Yellowjackets head to Missoula for first of 2 meets

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Birgitta Gray O: (406) 896-5917 E: birgitta.gray@msubillings.edu April 29, 2016 Yellowjackets head to Missoula for first of 2 meets MSUB Track and Field on Facebook | MSUB Track and Field on ISSUU GNAC Track and Field Weekly Reports | TFRRS Performance Lists

Shaniah Schwend and the MSUB track and field teams will compete in Missoula the next two weekends.

The MSUB Yellowjackets will finish up their regular track and field season with two meets in Missoula, Mont.

BILLINGS, Mont. – The MSU Billings track and field teams are finishing up their regular season’s competition with two meets in Missoula, Mont.

The Yellowjackets are in the home stretch of the 2016 outdoor season. With two meets left before the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships May 13-14, MSUB is fine-turning its events with the focus on finishing with conference and national qualifying times. With competition from Division I host-Montana, Montana State as well as Carroll College and the University of Great Falls and Rocky Mountain College, there should be some tough competition for the ‘Jackets to push them into performing at their best.

“Besides trying to improve our conference standings, there are a couple events where we’d like to attain some NCAA National qualifying marks,” MSUB head coach Dave Coppock said. “In the women’s steeplechase, Della already has an NCAA provisional mark, but we’d like to see if she can push that time even lower to give her a better chance of making the cut to qualify. In the men’s steeplechase, we’re hoping Robert can hit at least a provisional mark, as well. It’s a fairly new event to him, but I think he’s capable of running a qualifying time.”

Della Lyle ran a NCAA qualifying time of 11:03.90 (adjusted) in the 3,000 meter steeplechase at the Bauer Invitational on Apr. 9, in South Dakota. Her time is fourth-best in the GNAC this season and has her at 36th in NCAA Division II competition. Lyle also provisionally qualified in the 10,000 meters at the home-hosted Yellowjacket/Battlin’ Bear Open in 36:19.19 (adjusted). Lyle holds four MSUB track and field records this season and is the only athlete at MSU Billings with a national provisional qualifying mark yet this season.

This season, senior Robert Peterson competed for the first time in his Yellowjacket career in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. At the Bauer Invitational, Peterson came away with a time of 9:36.03 (adjusted) for the sixth-best time in the GNAC. Peterson will need to lower that by almost 20 seconds as the NCAA provisional mark is 9:17 and the cut-off for the national meet will be closer to 10 seconds lower than that.

Building on their success in the middle part of the season, the MSUB sprinters and jumpers are eager to improve on their marks. Austin Lindquist blew away the competition in the long jump at the Yellowjacket/Battlin’ Bear Open two weeks ago leaping to a conference-best 23 feet and .75 inches. Lindquist also broke the MSUB record in the 110 meter hurdles this season and is ninth in the GNAC at 15.17 (adjusted).

Landon Polkow holds the third-best time in the conference and the MSUB school record in the 400 meter hurdles in 54.63 (adjusted).

“Our sprints and jumps have been coming along very well this season,” Coppock said. “Austin will try to improve his 110m hurdles and long jump marks, Nate has started to hit his stride in the 400 meters and Landon should improve this week as well after setting a school record in the 400 meters hurdles a few weeks ago. Nels has been performing very well in the discus, hammer and javelin this spring should improve those marks with the good competition he’ll face this weekend.”

Nels Flanagan holds the top mark for MSUB in the men’s discus, hammer, and javelin. In the GNAC, he is fifth in the discus (152 feet and 9 inches), 11th in the javelin (162 feet and 7 inches), and 14th in the hammer throw (153 feet and 2 inches). In the men’s shot put, Brady Ostermiller holds the seventh-best mark in the conference with a throw of 48 feet and 3.5 inches.

Nate Vanderby completed a time of 22.88 (adjusted) at the Trudnowski Open last week in Helena, Mont., for the 11th fastest time in the conference. He is also 29th in the 200 meters at 22.88 (adjusted).

On the women’s side, Shaniah Schwend and Janessa Williams continue to improve in the long and triple jumps. In Missoula, Williams will focus on the 100m and 400m hurdle events. She is currently 22nd in the conference in the 100 hurdles at 16.07 (adjusted) and 24th in the 400 hurdles in 1:13.53 (adjusted). Schwend is 12th in the GNAC in the triple jump at 35 feet and 2 inches and 18th in the long jump at 16 feet and 8.75 inches.

Senior Blair Street had her best meet this season at the Carroll College Open at the beginning of April. She is 15th in GNAC in the 100 meters (12.66, adjusted) and 25th in the 200 meters (26.51, adjusted). Against similar competition, the sprinter will look to drop those times.

2016 University of Montana Open Track and Field Meet Saturday, April 30 Dornblaser Field, Missoula, MT Schedule of Field Events 10:15 am.

10:15 a.m.

Noon

1 p.m.

1:15 p.m.

2:30 p.m.

Women’s Javelin (men’s to follow) Women’s Shot Put Men’s Long Jump Women’s Long Jump Women’s Pole Vault Men’s High Jump Men’s Shot Put Men’s Javelin Women’s High Jump Women’s Discuss Men’s Triple Jump Men’s Pole Vault Women’s Triple Jump Men’s Discuss

Schedule of Running Events 11:15 a.m.

11:35 a.m.

11:55 a.m.

Noon 12:05 p.m.

12:15 p.m.

12:30 p.m.

12:40 p.m.

12:50 p.m.

1:00 p.m.

1:10 p.m.

1:20 p.m.

1:30 p.m.

1:40 p.m.

1:50 p.m.

2:00 p.m.

2:10 p.m.

2:20 p.m.

2:30 p.m.

Women’s Steeplechase Men’s Steeplechase Women’s 400-meter relay Men’s 400-meter relay Women’s 1,500 meters Men’s 1,500 meters Women’s 100-meter hurdles Men’s 110-meter hurdles Women’s 400 meters Men’s 400 meters Women’s 100 meters Men’s 100 meters Women’s 800 meters Men’s 800 meters Women’s 400-meter hurdles Men’s 400-meter hurdles Women’s 200 meters Men’s 200 meters Women’s 5,000 meters

2:55 p.m.

3:15 p.m.

3:25 p.m.

Men’s 5,000 meters Women’s 1,600-meter relay Men’s 1,600 meter relay

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