By: Evan O'Kelly, Director of Communications
MSUB SPORTS – A quartet of middle and long distance runners were selected to the Yellowjackets' men's track all-decade roster, covering everything from the 800-meters to the 10,000 meters.
The four distance all-decade selections include a pair of All-Americans, and represent some of the team's top performers on the big stages of conference and national meets.
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 |
Robert Peterson
Events: Distance
Hometown: Billings, Montana
Years of competition: 2011-2016 (5 seasons)
The most decorated runner in school history, Peterson's success on the track reached the same heights as it did during his illustrious cross country career. The MSUB Men's Cross Country Runner of the Decade was the first Yellowjacket track athlete to garner All-American honors, when he placed 10th at the NCAA D2 National Championship with a mile time of 4:11.29 minutes.
It was his first of three trips to the NCAA national meet, as he returned to the indoor championships his senior year in 2016 and ran an even better mile time of 4:09.15 to place 14th. He capped off his collegiate career by taking 13th place in the 3,000-meter steeple chase at the 2016 NCAA D2 Outdoor Track & Field Championships. That performance came after he won the Great Northwest Athletic Conference title in the event, running a personal-best time of 8:59.23 minutes.
Peterson owns the indoor school records in both the mile as well as the 3,000-meters, with a time of 8:28.68. His school outdoor records include the 800 meters at 1:53.18 minutes, and the 1,500-meters in 3:51.58 minutes. He is a four-time conference champion and a nine-time all-conference selection.
Peterson on his track career: "I felt my best moment was when I won the GNAC mile indoor. I felt that that led to me being a more confident runner and led to all my other accomplishments."
Dave Coppock (Peterson's Head Coach 2011-16): "Robert established himself as one of the best distance runners at MSUB, the GNAC, and at a national level. He was an extremely dedicated runner and put in an incredible amount of training, much of it on his own. Robert generated a lot of excitement in his GNAC championship races and would often have the entire crowd cheering for him. Robert brought a lot of excitement and leadership to the team as well."
Jon Woehl (Peterson's Assistant Coach 2015-16): "Robert was a work horse who pushed to be his best. Following his example, many of his teammates set and achieved some lofty goals."
Jorey Egeland
Events: Distance
Hometown: Billings, Montana
Years of competition: 2014-2018 (4 seasons)
Peterson laid the groundwork for Egeland, who wound up having an equally impressive career and surpassing some of the school records that the former laid down. Egeland's crowning moment came at the crux of his senior season, when he won the GNAC title in the 3,000-meter steeple chase and earned All-American status by taking 11th place at the NCAA D2 National Championships in a time of 9:13.92 minutes.
Egeland also won the GNAC title in the 5,000-meters his senior year, earning him United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association all-region honors in both of his signature events. Egeland's senior year conference meet was further one to remember, in that his time of 14:47.88 minutes in the 5k and 8:55.30 minutes in the steeple chase both surpassed Peterson's marks as the all-time program records.
Overall in his track career, Egeland was a five-time all-conference performer, two-time GNAC Athlete of the Week, and three-time academic all-conference pick.
Jon Woehl (Egeland's Assistant Coach 2015-17, Head Coach 2017-18): "Jorey was a true competitor. I enjoyed seeing him gain confidence in his abilities. His race tactics and competitive instincts seemed to improve with every race over his junior and senior years."
Dave Coppock (Egeland's Head Coach 2014-17): "Jorey began his freshman year as a decent college runner, but by the time he finished as a senior, he had made the jump to a national level and one of the top distance runners in the GNAC. Jorey brought a great work ethic to the team and was a fun guy to be around; everyone on the team enjoyed being around him."
Chase Robinson
Events: Distance
Hometown: Colstrip, Montana
Years of competition: 2009-2014 (5 seasons)
Another GNAC champion and two-time all-conference performer, Robinson was a key member of the team's distance unit during the early years in the 2010s decade.
Robinson was a four-time competitor in both the GNAC Indoor and Outdoor Championships, and like Peterson and Egeland his best performance came his senior year. Competing in the 1,500-meters in the 2014 GNAC Outdoor Championships, Robinson raced to a time of 3:54.35 and won the event. That record stood until Peterson topped the mark by only three seconds the following year.
Robinson's other all-conference performance came at the GNAC Indoor Championships his senior year, when he and the distance medley relay team took third place with a time of 10:20.14 minutes. In addition to his success as a runner, Robinson was an academic all-conference selection.
Dave Coppock (Robinson's Head Coach 2009-14): "Chase progressed steadily throughout his college career and ultimately became one of the top runners in the GNAC. The highlight, for me, was seeing him win the 1,500 meters at the GNAC Championships in the final race of his senior year."
Tyson Vanderby
Events: Distance
Hometown: Manhattan, Montana
Years of competition: 2008-2013 (5 seasons)
Like Robinson, Vanderby was a key member of the Yellowjackets' middle distance and distance medley relay squads during the early years of the decade. Most of Vanderby's best career marks came during his senior season in 2012-13, as he peaked towards the end of his career.
The year started with a personal-best 9:02.00 minute mark in the 3,000 meters in the first indoor event of the season, before he set his personal best in the mile at 4:18.39 and took second at the Mountain State Games. Vanderby's third PR of the season came in his penultimate college meet, when he took fourth place in the 1,500-meters at the Tom Gage Classic with a time of 3:57.66 minutes.
Vanderby ended his career on a positive note, by earning all-conference honors at the 2013 GNAC Outdoor Championships. Running a personal-best time of 14:57.21 minutes in the 5,000-meters, Vanderby finished in second place in the final heat of the conference meet.
Dave Coppock (Vanderby's Head Coach 2008-13): "Tyson came out of a strong high school program at Manhattan and helped us immediately in the middle distances as soon as I convinced him to ditch the basketball shorts and train in running shorts. He was able to mix it up with the DI 800-meter runners whom we competed against quite frequently. The highlight for me was watching Tyson finish a strong second place in the GNAC outdoor 5,000 meters, his final collegiate race."
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.
