BILLINGS, Mont. – Despite a weather cancelation that cut the Yellowjackets/Battlin' Bears Spring Open short, the Montana State University Billings track and field team set a new school record, thanks to Kendall Lynn's 5.39m (17-8.25) mark on Saturday.
 
MSUB's biggest home meet of the year was short-lived. Clouds rolled in and the wind picked up midway through the 1,500 meter races, then the meet was postponed for an hour before the women's 100-meter hurdles. Once the storm picked up and lightning strikes were reported in the area, the meet was canceled. No make-up date has been scheduled at this time.
 
Yet Lynn's long jump made the most of the short meet. Lynn – who set MSUB's outdoor triple jump record as a freshman last spring – broke Shaniah Schwend's record of 5.32m (17-7) by jumping a 5.39m (17-8.25) to win the event.
 
"Kendall has really embraced the jumps and she's really starting to hone in on her technique," MSUB head coach Jonathan Woehl said of Lynn. "She delivered today, and I'm really proud of her. In talking with her today, she said she had a jump or two that were even further that she scratched. The best is yet to come for her."
 
Later in the afternoon, Lynn won the triple jump with a mark of 11.24m (36-10.5) – her furthest mark of the season so far.
 
"Not only is she getting better and better as a jumper, but she is also taking on more of a leadership role on the team, which is awesome," Woehl added. "She's a good role model for the underclassmen to look up to, but she's doing a great job as a team captain.
 
Lynn's school record is the first set in outdoor season and the third school record set this year. During indoor season, Benjamin Ralston set the school record in the 400 meters and Kailee Stoppel broke the 800 meter record at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships.
 
Elsewhere, two more personal bests from Jordan Cookman and Forrest Cross highlighted the day for the throwers. Cookman's mark of 40.99m (134-6) moved her into sixth all-time at MSUB and 15^th in the GNAC this season. Cookman was the only 'Jacket to make finals, and she placed 8th out of 30 throwers. Meanwhile, Cross' shot put mark of 14.45m (47-5) was not only good for third place at the meet, but also the third-best mark in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference so far. Cross also placed fifth in the hammer throw with a 43.59m (143-0) mark.
 
Team scoring-wise, Carroll College's women's team had a slim 49-48 lead over Dickinson State through the 15 events scored. For the men, Dickinson State was in first with 70 points, followed by Carroll College with 54 points. MSUB's women's team was in third with 44 points and the men's team was in fifth with 36 points.
 
THE RUNDOWN

• Kendall Lynn was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Women's Athlete of the Meet for setting the school record in the long jump and winning both the long and triple jumps.
• Forrest Cross was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Men's Athlete of the Meet for placing third in the shot put with a new personal best and fifth in the hammer throw.
• Ase Ackerman and Logan Straus went 2-3 in the 5,000 meters, running a 15:44.92 and a 15:49.80, respectively. MSUB alum Ivan Colmenero ('19) won with a time of 15:19.00.
• The men's 4x100 relay team of William Ullery, Bradley Graves, Favor Okere and Benjamin Ralston finished in third and ran a season-best 43.02.
• Madeline Severson cleared 1.47m (4-9.75) in the high jump – tying an outdoor season-best – and placed third overall.
• In her first 1,500 meters of the year, Kailee Stoppel finished in fourth place with a 5:01.66.

 
UP NEXT: MSUB's season continues at South Dakota Mines' Bauer Open, held on April 9. Meet information will be posted on both the men's and women's track schedule pages at msubsports.com.