FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Thursday, March 23, 2017 Preview: ‘Jacket track opens outdoor season Saturday
MSUB’s track and field team opens its 2017 outdoor season on Saturday, heading west to Bozeman for the Montana State University Bobcat Invitational. BILLINGS, Mont. – Five weeks after completing its indoor season, the Montana State University Billings men’s and women’s track and field team will kick off its outdoor schedule this weekend with a meet hosted by Montana State University in Bozeman. The Yellowjackets begin an outdoor slate that features seven meets leading up to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships in early May, with this weekend’s opener being a dual meet between the Yellowjackets and the NCAA Division I Bobcats. “This will be a good opener for us over in Bozeman, and we are looking to see if we can keep our momentum from indoor going,” said MSUB head coach Dave Coppock. “Every week, somebody else seems to step up, and we have a lot of meets this spring to try and get the whole team qualified.”
On the men’s side, GNAC Indoor Mile Champion Sam Zook will lead a group of sprinters into the spring with high expectations. Zook enters Saturday’s meet with times of 10.95 in the 100-meters and 22.50 in the 200, with Kaelen Shay close behind in both events at 11.02 and 22.67, respectively. The ‘Jackets will turn to their veterans in the 800-meters, with senior Josh Panasuk and juniors Mark Hovland and Liam McKay set to compete. Jorey Egeland, another junior veteran, posted a win at the Bobcat Invite last season in the 5k. “We had four weeks without a meet, and some time to pound some miles in and get some quality work done,” Egeland commented on the break between indoor and outdoor seasons. “We have been really building a solid base and training through indoor, and I want to focus on the 3k steeplechase a lot this spring while working on the 5k as well.” United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association all-region performer Chuck Carr will look to continue his strong freshman campaign, and is entered in both the high jump and long jump this weekend. Triple jump specialist Marcus Lindquist enters that even with a mark of 13.02 meters, and his brother Austin Lindquist is the team’s leader in the long jump at 7.03 meters. Sam Zook, the GNAC Indoor Mile Champion, leads MSUB into the outdoor season starting Saturday in Bozeman.
Forrest Cross is the lone Yellowjacket entered in all four throws events, while junior Brady Ostermiller is set to throw in 3 of 4 events on Saturday. Ostermiller is the team leader entering the meet with marks of 14.98 meters in the shot put, 42.78 meters in the discus, and 33.36 meters in the hammer. The youth movement continues for MSUB’s women, after Michaela Johnson and a talent-laden pool of underclassmen turned heads at the GNAC Indoor Championships. Johnson was an all-conference runner during the indoor season, finishing third in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.96. The Yellowjackets hope her strong mark will translate well to the 100-meter hurdles on Saturday, and she’ll also participate in the 200-meter race in Bozeman. Fellow freshman Brenna Beckett will also try her hand at the 200-meters, after taking her team-best 5.11 meter mark in the long jump into the field events Saturday. “Mainly, I want to focus on improving my PR, and getting better every meet,” Beckett commented when asked about her goals for the outdoor season. “The competition (in college) is a lot more intense, but that’s expected so you just have to rise with it.” “Michaela was a pleasant surprise at indoor, and we have made some good progress in the jumps,” said Coppock on his women’s squad. Five freshmen and a pair of sophomores will compete for the ‘Jackets in the 100-meters, and Josey Smiedala will lead the squad into the 200-meters with an entry time of 26.36.
Senior Rio Frame will represent the distance runners in the 1,500-metrers, and Nikki Aiken and Kelby Wegner are set to compete at the 5,000-meter distance. Another bright spot for MSUB during the indoor season was its women’s 4x400 relay squad, with Beckett, Smiedala, Janessa Williams, and Jewlz Collins smashing the school record with a time of 4:02.28. Two quartets will stack up in the 4x400 this weekend for the Yellowjacket women. “I’m looking forward to the 4x400, because we had a really successful indoor season in that event,” said Beckett. “It will be interesting to see if we can keep that up transitioning into outdoor.” After bursting onto the jumping scene last year as a freshman, Shaniah Schwend is back for her second season and will represent the ‘Jackets in both the long jump and triple jump this weekend. Schwend enters the meet with the team’s secondbest score in each event, at 5.10 meters in the long jump and 10.72 meters in the triple jump. Freshman Shelby Browning is also entered in both events, and Halie Warren will take on both the high jump and long jump for MSUB. The trio of Hailey Steinbeisser, Taylor Stringari, and Kassadee Kuoha will lead MSUB’s throwers, each set to attack the shot put, discus, and hammer. Steinbeisser and Stringari will also compete in the javelin, and newcomer Abbie Lohof will join in the throws squad fresh off her first basketball season as a Yellowjacket.
Freshman Brenna Beckett will compete in sprints and jumps for MSUB this outdoor season.
Saturday’s meet will begin with the field events at 10:30 a.m., with the running events following at 11:30 a.m. --@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--