REVIEW: MSUB men's track and field

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Birgitta Gray O: (406) 896-5917 E: birgitta.gray@msubillings.edu June 15, 2016 Yellowjackets continue success in 2015-16 men’s track and field MSUB Track and Field on Facebook | MSUB Track and Field on ISSUU MSUB Men’s Track and Field Records | TFRRS Performance Lists

Senior Cameron Stanek is a member of the 1600 meter MSUB record-holding relay team.

More records from the MSUB men’s track and field team during the 2015-16 season were part of a continually improving program that saw participation at the NCAA Division II Indoor and Outdoor National Championships.

BILLINGS, Mont. – The MSUB men’s track and field team set seven school records and senior Robert Peterson qualified for the NCAA Division II national meet for the second consecutive year during the 2015-16 season.

Building on their success from last year’s history-making season, the Yellowjackets continued their momentum by capitalizing on experience for improved all-around performances on the track and in the field events.

Punching his ticket twice to the national championships this year, Peterson qualified for both the indoor and outdoor Division II national meets. He competed in the mile during the 2016 NCAA Division II National Indoor Championships in Kansas, and the 3,000 meter steeplechase during the 2016 NCAA Division II National Outdoor Championships held in Florida.

Peterson began his senior campaign in the indoor season with a win in the 5,000 meters at the Montana State University Open in 15:18.80. At the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Indoor Championships, Peterson competed in four events, coming away with three all-conference finishes. On Day 1 during the Distance Medley Relay, Peterson was handed the baton on the final leg for the Yellowjackets in fifth place. Surging to the front on the last lap, Peterson completed a comeback from 60 meters behind to overtake the leader, earning the conference title and an MSUB school record in 10:06.41. He ran a 4:07 mile on the anchor leg to cross the finish line in first and pick-up his opening all-GNAC finish of the season.

On Day 2, Peterson won the mile in a photo-finish and set a meet record at the line in 4:10.13. He followed that up with a third-place result in the 3,000 meters for his third all-GNAC finish of the meet in 8:33.39. Needing to lower his time in the mile to have a chance at a place at Nationals, Peterson travelled to the SPU Final Qualifier the following week, placing third in the men’s mile in 4:07.67, lowering his MSUB school record in the event and finishing with the 12th fastest time in the nation. That time would hold up as Peterson was selected for the NCAA Division II national indoor meet for the second time in his career.

During the preliminary round at the national event hosted

by Pittsburg State, Peterson finished in eighth place in 4:09.15, 14th among the 17 challengers, missing the cut to the title race by three seconds. Overall, Peterson bettered his time from last year at the national championships when he placed 10th in an All-American finish with a time of 4:11.29.

During the outdoor season, Peterson added the steeplechase to his storied career at Montana State University Billings. Competing in the event just twice before the GNAC Outdoor Championships, Peterson found a niche in the 3,000 meter steeplechase – a discipline that combines a long distance race with an obstacle course.

At the Bauer Invitational on Apr. 9, Peterson finished the runner-up, and just three seconds behind the eventual national champion, freshman Jonah Theisen from Black Hills State. Two weeks later at the Montana Open, Peterson dropped his time by 15 seconds. At the GNAC Outdoor Championships, Peterson won the conference title in 8:59.23, almost 45 seconds faster than the first time he competed in the event.

That time was the ninth fastest in the country among D2 Peterson accepting his GNAC-title plaque for winning the 3,000 meter athletes, and qualified Peterson for the national outdoor meet. Although the native of Billings, Mont., had competed steeplechase. twice before at the indoor national event, 2016 was the first time he had advanced to the national outdoor championships.

In Bradenton, Fla., during the first heat, Peterson finished the 3,000 meter steeplechase sixth in 9:12.45. He finished 13th in the two heats, just one spot out of the finals race.

“I was really happy for Robert to have such a great senior season and close out his career on such a high note,” MSUB head coach Dave Coppock said. “We had a great time at outdoor nationals and it was a chance to enjoy the experience and reflect back on the past five years.”

Peterson concluded his career at MSUB an eight-time allconference winner. He was a 3-time individual event champion, a member of the DMR championship relay team, a 2-time runner-up, and placed third twice. He was a 3-time GNAC Male Track Athlete of the Week (Feb. 24-Mar. 2, 2014, Jan. 12-18, 2015, and Apr. 15-May 1, 2016). Peterson holds the fourth-fastest time in the GNAC in the indoor mile in 4:07.67 and the fourth-fastest time in the 3,000 meter steeplechase in 8:59.23.

Peterson is also the first and only male MSUB track AllAmerican with his 10th place finish at the national meet in the 2015 indoor mile. He finishes his career with six individual track records at MSUB and is a member of two relay team record-holding performances. Since the inception of the MSUB end-of-the-year student-athlete awards show the Buzzies, Peterson has totaled 13 nominations with seven wins, including a two-time MSUB Male Athlete of the Year honoree.

“Robert has set the standard of where we want our program to go in the near future,” Coppock stated. “We’ve got that Nationals experience now and we need to set the bar higher.

I think the rest of the team has moved-up as well and can see where hard work can get them. Robert really bought-in Robert Peterson is an All-American, 8-time all-GNAC, and holds 8 early on in his college career to the type of training I think is MSUB track records as a Yellowjacket. necessary to get up to that National level. It’s great to see that Robert’s school records are now at a National level and should stand for some time. However, records are made to be broken and they’ll provide some incentive for future athletes here at MSUB to attain.”

Robert Peterson, MSUB Men’s Track Records Year Event 2016 Indoor Mile 2015 Indoor 3,000 meters 2016 Indoor Distance Medley Relay 2016 Outdoor 800 meters 2015 Outdoor 1500 meters 2014 Outdoor 5,000 meters 2016 Outdoor 3,000 meter Steeplechase 2015 1600 meter Relay

Meet SPU Final Qualifier Myrle Hanson Open 2016 GNAC Indoor Championships Montana Open GNAC Outdoor Championships GNAC Outdoor Championships GNAC Outdoor Championships GNAC Outdoor Championships

Time 4:07.67 8:28.68 10:06.41 1:53.18 3:51.58 14:53.27 8:59.23 3:21.60

Robert Peterson, All-Conference Track and Field Year Event 2014 Indoor Mile 2014 Outdoor 1500 meters 2015 Indoor Mile 2015 Outdoor 1500 meters 2016 Indoor Mile 2016 Indoor 3,000 meters 2016 Indoor Distance Medley Relay 2016 Outdoor 3,000 meter Steeplechase

Time 4:11.05 3:54.47 4:11.02 3:51.58 4:10.13 8:33.39 10:06.41 8:59.23

Finish Champion Runner-Up Runner-Up Third Place Champion Third Place Champion Champion

Joining Peterson as upperclassmen on the team was senior Cameron Stanek and juniors Austin Lindquist, Garrett Love, Jacob Marshall, Josh Panasuk, Landon Polkow, and Nate Vanderby.

Stanek was a three-year competitor for the Yellowjacket track and field team. He contended in 17 different events throughout the indoor and outdoor seasons. This year, he competed in both the GNAC Indoor and Outdoor Championships. At the indoor championships, Stanek finished 13th in the 200 meters in 22.91. At the outdoor championships, he was a member of both the seventh-place 4x100 relay team (43.90) and the eighth-place 4x400 relay team (3:28.73). He ran a personal-best in the 400 meters at the Tom Gage Open in 51.71. Stanek is a member of the MSUB record-holding 1600 meter relay team from 2015 that finished in 3:21.60. He is also a two-time academic allconference honoree.

“Cameron did a great job for us over the years,” Coppock said on the team’s second senior. “He was really a utility player, if you could call it that, in that he could perform well in a lot of events. He especially helped us out in the long sprints and both relays, so we’ll definitely miss his versatility. We’re also really proud of how Cameron performed in the classroom, earning numerous academic awards as well.”

From the junior class, this year MSUB acquired outdoor school records from Lindquist in the 110 meter hurdles and Polkow in the 400 meter hurdles.

Lindquist completed personal-bests across the board during the outdoor season. He ran 15.13 in the 110 hurdles at the Carroll College Open for the MSU Billings school record, breaking a 1979 time from Dan Hagerman of 15.44. At the MSUB-hosted Yellowjacket/Battlin’ Bears Open, Lindquist won the long jump with a leap of 23 feet and 0.75 inches to lead the GNAC for the best mark in the conference. At the GNAC Outdoor Championships, Lindquist placed 13th in the long jump at a distance of 21 feet and 6 inches, and eighth in the 110 hurdles in 16.09.

Polkow added two MSUB records to his name this year. During the indoor season, Polkow placed first at the Mountain State Games in the 400 hurdles in 56.35. At the GNAC Indoor Championships he placed 15th in the 400 meters in 3:29.68.

Polkow was the second leg, the 400 meters, of the record-setting DMR team that won the GNAC title. During the outdoor season, Polkow ran 54.52 at the Bauer Invitational for first-place and the MSUB record. An injury during the 400 meter hurdles at the Montana Open kept Polkow from competing at the GNAC Outdoor Championships.

“Austin and Landon have really established themselves as competitive hurdlers in the GNAC,” Coppock said. “Austin made the finals at this year’s outdoor championships and Landon would have been in the running if not for a pretty

serious injury near the end of the season which kept him out of the Championship meet. We’ll have both of them back next year and I know they’re motivated to perform at the top of the GNAC or even hit an NCAA qualifying mark.”

Panasuk ran the first leg of the DMR team that won the conference championship title. The native of Butte, Mont., competed in the indoor season and redshirted the outdoor. During his time on the track, Panasuk ran personal-bests in the mile and the 3,000 meters. At the GNAC Indoor Championships, Panasuk placed ninth in the mile, just one spot of the out points in 4:21.66. Panasuk won the 3,000 meters at the Mountain State Games in 8:51.44. He will compete for MSUB next year on the cross country and track and field teams.

Love and Marshall will also have one year left in both sports as Yellowjackets. At the GNAC Indoor Championship, Love finished with dual personal-bests. He placed 11th in the 5,000 meters in 15:33.56 and 18th in the 3,000 meters in 8:58.02.

Competing in the long distance events of 5,000 and 10,000 meters during the outdoor season, Love had several first and second place finishes. At the GNAC Outdoor Championships, Love finished 11th in the 10,000 meters in another personalbest 33:07.77. Like Panasuk, Marshall competed in just the indoor season. He completed personal-best marks in the mile in 5:08.23 and in the 3,000 meters in 9:56.50.

Vanderby is the sixth member of the junior MSUB roster. He competed in just the outdoor season this year. He ran a season’s best mark in the 400 meters at the Trudnowski Open in 49.61. At the GNAC Outdoor Championships, Vanderby placed 13th in the 400 meters in 50.48.

“Our juniors returning next year will provide the core of our distance and long sprints group,” Coppock said. “They are all good leaders on the team and are already training hard this summer.”

Sophomore Liam McKay was the fourth member of the DMR team that took first-place at the GNAC Indoor Championships. McKay ran the third leg, the 800 meters, passing the baton to Peterson. During the outdoor season, McKay had three top-10 finishes. He ran a personal-best 1:58.62 in the 800 meters at the Montana Open.

Jorey Egeland posted a standout sophomore campaign as a Yellowjacket. The dual-sport athlete improved his times in all events this year, and put individual points on the board for MSUB during the conference championships. At the GNAC Indoor Championships, Egeland placed 10th in the 3,000 meters in 8:49.93. At the start of the outdoor season, he won the 5,000 meters at the Montana State Open in 15:53.97. During the GNAC Outdoor Championships, Egeland ran personal-bests in the 5,000 meters, placing 14th in 15:22.54 and placed eighth in the 3,000 meter steeplechase in 9:41.73.

Cole Campbell and Nels Flanagan competed in field events for MSUB. Campbell, a pole vault competitor from Hardin, Mont., matched his personal-best at the Mountain State Games, clearing a height of 14 feet and 5.25 inches. At the GNAC Indoor Championships, he placed ninth at the height of 14 feet and 2.5 inches.

Flanagan competes in the throws for the Yellowjackets. He threw a mark of 52 feet and 2.75 inches in the 35-LB weight throw at the Montana State Open for the MSUB record. During the outdoor season, Flanagan competed in the discus, hammer, and javelin. He won the Carroll College Open discus with a personal-best mark of 152 feet and nine inches and finished with a throw of 153 feet and two inches in the hammer throw at the Bauer Invitational. At the GNAC Outdoor Championships, Flanagan placed ninth in the javelin at 164 feet and three inches, and 14th in the hammer throw in 143 feet and four inches.

“Our sophomores had a great year and still have some developing to do,” Coppock said. “They were all scorers in the GNAC championships and I expect them to keep moving up in the standings.”

From the freshman class, Tyus Mendoza and Ivan Colmenero are dual-athletes on the cross country and track and field teams. Mendoza posted a time of 16:07.30 for 16th place at the GNAC Indoor Championships. He competed in the 3,000 meter steeplechase at the GNAC Outdoor Championships, finishing 12th in 9:59.82. Colmenero ran 9:13.93 at the GNAC Indoor Championships in the 3,000 meters for 24th place and 16:07.30 in the 5,000 meters for 15th. He ran a season-best 15:51.73 in the 5,000 meters at the outdoor Montana Open.

Brady Ostermiller, a thrower from Shepherd, Mont., scored points for the Yellowjackets at both the indoor and outdoor conference championships. During the GNAC Indoor Championships, Ostermiller placed fifth in the shot put at 14.46 meters. At the GNAC Outdoor Championships, he finished sixth in the shot put with a throw of 14.60 meters and 15th in the discus at distance of 72.72 meters.

Quincy Wittman and Kaelen Shay competed for MSUB at both conference championships. Wittman competed in the jumps, hurdles, and throws. At the GNAC Indoor Championships, he placed 11th in the 60 meter hurdles in 9.09. At the outdoor championships, he placed 15th in the 110 hurdles in 17.84, 16th in the triple jump at 37 feet and 5.75 inches, and 18th in the hammer throw at 132 feet and 9 inches. Shay, a sprinter and product of Billings Senior High School, placed 16th in both the 60 meters (7.29) and the 200 meters (23.71) at the GNAC Indoor Championships. At the outdoor championships, he posted times of 11.55 in the 100 meters for 17th place and 23.51 in the 200 meters for 18th place.

“Our freshmen did great this year and show a lot of potential to excel in the GNAC,” Coppock said. “Brady, especially had a good opening season with placing at GNAC, both indoors and outdoors in the shot. Tyus and Ivan progressed very well in the distances and Kaelen was a real surprise in the sprints. Kaelen was a walk-on who worked very hard and got himself qualified for the conference championships so I see a bright future for him.”

“We had a good, solid season with a relatively small squad compared to the rest of the GNAC and to come away with some individual conference champions, all-conference finishes and an NCAA National qualifier really made it a special season for us,” Coppock stated. “Although we’re losing a couple of key seniors, we’ll have a good core group returning as well as bringing in some talented recruits. We still have a fairly young team, so I see a lot of upside potential for next year.”

The Yellowjackets placed four student-athletes on the academic all-conference team. Stanek, Panasuk, McKay, and Egeland were all honored with the nod for earning a cumulative grade point average above 3.2 and in at least their second year of competition at MSU Billings.

2015-16 MSUB Men’s Track and Field Records Name Year Hometown Robert Peterson Sr. Billings, MT Nels Flanagan So. Big Timber, MT Josh Panasuk, Landon Polkow, Liam McKay, Robert Peterson Robert Peterson

Sr.

Billings, MT

Robert Peterson

Sr.

Billings, MT

Event Indoor Mile Indoor 35-LB Weight Throw Distance Medley Relay

Meet SPU Final Qualifier Montana State Open

Time/Distance 4:07.67 52-2.75

GNAC Indoor Championships

10:10.07

Outdoor 800 Meters 3,000 meter Steeplechase

Montana Open

1:53.18

GNAC Outdoor Championships

8:59.23

Austin Lindquist

Jr.

Missoula, MT

Landon Polkow

Jr.

Billings, MT

110 meter Hurdles 400 meter Hurdles

Bauer Invitational

15.13

Bauer Invitational

54.52

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