Griz send seniors out with 18 event wins

Friday, April 24

Montana

Montana Open

Photo by: Tommy Martino/University of Montana

4/25/2026 7:53:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

Results

By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana track and field program celebrated its senior class before the Montana Open on Saturday and they sent them out in style with a day that included 18 events wins and plenty of podium sweeps for the Grizzlies.

As they approach the final stretch of the season, the weekend was used to fine tune some things before a high-pressure competition next week in Pocatello at the Bengal Invitational. They accomplished what they needed on Saturday in front of a great crowd at Dornblaser Field.

"I thought this was a very good and very useful meet for us being able to come home and train through this meet really focusing on Pocatello next week and conference two weeks after that," head coach Doug Fraley said. "In a lot of cases it was an intersquad competition today and I thought our kids performed really well considering that. I like where our trajectory is at three weeks before conference."

The fields may have been smaller than some meets at home, but the Grizzlies still competed well across the board with 11 event wins on the men's side and seven for the women.

There were several seniors, competing at home for the final time in their careers, that picked up wins.

Erin Wilde nearly broke her own program and stadium records in the women's high jump but ends her home career as a Grizzly with a win after jumping 5-11.25. She entered the competition after every other jumper had already been eliminated and made quick work of the first few bars she faced but fell out at a mark that would have tied her for 6^th in the NCAA West.

A fellow Whitefish alum, Mikenna Ells, also got a win in her final lap around the track at Dornblaser Field. Ells ran an outdoor PR of 54.40 to win the women's 400m by nearly two full seconds.

The men had three wins from seniors to highlight the strong day. Carson Hegele had a top 10 all-time mark for Montana in the men's pole vault, winning the competition at a final height of 16-9.5.

The two-time All-Conference selection moves into 3^rd in the Big Sky and 50^th in the West Region with his new mark.

Cadence Waller picked up a win on the track in the men's 400m, running a near-PR time of 47.33. He's currently in the top three in the Big Sky in the event. Patrick Kremer also won in his final home meet, taking the title in the men's long jump with a mark of 23-5.25.

This senior class began their Grizzly careers the same season as Coach Fraley, and they have helped to lead the program to new heights in their four years wearing Montana uniforms.

"We're so proud of this group of seniors," Fraley said. "It seems like yesterday I had just started the job here and they were freshmen. To see them grow and move the program forward, it's just been a real pleasure, and it was bittersweet watching a lot of them compete for the last time here at Dornblaser Field."

Montana had additional wins on the track on the men's side in the 100m (Ben Bliven), 200m (Braden Ankeny), 5,000m (Zachary Giesch), steeplechase (Lane Krautschun), and 4x100m relay team.

Zachary Travis made his season debut after missing the end of indoors and start of outdoors with an injury. He got right back into the flow of things, winning the men's high jump at 6-6.25.

Freshmen Astin Brown (53-9, shot put) and Titus Jeffrey (178-9, discus) also picked up wins for the Grizzly men.

Montana's women swept the top eight spots in the 100m and top 10 spots in the 200m with Callie Wilson on top of both fields in times of 11.56 and 23.87. Jayel Dovichak added a victory for the Griz in the women's 100m hurdles at 14.09 seconds and the short relay team also finished first.

The Grizzlies are just three weeks away from the Big Sky Championship meet now with a huge weekend in Pocatello on the horizon.

"We're in a good position right now and we're starting to hit the stretch run to the championships," Fraley said. "We feel good about where we're at but we know next week we need to move forward because this is the time of the year everyone in the conference moves forward.

"Our job is to have a great week of preparation before we go to Pocatello and really meet the challenges of great competition at a great facility," Fraley continued. "We're really excited about the next step in the progression toward the Championships."

MONTANA MEN'S RESULTS
100m- Ben Bliven (10.68*, 1^st), Brody Thornsberry (10.73*, 2^nd), Romin Saleki (10.80, 3^rd)
200m- Braden Ankeny (21.48, 1^st), Cadence Waller (21.58*, 2^nd), Ben Bliven (21.62, 3^rd), Taylor Johnson (21.86, 4^th), Romin Saleki (22.32, 5^th)
400m- Cadence Waller (47.33, 1^st), Truman Thompson (48.88*, 2^nd), Landon Shilhanek (49.56, 5^th), Morgan Amano (49.81, 6^th)
1,500m- Albert Turner (3:54.72*, 2^nd), Henry Sund (3:55.10*, 3^rd), Henry Ballinger (3:56.92, 4^th), Will Sandnes (3:59.07, 5^th), Colin Shaules (4:08.87, 10^th)
5,000m- Zachary Giesch (14:48.52, 1^st)
110mH- Evan Barnes (15.01*, 2^nd)
400mH- Adam Maxwell (53.84, 2^nd)
Steeple- Lane Krautschun (9:22.22*, 1^st), Carson Steckelberg (9:30.42*, 2^nd)
4x100m- Saleki, Thornsberry, Bliven, Ankeny (40.87, 1^st)
4x400m- Shilhanek, Amano, Giesch, Krautschun (3:30.30, 4^th)
High Jump- Zachary Travis (6-6.25, 1^st), Patrick Kremer (6-2.25, 3^rd), Sam Henderson (6-2.25, 5^th)
Pole Vault- Carson Hegele (16-9.5*, 1^st), Kevin Swindler (16-3.5, 2^nd), Michael Cullen (16-3.5*, 3^rd), Corbin Luce (15-3.75, t6th), Carter Petersen (15-3.75, t6th)
Long Jump- Patrick Kremer (23-5.25, 1^st)
Triple Jump- Sam Henderson (48-8, 2^nd), Joseph Kitonsa (45-1.5, 4^th)
Shot Put- Astin Brown (53-9, 1^st), Titus Jeffrey (51-2.75, 4^th)
Discus- Titus Jeffrey (178-9, 1^st), Cooper Henkle (171-8*, 2^nd)
Hammer- Tyler Bates (174-3, 5^th), Astin Brown (143-6, 12^th), Titus Jeffrey (135-4, 15^th)

MONTANA WOMEN'S RESULTS
100m- Callie Wilson (11.56, 1^st), Rileigh McGree (11.73, 2^nd), Brooke Zetooney (11.84, 3^rd), Tara Ohlwiler (11.85, 4^th), Lily Meskers (11.89*, 5^th), Claire Hutchison (11.99*, 6^th), Sophia Clark (12.07*, 7^th), Kaydance Reiter (12.31, 8^th)
200m- Callie Wilson (23.87, 1^st), Lily Meskers (24.17, 2^nd), Brooke Zetooney (24.36, 3^rd), Tara Ohlwiler (24.39, 4^th), Claire Hutchison (24.40*, 5^th), Rileigh McGree (24.47, 6^th), Sophia Clark (24.63, 7^th), Cosley Bruno (24.98, 8^th), Ally Sempf (25.00, 9^th), Kaydance Reiter (25.38, 10^th)
400m- Mikenna Ells (54.40*, 1^st), Ally Sempf (56.39*, 2^nd), Cosley Bruno (56.78, 3^rd)
800m- Libby Hartz (2:21.72, 5^th)
1,500- Iris Mckean (4:47.65, 2^nd), Olivia Coll (4:51.34, 3^rd), Lucy Thompson (5:01.83*, 5^th)
100mH- Jayel Dovichak (14.09, 1^st)
4x100m- Reiter, Clark, Hutchison, Bruno (46.38, 1^st)
High Jump- Erin Wilde (5-11.25, 1^st), Jaidyn Pevey (5-2.25, 3^rd), Kensey Gault (5-0.25, 6^th)
Pole Vault- Shealyne McGee (12-8, 2^nd), Grace MacHarg (11-8, 6^th), Mae Roth (10-8.25, 7^th), Reghan Skogen (NH), Hannah Moses (NH)
Long Jump- Ainsley Shipman (18-8.5, 3^rd), Kensey Gault (16-10.5, 10^th)Kara Mattson (15-8.75, 16^th)
Triple Jump- Ainsley Shipman (38-5, 3^rd)
Shot Put- Scout Nadeau (45-2.5, 3^rd), Avery DeVincenzi (44-4*, 4^th), Lillian White (39-9.75, 6^th), Brooke Stayner (33-3.25, 17^th)
Discus- Lillian White (144-6, 2^nd), Morgan Thomas (135-4, 4^th)
Hammer- Morgan Thomas (171-3, 2^nd), Scout Nadeau (168-4, 3^rd), Mary Mickelson (163-7, 4^th), Avery DeVincenzi (161-1*, 5^th), Calista Ousley (158-11, 6^th)
Javelin- Ashley Carroll (150-4, 1^st), Brynn Fuller (145-9, 2^nd), Ella Moodry (137-11, 5^th), Brooke Stayner (86-8, 16^th), Kensey Gault (73-7, 17^th)