Javelin group performs well on rainy day one in Fayetteville

The first day in Fayetteville, Ark. at the NCAA West First Round meet was anything but smooth sailing for the athletes competing with inclement weather in the area forcing delays and changing the schedule around.

It provided a challenge to every athlete in the field, but Montana's group of six men that competed did their best to manage the weather and the elite competition at the regional meet.

The men's javelin group had the best day of all Montana athletes with two underclassmen just missing out on punching a ticket to the NCAA Championships in Eugene in two weeks.

The Grizzlies had two highly ranked throwers in Kyle Iorg, a sophomore, and Hunter Loesch, a freshman. In the driving rain that caused delays all day long, the two had solid performances as the clock approached midnight locally in Fayetteville.

They came up agonizingly short, finishing 15^th and 16^th in the event. The top 12 advance to Eugene.

Iorg had a throw of 221-8 to finish 15^th in his second trip to the First Round in as many collegiate seasons. He was 40^th last season as a freshman but made big gains this year to move up in the region.

Loesch had a throw of 218-8 to finish in 16^th. The true freshman from Corvallis ended a tremendous debut season that saw him move into 3^rd all-time at the University of Montana. The final qualifier was Utah State's Walker Deede at 229-9.

Cooper Henkle, another true freshman thrower for the Grizzlies, finished 37^th in the javelin with a throw of 196-6.

Karsen Beitz got the day started for the Grizzlies with the men's 100m. The junior, who holds the school record in the event for Montana, ran in the fifth heat on Wednesday against some of the top sprinters in the country.

Beitz finished with a time of 10.45, which was 6^th in his heat and 39^th overall.

He returned to the track later for the 200m and ran a time of 21.07. Beitz finished 37^th in the event and was 7^th in his heat.

Beitz, who broke Montana records in both events this year and claimed gold in the 200m at the Big Sky Championships, is the first male sprinter from Montana to qualify for the First Round since the NCAA changed to the East-West format in the late 2000s.

Alex Shields finished 40th in the men's shot put on Wednesday afternoon with a throw of 56-4.5. Shields broke the Montana school record this season in the event and will return in 2026 for his senior season.

The weather caused delays in several events, including pushing the men's pole vault to Thursday. Kevin Swindler and Carson Hegele were scheduled to jump on Wednesday, but instead will go early in the day tomorrow.

Montana will also have Brynn Fuller and Ashley Carroll competing in the women's javelin, Shealyne McGee in the pole vault, Lily Meskers in the 400m, and Callie Wilson running in the 100m and 200m on Thursday.

MONTANA RESULTS
100m- Karsen Beitz (10.45, 39^th)
200m- Karsen Beitz (21.07, 37^th)
Shot Put- Alex Shields (56-4.5, 40^th)
Javelin- Kyle Iorg (21-8, 15^th), Hunter Loesch (218-8, 16^th), Cooper Henkle (196-6, 37^th)

University of Montana Athletics

Javelin group performs well on rainy day one in Fayetteville

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Players Mentioned

Karsen Beitz

Carson Hegele

Cooper Henkle

Kyle Iorg

Hunter Loesch

Alex Shields

Kevin Swindler

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