FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Wednesday, June 14, 2017 Season review: MSUB track & field
Broken records and encouraging finishes at the conference meet highlight a productive 2016-17 track and field season for the Yellowjacket men and women. BILLINGS, Mont. – Broken records, an All-American, and a historic performance at the conference meet were among the most memorable moments from the 2016-17 Montana State University Billings men’s and women’s track and field season. The Yellowjackets competed in seven indoor meets and 11 different outdoor meets beginning in December and culminating at the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships in late May. Throughout the year, records fell on both the men’s and women’s side, and the 2016-17 campaign proved to be one heavily dominated by the Yellowjacket sprinters and middle distance crews. Putting together its best-ever finish at the GNAC Outdoor Championships, the ‘Jacket men earned a school-record 58 points and finished in seventh place. The strong finish on the men’s side brought the career of 28-year veteran head
coach Dave Coppock to a close, as the man who revitalized the track and field programs prior to the 2008 season retired upon the conclusion of the year. Stealing the show and making his mark on four different school records was junior sprinter Sam Zook, who became the first male in MSUB history to earn United States Track and Field and Cross Country All-American honors during the outdoor season. He claimed that award by finishing in 12th place in the 100-meter preliminaries at the NCAA Championships with a time of 10.52 seconds in Bradenton, Fla., on May 25. Zook’s 15th-place finish in the preliminaries of the 200-meter championships marked the final race in a legendary season. Zook won Great Northwest Athletic Conference titles in the 60-meters during the indoor campaign, and both the 100meters and 200-meters during the outdoor season. Zook’s time of 10.42 seconds, adjusted to 10.45, stood as the top mark in the conference in the 100-meters, as did his 200-meter mark of 21.04 seconds, adjusted to 21.11. His time of 6.85 seconds in the 60-meters, adjusted to 6.87, was 28-year head coaching veteran Dave Coppock announced his retirement after the the second-fastest in the league during the indoor season. 2016-17 season.
In addition to his individual accomplishments, Zook contributed as a member of MSUB’s recordbreaking 4x100-meter relay squad. He, Kaelen Shay, Beau Ackerman, and Braden Rykal notched a season-best time of 41.93 seconds at the conference meet to break the school record. Joining Zook among the Yellowjackets’ top performers on the men’s side were junior Jorey Egeland and Ackerman, who were each allconference selections during the outdoor season. A three-year veteran on MSUB’s distance squad, Egeland reached new heights this year and staked his claim as a premier 3,000-meter steeple chase runner within the conference. Finishing in third place at the GNAC Outdoor Championships with a time of 9:12.02, the Billings native recorded the fifth-best time in the GNAC on the year. Egeland also had season-bests of 1:58.99 in the 800-meters, and 4:04.27 in the 1500-meters. Fellow distance runners Garrett Love, Ivan Colmenero, Josh Panasuk, and Jacob Marshall each also had standout performances in the spring. Love’s time of 32:26.63 in the 10,000meters earned him a top-10 spot within the GNAC, and Colmenero was close behind with a season-best time of 33:05.44 in the same event. Representing the ‘Jackets within the field events, Ackerman owned the second-longest throw of the season in the javelin. The sophomore let loose a toss of 197’-4” at the South Dakota Mines Bauer Invitational on April 8, and finished in third place at the conference meet.
Zook’s historic season culminated with All-American honors during the spring.
Putting the finishing touches on a record-breaking career with the ‘Jackets, senior Austin Lindquist topped his own mark in the 110-meter high hurdles and ran the third-fastest time in the GNAC this year. Lindquist’s raw time of 14.98 seconds at MSUB’s home meet on April 13 marked the first time in school history that a hurdler broke the 15second plateau in the event. Lindquist also had personal bests in both the 100-meters (11.71 seconds) and 200-meters (24.52 seconds) throughout the season. Though the senior has exhausted eligibility, the family tradition will continue after a promising freshman year by his brother Marcus Lindquist. The younger Lindquist had season-bests of 6.42 meters in the long jump and 13.18 meters in the triple jump. He was part of a strong core of freshman jumpers on the men’s side, with Chuck Carr and Isaiah Girard also making headlines with their leaps. Carr earned USTFCCCA all-region recognition during the indoor season, with a school-record leap of 6’-8” in the high jump. He and Girard wound up fifth and sixth, respectively within the GNAC in the high jump during the outdoor season as well. In other men’s field events, Nels Flanagan got the season off to a strong start with a recordLindquist broke the school record in the 110-meter breaking toss during hurdles, becoming the first-ever Yellowjacket to go sub15 seconds. indoor competition. The junior made a mark of 54’-5.5” in the 35-pound weight throw, and also had a personal best toss of 13.44 meters in the shot put before redshirting during the outdoor season. Veteran Brady Ostermiller highlighted the men’s throws squad during the outdoor season, posting marks in the top-10 in the GNAC in both the shot put (49’-3.75”) and discus (147’-4”). Similar to the success on the men’s side in many of the shorter distances, the Yellowjacket women also had a number of highlight performances during the 2016-17 season. Freshman sprinter Michaela Johnson grabbed attention immediately during the indoor season, and was an allconference pick after taking third place at the GNAC Indoor Championships in the 60-meter hurdles with a school-record time of 8.96 seconds. The Billings native’s strong year extended into the outdoor season, where Johnson also broke the school record in the 100-meter hurdles. Her time of 14.76 seconds at the Montana Open on April 28 was the fastest-ever by a Yellowjacket.
Johnson earned all-GNAC honors with her 8.96-second dash in the 60-meter hurdles during the indoor season.
The school record in the 400-meter hurdles also fell in 2017, with Josey Smiedala posting a time of 1:05.65 in her first-ever attempt at the race. The sophomore was part of four record-breaking marks overall on the season, including MSUB’s 4x400-meter relay teams in indoor and outdoor, and the 4x100-meter relay squad in the outdoor season. Among MSUB’s distance leaders was freshman Nikki Aiken, who placed in the top-10 at the conference meet in the 3,000-meter steeple chase. Aiken’s time of 11:27.61 at the event was a personal best. Senior Rio Frame wrapped up a memorable career, helping lead the squad as its only senior. She and junior Bailey Bomar were among the women’s team’s top distance runners in both the indoor and outdoor seasons.
Smiedala stole headlines with her performance both in the relays and hurdles.
One of MSUB’s young veterans, Janessa Williams, was perhaps the team’s most versatile contributor this spring. Williams began her year by breaking the school record in the indoor triple jump with a leap of 35’-10”. The sophomore also ran a leg in the 4x400-meter relays in both the indoor and outdoor seasons, which each broke school records as well.
Similar to Williams, freshman Brenna Beckett made her mark both in the field and sprinting events. Beckett competed in the triple jump and long jump, and 200meters and 400-meters in both the indoor and outdoor seasons for the ‘Jackets. She was part of a talented young jumps team, along with fellow freshmen Halie Warren, Jamie Orme, and Shelby Browning. Warren had season bests of 1.50 meters in the high jump, 4.68 meters in the long jump, and 9.08 meters in the triple jump. Orme specialized in the high jump, where her mark of 1.53 meters stood as the top leap of the year for the women. Browning focused on the long jump and triple jump, along with sophomore Shaniah Schwend, who battled through injury during the spring. Four more freshmen comprised MSUB’s women’s throwers, with Taylor Stringari, Hailey Steinbeisser, Kassadee Kuoha, and Abbie Lohof each beginning their collegiate careers. Stringari had the team’s best throw in the shot put (11.48 meters), discus (35.80 meters), and the hammer (39.70 meters), while Steinbeisser led the way in the javelin at 34.30 meters.
Freshman Halie Warren was one of the team’s top jumpers in all three events this spring.
RECORDS RE-WRITTEN MSUB Men’s Indoor Track & Field 2016-17 Records Broken Event 60M 60M Hurdles High Jump 35LB Weight
Name Sam Zook
Mark 6.85
Date 2/11/2017
Austin Lindquist Chuck Carr
8.51 6'-8" (2.03) 54'-5.5" (16.60)
2/17/2017 1/21/2017
Previous Sam Zook Austin Lindquist, Reece Easterling Mark Halland
2/17/2017
Nels Flanagan
Nels Flanagan
Mark 7.05
Year 2015
8.78 6'-6" (1.98) 52'-2.75" (15.92)
2011;2014 1972 2016
MSUB Women’s Indoor Track & Field 2016-17 Records Broken Event 60M Hurdles
Name
Mark
Date
Previous
Mark
Year
Michaela Johnson
2/17/2017
Hope Reid
Janessa Williams Brenna Beckett, Janessa Williams, Jewlz Collins, Josey Smiedala
2/4/2017
Leah Berry
9.31 35'-6.75" (10.84)
2015
Triple Jump
8.96 35'-10" (10.92)
4:02.28
2/17/2017
Berry, Jackson, Simons, Halle
4:04.44
2011
2600m Relay
2011
MSUB Men’s Outdoor Track & Field 2017 Records Broken Event 100M 200M 110H
Name Sam Zook Sam Zook Austin Lindquist
400M Relay
Kaelen Shay, Beau Ackerman, Braden Rykal, Sam Zook
Mark 10.42 21.04 14.98
41.93
Date 4/13/2017 4/22/2017 4/13/2017
Previous Rory Bauer Rory Bauer Austin Lindquist
Mark 10.87 21.74 15.13
Year 2013 2013 2016
5/12/2017
DiGiovanna, Bauer, Cates, Prevost
42.49
2013
MSUB Women’s Outdoor Track & Field 2017 Records Broken Event 100M Hurdles 400M Hurdles
400M Relay
Name Michaela Johnson Josey Smiedala Katelyn Eastburn, Michaela Johnson, Brenna Beckett, Josey Smiedala
1600M Relay
Brenna Beckett, Katelyn Eastburn, Janessa Williams, Josey Smiedala
Mark 14.76 1:05.65
Date 4/27/2017 4/13/2017
Previous Hope Reid Valerie Perrine
Mark 15.18 1:05.9
Year 2015 1979
49.18
4/27/2017
Street, Gray, Halle, Reid
49.33
2015
3:56.93
4/27/2017
Jackson, Berry, Halle, Simons
4:02.55
2011
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