BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State University Billings Yellowjackets track and field team will take the drive to Spearfish, South Dakota in the first of back to back trips to Black Hills State University to compete in the Dave Little Alumni Mile.
"This week we are focusing on making sure to try our best to get qualifying marks to make the GNAC championships," said head coach Jon Woehl. "Both the men's and women's team know the team standard they have to reach and GNAC standards. We are trying to get athletes qualified in multiple events and have some of their best marks over the next two weeks before we get to the Boise, Idaho meets as our travel squad for the GNAC indoor championships will begin to take shape."
HITTINGS THEIR MARKS: MSUB will be looking for improvement across the board in hopes of qualifying as many athletes as possible.
Mason Schram (7.02) has all qualified for the GNAC Championships as the qualifying mark is set at 7.1.
Kyle Patelis (7.11),
Tyler Rued (7.15) and
Rahkei Eyers (7.19) are nearly in as well and will look to shave off the final hundredths to qualify. Eyer has already hit his mark in the 200m (22.63, needing a 22.8) and will look to qualify for the 400m as well.
Ase Ackerman (4:24.7) and
Logan Strauss (4:28.1) each hit qualifying marks in the mile.
Isaiah Girard has qualified for the GNAC Championships in the high jump (1.96m) and
Marcus Lindquist has in the triple jump (13.22m)
On the throws side,
Forrest Cross has a season best 13.94m shot put throw to qualify and
Ely Kraft has qualified in the weight throw (14.38).
For the women,
Nikki Aiken has qualified in the mile (5:28.4) and the 3k (10:50).
Brenna Beckett will be at the GNAC Championships with a qualifying mark in the long jump of 5.07m.
Mariah May has hit her marks in the shot put (11.23m) and the weight throw (13.66m). Senior
Taylor Stringari will look to join May in the shot put and has already qualified in the weight throw (12.56m).
Anne Lory Chevlier will be making her season debut as she competes in the 60m dash and the 200. The 4x400 meter relay team of
Sierra Durbin,
Rachel Hiner,
Miranda Livingston and
Kailee Stoppel will also be making their debut in South Dakota.
LAST TIME OUT: Competing in the Chadron State Open in Chadron, Nebraska last week, Beckett's two victories in the horizontal jumps led Montana State Billings' efforts. She was the winner in the long jump by almost five inches with a leap of 16 feet, 8.5 inches. She went on to take first in the triple jump with a mark of 35 feet, 3.25 inches.
Sophomore Ackerman led the efforts on the track with a third-place finish in the men's mile in a time of 4:32.89. Fellow sophomore Straus was right behind in fourth place in 4:36.43. Senior
Ronald Venema was third in the 3,000 meters in a time of 9:42.39 while freshman
Bryant Edgerton was fourth in 9:45.72.
Senior Cross added a third-place finish in the men's shot put with a mark of 45 feet, 9 inches.
In the women's throws, sophomore May placed fourth in the shot put with a personal best of 37 feet, 5 inches. She went on to place sixth in the weight throw with a mark of 45 feet, 2.25 inches.
The women's efforts on the track were led by sophomore Durbin, placing fifth in the 800 meters in a time of 2:31.77.
