SPEARFISH, S.D. – After qualifying for nationals during the cross country season, Robert Peterson provisionally qualified for the NCAA Div. II indoor championships with his performance in the men's 3,000m Saturday at Black Hills State.
 
Peterson led for much of the race at the opening meet of 2015, and it was down to the last 40m when Black Hills State's Alec Baldwin pushed ahead to win the event 0.2 seconds ahead of Peterson, crossing the tape in 8:28.48. Peterson's time of 8:28.68 is a new MSU Billings indoor record in the men's 3,000m, surpassing the record he set in 2013 of 8:37.79.
 
MSUB's Nocona Frame was a winner on the women's side, comfortably taking the title in the women's 3,000m race against her nearest competitor, finishing the event in 10:52.45.
 
Montana State University Billings sent a small squad to compete in the 2015 Myrle Hanson Open hosted by NCAA Div. II Black Hills State University. Also attending the meet were South Dakota Schools of Mines, and NAIA Rocky Mountain College and Dakota Wesleyan.
 
"We had some really promising opening results from the early meet," MSUB head coach Dave Coppock said. "Robert Peterson provisionally qualified in the 3,000m race, and really ran a tight race against Alec Baldwin from Black Hills State. Both runners pushed each and ran well right down to the wire.
 
"Nocona Frame won her event convincingly by almost a lap," Coppock said on Frame's victory in the women's 3,000m.
 
Freshman Sam Zook didn't seem to have any rust to shake off from the month-long break from competition. The Casper, Wyo., native came in second in the men's 60m dash, 0.01 off the leader and finishing in 7.25. Zook won the men's 200m dash in 22.66 seconds, only 0.01 seconds off the 22.65 record set by Brandon Pearce in 2009.
 
"Sam Zook had a great day in the sprints," Coppock commented on the freshman's results. "He definitely worked hard over the break and has really progressed well. He'll most likely break the school record in the 200m when he gets on a banked track."
 
In the field events, MSUB's Donald Hamm came up with two second place finishes. In the men's high jump, Hamm completed a height of 1.82m, and in the men's long jump had a distance of 6.02m for two runner-up results.
 
Other top-3 Yellowjacket results include Brielle Davis in the women's one mile run. Davis was third in a time of 5:36.34. The MSU Billings women's 4x400 relay team consisting of Nocona Frame, Rio Frame, Taylor Condon, and Davis won the event in 4:28.12.
 
Freshman Liam McKay was third in the men's 800m run in 2:02.92. Garret Love was third behind Peterson in the men's 3,000m in 9:21.28.
 
Sprinter Austin Lindquist was third in the men's 60m hurdles in 8.97 seconds. Lindquist was also third in the men's long jump with a distance of 5.90m.
 
The MSU Billings men's 4x400 meter relay team of Jorey Egeland, McKay, Mark Hovland, and Peterson finished second in 3:44.13.
 
UP NEXT: Montana State University Billings travels to the Montana State University Open in Bozeman, Mont., next Friday, Jan. 16.
 
"I think this was a good opener after the break," Coppock said. "People were still looking a little sluggish, but this meet will help us break the ice and get ready for MSU. I think we are off to a really good start."