By: Evan O'Kelly, Director of Communications
MSUB SPORTS – Hometown standouts are the dominating presence among the throws unit on the Yellowjacket women's track and field all-decade team.
Three of the four selections are Billings natives, and the other was the first female athlete in the program's history to qualify for the national meet.
This Week's Schedule
| Day |
Release |
| Monday, November 23, 2020 |
Hurdlers & Jumpers |
| Tuesday, November 24, 2020 |
Throwers |
| Wednesday, November 25, 2020 |
Sprinters |
| Thursday, November 26, 2020 |
Distance Runners |
| Friday, November 27, 2020 |
Full All-Decade Roster |
Anica Knispel
Events: Throws
Hometown: Billings, Montana
Years of Competition: 2010-2013 (3 seasons)
Setting a high benchmark at the outset of the decade, Knispel was one of the top women's throwers in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in the early 2010s.
A six-time all-conference performer, Knispel solidified her status as a standout performer at the 2011 GNAC Outdoor Championships. She posted a shot put throw of 46-0.75 feet to win the conference title, and that stood as the school record for a year.
In 2012, Knispel set the school record in the weight throw at 50-1.25 feet, a mark that still stands. That was good for a second-place finish at the GNAC Indoor Championships. She followed with another record-setting performance at the 2012 GNAC Outdoor Championships, where her hammer throw of 149-2 feet placed her third among the conference competitors.
Knispel was an academic all-conference selection, and remained involved in the Yellowjacket program after her career as the throws coach.
Dave Coppock (Knispel's Head Coach 2010-13): "Anica was one of the top throwers in our program over all of the years. She excelled in all the throwing events and took on learning the hammer and weight throws, which are very difficult to learn. At one point she had a provisional NCAA qualifying mark in the shot. The highlight for me was Anica's conference outdoor victory in the shot, which came down to the last throw of the competition. Watching that final throw was like watching a home run you knew was going out of the park."
Jon Woehl (Knispel's co-coach, 2015-17): "As a coach, Anica did a great job getting the best out of our throwers."
Corrie Holm
Events: Throws
Hometown: Billings, Montana
Years of Competition: 2011-2015 (4 seasons)
A well-rounded competitor in the throws arena, Holm contributed in the shot put, discus, hammer throw, and weight throw throughout her four-year career at MSUB.
A two-time all-conference performer, Holm's top individual moment came her junior year at the 2014 GNAC Outdoor Championships. Competing in the discus, Holm launched a throw of 143-4 feet to claim the individual title.
Holm continued to improve in her final collegiate season, setting personal bests in three of her four events. Her best discus throw of 144-4 feet was just two feet off the school record, and she also had PRs of 36-11.75 feet in the shot put and 132-3 feet in the hammer throw during the spring of 2015.
Holm was a three-time academic all-conference selection, and earned a GNAC Field Athlete of the Week award during her career as well.
Dave Coppock (Holm's Head Coach 2011-15): "Corrie was an extremely intelligent and dedicated athlete. Her best throwing event was the discus in which she won the GNAC outdoor championship as well as had a provisional NCAA qualifying mark."
Hannah Nessan
Events: Throws
Hometown: Billings, Montana
Years of Competition: 2017-2019 (2 seasons)
Feature Story: MSUB Track & Field Freshman Hannah Nessan
A two-year competitor for her hometown university, Nessan provided leadership and depth to the Yellowjacket throws department from 2017-19.
She narrowly missed out on all-conference accolades, taking fifth place in the discus at both the 2018 and 2019 GNAC Outdoor Championships. One of her standout meets was at the Dickinson State Blue Hawk Games in 2018, where she won the discus at 140-1 feet and placed sixth in the hammer throw at 133-7 feet. Both were all-time personal bests.
An academic all-conference selection, Nessan also finished her career strong by taking second in the shot put with a personal-best throw of 38-9.75 feet in the penultimate meet of her career at the University of Providence Open in the spring of 2019.
Jon Woehl (Nessan's Head Coach 2017-19): "Hannah was a high achiever as a student and athlete. She provided tremendous encouragement to her teammates."
Leeza Henry
Events: Throws
Hometown: Scottsbluff, Nebraska
Years of Competition: 2011-12 (1 season)
Though she spent just one season in the program, Henry made an immediate and lasting impact in the throws department.
Henry stood out at the 2012 GNAC Indoor Championships, taking second place in the shot put with a throw of 44-8.25 feet. She also took fourth in the weight throw in the meet at 47-5.25 feet, hinting that she was in for a big spring season. She was also picked as the GNAC Indoor Newcomer of the Year.
Competing at the UNLV Track Classic in March, 2012, Henry took second place in the shot put at 47-2.5 feet and third in the discus at 146-5 feet. Both marks still stand as all-time program records. Henry finished her MSUB career by taking second in the GNAC Outdoor Championships in both the shot put and discus, and becoming the first MSUB female athlete of the decade to qualify for the NCAA D2 National Championships. Henry took 17th place in the shot put at the national meet, with a toss of 44-2.75 feet.
Dave Coppock (Henry's Head Coach 2011-12): "Leeza came to us as a junior college All-American. She was the first woman in our program to qualify and compete in the NCAA National Championships in the shot."
About the All-Decade 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.
