FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Birgitta Gray O: (406) 896-5917 E: birgitta.gray@msubillings.edu December 2, 2016 Preview: MSUB women’s indoor track and field MSUB Track and Field on Facebook | MSUB Track and Field on ISSUU | MSUB Women’s Indoor Record Book 2016-17 MSUB Women’s Track and Field Schedule | 2016-17 MSUB Women’s Track and Field Roster
Janessa Williams is returning to the MSUB women’s track and field team for her second season as a Yellowjacket.
The MSUB women’s track and field team has a very young roster with 19 of the 28 student-athletes first-year members of the program. BILLINGS, Mont. – A very young MSUB women’s track and field roster is ready to begin the 2016-17 indoor season at the Yellow Jacket Holiday Classic at Black Hills State on Saturday, Dec. 3. With just two upperclassmen on the roster, the team is going to be an inexperienced, but talented group of contenders. Last season, transfer Della Lyle became the first All-American for the Montana State University Billings women’s track and field team. A native of Buffalo, Wyo., Lyle competed for the University of Redlands, but had one year of track and field eligibility left and she made the most of her time in a Yellowjacket uniform. The distance runner holds the MSUB record in every individual event she competed in, and was named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Year in both the indoor and outdoor seasons. At the conference indoor championships last year, Lyle was fourth in the 5,000 meters (17:41.12) and eighth in the 3,000 meters (10:07.26).
“We are really going to miss Della this season,” MSUB head coach Dave Coppock said. “She made a big impact on our program and was instrumental at the conference meet. We are going to have to make up that ground in a variety of events.” Last season, MSU Billings finished 10th at the indoor conference championships with 11 points. Senior Rio Frame returns to the team for her final season as a Yellowjacket. Along with Lyle, Frame was a member of the Distance Medley Relay team that placed seventh at the conference championships. Like Frame, junior Bailey Bomar is transitioning from the cross country season. The sophomore class will be led by Janessa Williams, Shaniah Schwend, and Josey Smiedala. Williams was a member of the women’s DMR team that earned points at last year’s conference championship. She and Williams traded records in the jumps during the outdoor season, and with a year of competition under their belts will be a factor for team points this year. “All three of our sophomores are record-holders at MSUB,” Coppock said. “They have been leaders for the team in the preseason, and have the potential to make the finals at the conference championships.” The incoming freshmen will compete in a variety of events for MSUB. After the fall season of training, Coach Coppock sees a lot of possibilities for the first-year competitors to have an impact. “Michaela Johnson in the sprints and hurdles and Jewlz Collins had a good preseason. In the jumps, Halie Warren and Jamie Orme will be competing alongside Janessa and Shaniah. With so many newcomers, we will know more after the opening weekend of competition against other D2 schools.” MSU Billings has five meets on the schedule before the conference championships. The team begins the indoor season at Black Hills State with the Holiday Open. The team then has over a month off from competition before the Montana State Open in Bozeman, Mont., on Jan. 13. The ‘Jackets return to Spearfish, S.D., for the Dave Little Alumni Mile on Jan. 21, followed by a meet in Gillette, Wyo., Feb. 3-4, and the Mountain State Games in Idaho, Feb. 10-11. The GNAC Indoor Championships hosted by Northwest Nazarene are Feb. 17-18 in Nampa, Idaho. Yellow Jacket Holiday Classic Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016 Young Center Fieldhouse Field Events: 12:30pm 1:30pm
Weight throw (W, M); Shot Put to follow (W, M) Long Jump (M, W); Triple Jump to follow (M, W) High Jump (W, M) Pole Vault (W, M)
Running Events: (rolling schedule, men followed by women) 2:00pm
Mile 60m Hurdle Prelim (if more than 8) 60m Dash Prelim (if more than 8)
400m Dash 60m Hurdle Final 60m Dash Final 800m Run 200m Dash 3000m Run 4x00m Relay --@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--