SPEARFISH, S.D. – Competing for the first time in a full calendar year, the Montana State University Billings men's and women's track and field teams began their 2020-21 season at the Black Hills State University Yellowjacket Open wrapping up Saturday at the Donald E. Young Center.
 
"For most of the new athletes on the team, this would be their first meet in almost two years," said MSUB head coach Jonathan Woehl. "They did really well, and I was excited to see everybody get to compete. Even though the marks weren't where everyone wanted, nobody let that deter them from having a good day and having some positive takeaways from everything."
 
Kailee Stoppel competed in four different events, helping lead both the women's distance medley relay and 4x400-meter relay squads. She also posted a personal-best time of 5:33.15 in the mile, while running 11:33.06 minutes in the 3k. "Kailee ran really confidently in the 1,200 and that carried over today in the mile," Woehl said. "She was not far off of her PR in the 3k, so it was good to see her having good training and having that translate over into some good results."
 
MSUB's other key standouts on Saturday were Logan Straus and Carson Jessop, who went 3-4 in the 3k with times of 9:02.56 and 9:04.46, respectively. Both marks were personal bests. "Those two guys have been working and doing a lot of training runs together," said Woehl. "It was fun to see them go back-and-forth with each other in the 3k and have a good result in the end. It was probably the best they have ever run that race before."
 
Payden Lynn had a solid MSUB debut, placing fifth in the long jump with a distance of 21-10.25 feet. Bryce Olson also competed in the long jump, and got his Yellowjacket career off with a leap of 10-2.5 feet. Justin Wells and Carson Ullmer checked in with marks of 18-4.5 feet and 18-2.25 feet in the long jump, respectively. Olson also led MSUB in the triple jump, placing fourth at 43-6.0 feet while Lynn was close behind at 43-5.75 feet and Garrett McMillen finished at 41-10.5 feet.
 
Freshman Joleen Pollat took 12th among the field of 20 in the weight throw with a distance of 43-3 feet, while Jordan Cookman finished 17th at 39-5.75 feet and Grace Jones took 20th at 34-6.25 feet.
 
MSUB's distance medley relay teams also competed in the meet, with the women's quartet of Stoppel, Marley Glessner, Sierra Durbin, and Ally Whitmer posting a time of 13:24.14 minutes and finishing in fifth place. On the men's side, the combination of Straus, Jackson Bailey, Nick Redgrave, and Jessop ran a time of 10:58.22 minutes.
 
Also competing in the men's throws department were Coen Guisti, Jordan Lahi, Ryder Klein, and Braden Anderson. Guisti was the team's top performer in the weight throw, with a heave of 39-2.5 feet.
 
Senior Michaela Johnson placed seventh in the 60-meter hurdles, running a time of 10.47 seconds. Johnson also took sixth in the 60 meters with a time of 8.57 seconds, while Kaitlin Mason took fifth in the event in 8.55 seconds. Cody Welsh made his MSUB debut in the 60-meter hurdles as well, finishing with a time of 9.74 seconds.
 
Kendall Lynn posted a leap of 15-6.75 feet in the long jump, and a mark of 33-9.5 feet in the triple jump in her first meet as a Yellowjacket.
 
THE BUZZ: Stoppel was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Athlete of the Day…Pollat's weight throw distance was the ninth-best in MSUB history on the all-time performance list.
 
LOOKING AHEAD: The Yellowjackets completed their only indoor meet on the schedule, and are next in action on March 20 at the MSUB/Battlin' Bear meet in Lockwood, Montana. It will be the first of six meets currently on the Yellowjackets' calendar for the 2021 outdoor season.