By: Evan O'Kelly, Director of Communications
MSUB SPORTS – Many of the Yellowjackets' points at conference meets during the 2010s decade came from the throws department, which has been the home of some of the track team's most successful athletes.
The five athletes selected as all-decade throwers represent each portion of the decade, and cover the vast variety of the throwing events for both indoor and outdoor seasons.
This Week's Schedule
| Day |
Release |
| Monday, November 16, 2020 |
Hurdlers & Jumpers |
| Tuesday, November 17, 2020 |
Throwers |
| Wednesday, November 18, 2020 |
Distance Runners |
| Thursday, November 19, 2020 |
Sprinters |
| Friday, November 20, 2020 |
Full All-Decade Roster |
Beau Ackerman
Event: Javelin
Hometown: Glendive, Montana
Years of competition: 2016-2020 (4 seasons)
A reigning All-American, Ackerman still has one more season intact during his collegiate career. Emerging immediately as an impact member of the team his first year in 2016-17, Ackerman earned all-conference honors in the javelin while also competing in the weight throw and the shot put.
His primary event quickly became the javelin, where Ackerman became the first field athlete in program history to win an outdoor GNAC title when he claimed the 2018 GNAC Championships victory. Ackerman went on to finish in fifth place at the NCAA D2 National Championships in the spring of 2018, earning All-American status.
Though he was a top-five national finisher, his best throw and what stands as the school record came at the Drake Relays earlier in the 2018 season. Ackerman won the event among a competitive field of 25 throwers, with a school-record heave of 226-10 feet.
Ackerman is also a two-time academic all-GNAC selection, and was picked as the MSUB Breakout Athlete of the Year at the 2018 Buzzies.
Ackerman on his MSUB team: "What has stood out to me is the amount of people on the team that are willing to work hard every day. Another thing that has stood out is that even though the different event groups train separately most of the time, the team still does a great job supporting each other on meet day."
Jon Woehl (Ackerman's Assistant Coach 2016-17, Head Coach 2017-20): "I have enjoyed watching Beau improve over the years, and he's sneaky good. He quietly goes about his work and turns out some phenomenal performances. He's back for one last season and I can't wait to see him perform."
Dave Coppock (Ackerman's Head Coach 2016-17): "Beau was not only a great javelin thrower, but a talented sprinter which was a great part of his success in the javelin. He became our highest placer in the National Championships."
Where is he now? Ackerman is completing his degree in business management and has one more year of eligibility with the Yellowjackets.
Nels Flanagan
Events: Weight Throw, Discus, Hammer Throw
Hometown: Big Timber, Montana
Years of competition: 2014-2018 (4 seasons)
One of MSUB's most steady improvers throughout the course of his career, Flanagan is another record holder and all-conference performer in the throws department.
Trying his hand in all of the throwing events throughout his career, Flanagan's top performances came in the weight throw during the indoor season and hammer throw during the outdoor season. As a senior in 2018, Flanagan earned all-GNAC honors with a third-place finish at the conference meet. His school-record weight throw toss of 58-8 feet came earlier that season, when he won the event at the South Dakota Mines Invitational.
Flanagan set another record in his final outdoor season, launching a hammer throw of 174-4 feet to win the Montana Open.
Flanagan on what stood out about his MSUB teams: "The comradery and friendships that were formed from being on the team."
Jon Woehl (Flanagan's Assistant Coach 2015-17, Head Coach 2017-18): "Nels has been a student of his events and as an athlete he served as a mentor/coach to his teammates. I'm excited to have him back with our program as our throws coach."
Dave Coppock (Flanagan's Head Coach 2014-17): "Nels brought a lot of leadership to the team. He worked himself up from a good high school thrower to a top competitor in the GNAC. He took on learning the hammer and became very successful at it."
Where is he now? Flanagan lives in Billings where he is a realtor for Century 21 Hometown Brokers. He is also set to begin his first year as MSUB's throws coach in the spring of 2021.
Brady Ostermiller
Events: Shot Put, Discus, Hammer Throw, Weight Throw
Hometown: Shepherd, Montana
Years of competition: 2014-2019 (5 seasons)
Like Flanagan, Ostermiller tried his hand in a variety of the throws events while ultimately finding his own as MSUB's shot put specialist. One of the longest tenured Yellowjackets, the Shepherd native had a positive impact on the culture of the throws program for five of the 10 years during the decade.
In his first year of competition, Ostermiller helped the team earn points in both the indoor and outdoor championships during the spring of 2016. From there, Ostermiller's career steadily progressed into having his finest season during his senior campaign. He set the MSUB record in the shot put at the Yellowjacket Open in 2019, with a heave of 53-1.75 feet to claim the title.
Academically, Ostermiller was twice an all-GNAC pick and in his senior year he garnered United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association academic all-region honors.
Jon Woehl (Ostermiller's Assistant Coach 2015-17, Head Coach 2017-19): "Brady improved immensely over his years at MSUB and was able to cap off his senior season with a school record toss in shot put."
Dave Coppock (Ostermiller's Head Coach 2014-17): "Brady was very dedicated to training and preparing himself for competition. He was very focused on the details of his events and worked his way up to being one of the top throwers in the conference."
AJ Montanez
Events: Shot Put, Discus, Hammer Throw, Weight Throw
Hometown: Lovell, Wyoming
Years of competition: 2012-2015 (3 seasons)
A skilled all-around thrower, Montanez competed in the shot put, discus, hammer, and weight throws during his three seasons with the 'Jackets. He narrowly missed out on all-conference honors during his junior year, finishing fourth in the shot put at the 2014 GNAC Championships with a mark of 49-0.75 feet.
Montanez held the hammer throw record before Flanagan surpassed him, as the former's throw of 160-11 feet at the Al Manuel meet in 2014 stood in the record books until 2018.
He was a two-time USTFCCCA all-region selection, and was named the MSUB Male Track & Field Athlete of the Year at the Buzzies.
Dave Coppock (Montanez's Head Coach 2012-2015): "AJ may have loved training as much as competing. He loved lifting and spent a lot of time in the weight room. He was also very focused on throwing technique and worked very hard to improve which got him up to the top levels in the conference. AJ's positive attitude and great sense of humor were just infectious and made us all a better team."
Tanner Rottrup
Events: Shot Put, Discus, Javelin
Hometown: Billings, Montana
Years of competition: 2009-2013 (4 seasons)
Competing at the outset of the decade, Rottrup's name remains in the MSUB record book as the all-time leader in the indoor shot put. The record-setting toss came during his senior season in 2013, when he launched a throw of 53-5 feet to win the event at the Idaho State Open.
Rottrup was also a two-time GNAC champion in the shot put, winning the titles during both his junior and senior seasons. Overall he was a three-time all-conference selection, and earned USTFCCCA all-region honors twice during his career.
Dave Coppock (Rottrup's Head Coach 2009-13): "Tanner was one of the best technically in the shot. He was a conference champion and a provisional NCAA qualifier. Tanner was usually not one of the bigger throwers in competition, but he was extremely quick and had great technique. He provided us with a lot of excitement in particular at one of the GNAC indoor championships where the competition came down to the last two throwers. Tanner had the whole facility cheering on that dual and came out on top."
About the MSUB All-Decade Team Project
The top student-athletes from each of Montana State University Billings' current varsity athletic teams from 2010-2019 have been selected, and 14 all-decade teams will be revealed throughout the course of the fall of 2020. Each sport's all-decade team is comprised of the top-performing student-athletes, with weight given to individual athletic achievement and accolades, team achievement, academic achievement, as well as community service. For more information on MSUB's all-decade project, and to view each sport's all-decade teams, view the all-decade project webpage online here.
