Yellowjackets to compete at GNAC Outdoor Championships

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Birgitta Gray O: (406) 896-5917 E: birgitta.gray@msubillings.edu May 11, 2016 Yellowjackets to compete at GNAC Outdoor Championships MSUB Track and Field on Facebook | MSUB Track and Field on ISSUU GNAC Track and Field Weekly Reports | TFRRS Performance Lists GNAC Program | GNAC Championships Schedule

Senior Blair Street is competing in the 100 and 200 meters for MSUB at the GNAC Championships.

A squad of MSU Billings track and field athletes are heading for the GNAC Outdoor Championships.

BILLINGS, Mont. – A small squad of MSUB track and field athletes are on their way to the 2016 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships taking place May 13-14 hosted by Western Oregon.

Robert Peterson leads the team of 12 MSUB men’s track and field athletes competing at the championships. Peterson was the indoor champion in the mile this season and last year placed third in the 1500 meters at the conference championships.

Peterson enters the conference competition ranked No. 4 in the 1500 meters, racing to a win at the Tom Gage Open in 3:49.17 (adjusted). Western Oregon’s David Ribich holds the top spot in the conference at 3:43.41. The race at the GNAC

Championships should be an exciting event as Peterson took the title in the mile at the indoor championships against Ribich in a photo-finish. Two student-athletes from Simon Fraser are in the second and third spots in the men’s 1500 meter rankings.

Peterson’s time in the 1500 meters is a NCAA provisional time that has him ranked No. 29 in the country. Ribich’s time has him ranked No. 3, while the runners from Simon Fraser are ranked No. 7 and No. 9. If Peterson wants to move onto nationals in the event, he will need a break-out time at the conference championships.

The senior is also competing in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. Peterson set the MSUB record and won the event at the Montana Open in 9:21.28 (adjusted). He enters the competition with the third-best time in the GNAC this year. The men’s steeplechase is the first running event on the schedule during Day 1 of the championships.

“Going in with a fairly small squad, we’re not really in the hunt for team title points, but rather individual performances,” MSUB head coach Dave Coppock said. “We’d like to see a few all-conference or winning performances this week. We are also hopeful that Robert and Della can push their provisional NCAA qualifying marks down enough to make the cut to Nationals. Robert has a good shot in both the 1500 meters and steeplechase, while Della has a good chance in the steeplechase and 5,000 meters.”

Della Lyle enters the conference championships with NCAA provisional marks in the women’s 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters, and the 3,000 meter steeplechase. The senior will compete in two events for the Yellowjackets at the championships in the 5,000 meters and steeplechase. Lyle holds the fifth-best time in the conference in the steeplechase in 11:03.90 (adjusted) and is ranked No. 12 in the 5,000 meters in 17:20.62 (adjusted).

The senior earned GNAC Female Newcomer of the Year honors at the GNAC Indoor Championships where she placed fourth in the 5,000 meters and eighth in the 3,000 meters, both of which were MSUB school records. She earned MSUB records in two outdoor events this season and could add the steeplechase to her list with a good race this week.

Coach Coppock is also looking for good performance from Austin Lindquist in the long jump, Nate Vanderby in the 400 meters, Landon Polkow in the 400 hurdles, Nels Flanagan in the discus and javelin, Brady Ostermiller in the shot put, and Garrett Love in the 10,000 meters.

Lindquist holds the second-best mark in the men’s long jump in the conference. The junior is tied with three other athletes at a jump of 7.03 meters. Lindquist will also be competing in the men’s 110 hurdles along with Quincy Wittman.

Vanderby is entering the conference championships ranked eighth in the men’s 400 meters with a time 49.72 (adjusted).

He is the school record holder in that event. Polkow is also a school record holder, and has the third fastest GNAC time in the men’s 400 meter hurdles this season.

Love is set to compete in both the men’s 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters. The junior is ranked No. 7 in the longer distance, completing a time of 32:38.41 (adjusted) at the Montana State Open in March.

In the field events, a pair of underclassmen are looking to add points to the board for MSU Billings. Flanagan is ranked seventh in both the discus (46.55 meters) and javelin (52.67). The sophomore is also competing in the men’s hammer throw with Wittman. Ostermiller is ranked seventh in the shot put (14.98) and the freshman will be competing in the discus alongside Flanagan.

A second pair of young members are looking to make their mark on the women’s side. Coach Coppock is looking at Janessa Williams in the 400 hurdles and triple jump and Shaniah Schwend in the long jump and triple jump for the potential to contribute team points. Five student-athletes from the MSUB women’s track and field team will be competing at the conference outdoor championships.

Williams is competing in three individual events for MSUB and is entering the championships ranked No. 6 with a MSUB school record in the triple jump at 11.14 meters from the Carroll College Open.

Live stats for the 2016 GNAC Outdoor Championships can be found HERE. The complete schedule can be found HERE. Friday, May 13, Field Events Time 2PM 3:35 PM 4:15 PM 4:30 PM Friday, May 13, Track Events Time 2:45 PM

Event Men’s Discus Men’s Long Jump Women’s Long Jump Men’s Shot Put

Name Nels Flanagan, Brady Ostermiller Austin Lindquist Shaniah Schwend Brady Ostermiller

Event Men’s Steeplechase

3PM Women’s Steeplechase 3:20 PM Men’s 110 Hurdles 3:40 PM Women’s 100 Hurdles 3:50 PM Men’s 400 Semis 4:20 PM Men’s 100 Semis 4:35 PM Women’s 100 Semis 5:05 PM Women’s 800 Semis 5:20 PM Men’s 400 Hurdles Semis 5:35 PM Women’s 400 Hurdles Semis 5:50 PM Men’s 200 Semis 6:05 PM Women’s 200 Semis 6:20 PM Men’s 10,000 Saturday, May 14, Field Events Time Event 9 AM Men’s Hammer 11 AM Women’s Triple Jump 12 PM Men’s Triple Jump 12 PM Men’s Javelin Saturday, May 14, Track Events Time Event 11 AM Men’s 4x100 Relay 11:10 AM Men’s 1500 11:45 AM Men’s 110 Hurdles Finals 11:55 AM Women’s 100 Hurdles Finals

Name Robert Peterson, Jorey Egeland, Tyus Mendoza Della Lyle Austin Lindquist, Quincy Wittman Janessa Williams Nate Vanderby Kaelen Shay Blair Street Josey Smiedala Landon Polkow Janessa Williams Kaelen Shay Blair Street Garrett Love Name Nels Flanagan, Quincy Wittman Janessa Williams, Shaniah Schwend Quincy Wittman Nels Flanagan Name Robert Peterson

12 PM 12:10 PM 12:15 PM 12:25 PM 12:40 PM 12:50 PM 1 PM 1:05 PM 1:10 PM 1:30 PM 2:05 PM

Men’s 400 Finals Men’s 100 Finals Women’s 100 Finals Women’s 800 Finals Men’s 400 Hurdles Finals Women’s 400 Hurdles Finals Men’s 200 Finals Women’s 200 Finals Men’s 5,000 Women’s 5,000 Men’s 4x400 Relay

Jorey Egeland, Garrett Love Della Lyle

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