jumps
/ Women's Track and Field
Jumps
/ Women's Track and Field
Throws
/ Women's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Throws
/ Women's Track and Field
Throws
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track and Field
Jumps
/ Men's Track and Field
Jumps
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Throws
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track and Field
Multi-events/Jumps
/ Women's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track and Field
Jumps - PV
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track and Field
Throws
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track and Field
Jumps
/ Men's Track and Field
Throws
/ Women's Track and Field
Jumps
/ Men's Track and Field
Jumps
/ Women's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track and FieldGriz Soccer vs. Gonzaga Postgame Report - 9/18/25
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Monday, September 15
Griz Volleyball Weekly Press Conference - 9/15/25
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Griz Soccer Weekly Press Conference - 9/15/25
Monday, September 15
