MISSOULA, Mont. – After breaking the men's 400m record in Helena last week, on Saturday, May 2, sophomore Nate Vanderby continued to improve on his time, eclipsing his previous record with a 49.12 performance at the Montana Open.
 
Last week in Helena at the Trudnowski Open, Vanderby broke Rory Bauer's record in the men's 400m of 49.60 crossing the finish line in 49.46. This weekend Vanderby continued to shave time off his performances and this week, along with the school record, he hit the Great Northwest Athletic Conference automatic qualifying mark in the event.
 
"Nate's time is really good," MSUB head coach Dave Coppock said. "He ran a really good race and he got the automatic qualifying mark along with the school record."
 
Vanderby placed third in the event in Missoula.
 
Montana State University Billings was in Missoula, Mont. for the last regular 2015 outdoor season meet. Next the Yellowjackets will send qualifying athletes to the GNAC Outdoor Championships taking place May 8-9 in Monmouth, Ore.
 
Competing at the meet in Missoula were host Montana, Montana State, Carroll College, Rocky Mountain College, and the University of Great Falls.
 
Other good results from the Yellowjackets came from Nels Flanagan, Robert Peterson, and Blair Street.
 
On Friday during the throwing events, Flangan set three personal records in-a-row with distances in the hammer throw. He finished the event with a mark of 46.56m, a GNAC provisional mark and the eighth best result in the conference this season. Flanagan placed fifth in the event in Missoula and for his efforts is the named the St. Vincent Healthcare Athlete of the Meet.
 
Peterson finished third in the men's 1500 with a time of 4:00.30. The junior's result is a provisional qualifying time for the conference meet and is the 15^th best time in the GNAC this season, one spot ahead of teammate Liam McKay who sits in 16^th after running 4:01.48 earlier in the year.
 
Street had a personal record in the women's 100m crossing the tape in 12.57. Her time is the third Yellowjacket provisional qualifying mark in Missoula as Street placed 5^th in the event overall. Street was also sixth in the women's 200m in 26.51.