Peterson GNAC Champion, Lyle runner-up

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Birgitta Gray O: (406) 896-5917 E: birgitta.gray@msubillings.edu May 13, 2016 Peterson wins 3,000 steeplechase, Lyle second at GNAC Championships MSUB Track and Field on Facebook | MSUB Track and Field on ISSUU GNAC Championship Results Day 1 | TFRRS Performance Lists

Senior Robert Peterson won the men’s 3,000 meter steeplechase at the 2016 GNAC Outdoor Championships.

Senior Robert Peterson wins the men’s 3,000 meter steeplechase and senior Della Lyle places second in the women’s race on Day 1 of the 2016 GNAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

MONMOUTH, Ore. – Senior Robert Peterson won the men’s 3,000 meter steeplechase and fellow senior Della Lyle was the runner-up in the women’s 3,000 meter steeplechase on Day 1 of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Western Oregon at McArthur Field Friday.

Peterson took the individual title in a MSUB school record time of 8:59.23, besting his own mark from earlier in the season of 9:28.07 when he won the event at the Montana Open. That time is seven seconds from the NCAA automatic qualifying time, but does have Peterson ranked eighth in the country.

Lyle destroyed her own MSUB record in the event from earlier in the year of 11:12.14, posting a second-place finish in 10:29.08. That time is just two seconds from a NCAA automatic qualifying time and has Lyle at 11th in the nation. Dani Eggleston of Central Washington won the event with a new GNAC Championship record time of 10:23.58.

A trio of MSUB men’s underclassmen came through with big performances.

Adding a point to the MSUB men’s total, sophomore Jorey Egeland finished two places above his initial ranking. The Billings, Mont., native placed eighth in the men’s steeplechase behind Peterson in a personal-best time of 9:41.73. For his performance, Egeland was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Athlete of the Day. Also posting a personal-best time and moving up four places in the ranking was freshman Tyus Mendoza in the steeplechase. The native of Colstrip, Mont., dropped his time by almost five seconds with a 12th place finish in 9:59.82.

Fellow underclassmen, freshmen Brady Ostermiller, moved up a spot in his first GNAC Outdoor Championships. The thrower came into the championships ranked seventh in the men’s shot put, but placed sixth with a mark of 47 feet and 11 inches and added three points to the Yellowjacket team total. Ostermiller was also 15th in the discus with a mark of 37.72 meters.

Junior Austin Lindquist placed eighth in the men’s 110 meter hurdles preliminaries in 15.64, sliding into the last spot and will compete in the finals on Saturday. Lindquist also placed 13th in the long jump with a leap of 6.55 meters. Freshman Quincy Wittman placed 15th in the 110 meter hurdles with a time of 17.84.

In the women’s long jump, freshman Shaniah Schwend placed 12th with a mark of 4.88 meters. Janessa Williams finished 17th in the women’s 100 meter hurdles in 16.28 and 17th in the women’s 400 meter hurdles in 1:08.87. Both Schwend and Williams will compete in the women’s triple jump on Saturday.

In the preliminary races with the top-8 finishers moving onto the finals on Saturday, junior Nate Vanderby placed 13th in the men’s 400 meter preliminaries in 50.48. Freshman Josey Smiedala placed 14th in the women’s 800 meter preliminaries, crossing the finish line in 2:21.83. In the sprints, freshman Kaelen Shay finished 17th in the men’s 100 meters in 11.55 and 18th in the 200 meters with a time of 23.51. Senior Blair Street placed just out of the women’s 100 meter finals with a 10th place finish in the women’s 100 in 12.96 and 17th in the 200 meters in 26.68.

In the longest race of the championships, junior Garrett Love placed 11th in the men’s 10,000 meters in 33:07.77.

The GNAC Championships continue on Saturday at 9 AM Pacific time with the men’s hammer throw. Live stats for all the events can be found HERE. Men’s Team Scores: Western Washington (50), Alaska Anchorage (47), Central Washington (37), Northwest Nazarene (32.5), Concordia (Ore.), Western Oregon (27), MSU Billings (14), Seattle Pacific (14), Simon Fraser (9), Saint Martin’s (8.5).

Women’s Team Scores: Central Washington (65), Northwest Nazarene (48.5), Seattle Pacific (43.5), Western Washington (32.5), Concordia (Ore.) (32.5), Alaska Anchorage (25), Western Oregon (15), MSU Billings (8), Simon Fraser (3).

THE BUZZ: This is Peterson’s third individual GNAC championship title as he won the indoor mile in 2014 and 2016…Peterson was also part of the Distance Medley Relay team that placed first at the 2016 GNAC Indoor Championships….this is Peterson’s seventh all-conference finish at a GNAC track and field championships.

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