ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Over the past two months, the Montana State University Billings men's and women's track and field team has competed in 10 meets held in five different states, endured several weather cancelations, illnesses, injuries and the like. Along the way, the team has broken two school records and set 30 top-10 program bests, but as any track coach would say, the team is peaking at the right time.
 
Now, only the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Track and Field Championship meet awaits the 'Jackets.
 
The 2022 GNAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships will take place on the Central Washington University campus in Ellensburg, Wash., starting this Friday with the women's long jump at 10:30 a.m. PT. Saturday's action starts at 10:15 a.m. with the men's triple jump and ends at 5:45 p.m. with the men's 4x400 meter relay.
 
Given how competitive the GNAC Indoor Championships ended up being – plus the gradual improvement from every school since then – this year's outdoor championships could be one of the deepest, most competitive events the conference has ever had.
 
"I'm hopeful," MSUB track and field head coach Jonathan Woehl said. "We're peaking at the right time and I'm hoping we can continue that. Hopefully that means we can surprise a few teams and be in the mix of a few events this weekend."
 
The Yellowjackets are two weeks removed from running their full squad at Idaho State University's Bengal Invite, which featured a new school record (thanks to Bradley Graves in the 110-meter high hurdles), solid performances from the distance runners, plus improvement from the sprint squad. And although only a handful of athletes made the trip to the Dickinson State University Last Chance Meet last Thursday, performances from Forrest Cross and Braden Anderson in the throws, plus season-bests in the high jumps from Madeline Severson and Favor Okere have the 'Jackets firing on all cylinders as the regular-season heads into the home stretch.
 
Last season, both the men's and the women's teams placed eighth out of eight teams. Beau Ackerman and Isaiah Girard were the bright spots for the men's program, as both took home conference titles in the javelin and the high jump, respectively. For the women, Jordan Cookman and current throwing coach Taylor Stringari set school records in the javelin and the hammer throw, respectively. If the Yellowjackets improve their scores from last year, it will come from athletes like Forrest Cross, Bradley Graves, Carson Jessop, Kendall Lynn, Ryann Moline and Kailee Stoppel – all of whom are ranked in the top five in at least one of their events.
 
THE CONTENDERS
 
The road back to the GNAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships has been a long one for Forrest Cross, yet the redshirt junior will contend for several throwing titles in his first outdoor conference championship meet since 2018.
 
Cross is currently ranked second in the discus, fifth in the shot and ninth in the hammer throw, setting him up to be one of the men's team's high point-scorers at the conference meet. A little over two meters separates Cross from current discus leader Omar Young, who comes in with a 47.86m mark, yet Cross has set lifetime bests in all three throws this season. He will be pushed by Braden Anderson, who ranks sixth in the shot put with a 14.42m mark and Coen Guisti, who is 10^th in both the discus and the hammer throw.
 
"All three of them really feed off of how each other is doing," Woehl said. "Sometimes with teammates you get a little bit of animosity between each other, but these guys thrive off of when their teammates do well. I'm excited to see what these guys will do."
 
Two weeks removed from setting the school record in the 110-meter high hurdles, Bradley Graves comes in as the third-fastest hurdler in the conference this weekend. Graves' time of 14.80 is three-hundredths of a second behind Western Washington's Koby Okezie and less than a second off current GNAC leader Joshua Wagner of Alaska Anchorage, who leads the field with a 14.20. Although Graves is no stranger to big races or to GNAC competition – he placed sixth in the 60-meter hurdles at the GNAC Indoor Championships earlier this year – a strong performance this weekend could solidify him as one of the conference's best hurdlers over the next few seasons.
 
"Bradley and our sprinters are peaking at the right time and getting faster and faster," Woehl said. "He can be right up there on the podium for sure. It's been great to see him work so hard this year, trying to get back to where he used to be. He's been taking it week by week and it'll be exciting to see where he'll end up – especially after PRing in the open 100 meters earlier this week."
 
On the distance side, Carson Jessop's 3,000-meter steeplechase on Friday afternoon is the marquee race for the men's team. So far, Jessop is the only Yellowjacket to hit a NCAA Division II provisional standard, yet he'll need to dip under the nine-minute mark in the event to ensure his spot at the national championships. His lifetime-best 9:07.74 is the third-fastest time in the event behind Western Washington duo Mac Franks and Jeret Gillingham – both of whom have times in the 8:50s.
 
"I'm excited for Carson," Woehl said. "He's put in a lot of work over the past five years and has been running better and better. He had a breakthrough race in California earlier this season and the goal is going to be pushing that time down faster. Hopefully we can extend his season by qualifying for the national championships in a few weeks."
 
Should Jessop dip under the nine-minute mark, he could have a chance at breaking the school record of 8:55.30, set by Jorey Egeland during his GNAC-title-winning run in 2018. Of all the distance events, MSUB has had the most success in the steeplechase, as Egeland and Robert Peterson both won conference titles and qualified for nationals in the event. Jessop will be joined by Ase Ackerman, who ran a lifetime-best 9:27.52 at altitude two weeks ago at the Bengal Invite; Ackerman comes in with the sixth-fastest time.
 
The women's steeplechase will also be a key event, as Kailee Stoppel comes in with the third-fastest time in the conference at an 11:15.57. On paper, Stoppel's race will be like Jessop's: She needs to break 11-minutes to hit the provisional mark of 11:00.95, she will be chasing two runners who already hit said provisional mark (yet both will be pushing the pace to improve their standings), plus she is MSUB's most realistic shot at being the first female Yellowjacket distance runner to win a conference title.
 
Elsewhere for the women, Ryann Moline is in the top five in both the javelin and the discus. The true freshman ranks second all-time at MSUB with her 39.35m javelin throw, which she set in the season-opener on March 19. Her 40.56m throw in the discus is fourth in the conference and three meters behind current leader Katie Potts of Western Washington; she leads the way with a 43.88m (143-11) mark.
 
"The javelin is definitely her best event," Woehl said of Moline. "Although she's been competing in shot put well, the javelin and the discus have definitely been her better events this year. Coming into this meet as a freshman, I'm sure she will be able to handle the pressure well. Getting to do two events that are her staple events, I'm excited to see what she can do."
 
Additionally, Moline will be joined by essentially the entire women's throws squad at the meet. Few programs can say they qualified everyone for the conference meet in one discipline, but MSUB's women's throwing team can back that up: Five 'Jackets will compete in the discus, four will compete in the shot put and the javelin and two will compete in the hammer throw. Over in shot, Dakota Lobmeyer's 12.37m mark is good for sixth in the GNAC. Jordan Cookman's 40.99m mark leads the 'Jackets in the hammer throw.
 
"All of our women are hitting their stride at the right time," Woehl said of the throwers. "With each meet, it seems like that throws core is having new season-bests. We have a lot of the women coming in seeded from 11^th to 14^th, but each one of them is capable of placing in the top nine and making finals. The fun thing is that with the exception of Forrest, everyone is an underclassmen in all throws, which should be exciting to watch. Even if the best-case scenario doesn't happen this year, this meet will still be something to take away for the freshmen and sophomores."
 
Kendall Lynn rounds out MSUB's title contenders, as she comes in with the fifth-best mark in the triple jump at 11.24m. Only 13 inches separates her and conference-leader Aliyah Dawkins of WWU. Lynn, who set the school record in the long jump earlier this year, is also seeded 10^th in the long jump, which should be the most competitive jumping event of the meet.
 
"I'm excited to see what she can do against one of the deepest, most competitive fields in the GNAC," Woehl said. "She's been getting better and better in the triple jump and hopefully she can set some school records and place high in those events. One of the things that I like about her is that she's a gamer. When she gets down to the third jumps in prelims, those are usually her best. Then in jumps four through six, her sixth jump is usually her best. She's come a long way over the past few years not only as a jumper, but also as a team leader that her teammates look up to."
 
EVENTS OF NOTE

• 10K: The 'Jackets will have two runners in both the men's and the women's 10,000 meter run, as Bryant Edgerton and Logan Straus will compete for the men, plus Ally Whitmer and Kit Wiersema will represent MSUB in the women's race.
• Men's 400 meters: Want a close race? Less than a second separates current leader Isaiah Archer of SPU (49.17) and the seventh-fastest seed time. Freshman Benjamin Ralston is seeded 10^th with a 50.61, and depending on how his heat shakes out, he could not only go under 50 seconds for the first time ever, but also make finals. The top eight times advance and the top 12 times are all hovering around 50-flat or faster, so this is anyone's event to win.
• Women's 800 meters: Kailee Stoppel had a breakout race at the indoor conference meet in this event, as she broke the school record and pulled the upset by winning her heat in 2:15.86. The GNAC's 800-meter times have improved across the board in outdoor season, yet with a highly competitive heat and a recent PR under her belt (2:17.98), Stoppel could break the outdoor school record.
• Men's 4x100 meter relay: Although only three years have elapsed since the Yellowjackets won back-to-back titles in the 4x100 relay, this year's team has found its footing as of late. Made up of entirely underclassmen, MSUB's team of William Ullery, Bradley Graves, Favor Okere and Benjamin Ralston sit in fifth with a time of 43.17. Woehl believes that with a little help and cleaner exchanges, the men's team could finish in the top four.
• Women's 4x400 meter relay: Running with its sixth-different relay combination of the season, the 'Jackets ran a season-best 4:08.15 two weeks ago at Idaho State, which was good enough to sneak into the field. The team of Madeline Severson, Sierra Durbin, Katelyn Hamill and Kailee Stoppel is responsible for the sixth-fastest time in program history, but less than a second per leg separates them from sixth-place Western Washington.

 
THE LAST TIME…

• A male MSUB sprinter won a GNAC title: 2019 (Sam Zook, 100 meters)
• A male MSUB distance runner won a GNAC title: 2018 (Jorey Egeland, 5,000 meters and the 3,000-meter steeplechase)
• A male MSUB thrower won a GNAC title: 2021 (Beau Ackerman, javelin)
• A male MSUB jumper won a GNAC title: 2021 (Isaiah Girard, high jump)
• A male MSUB relay won a GNAC title: 2019 (4x100 relay: Kaelen Shay, Sam Zook, Mason Schram, Rahkei Eyer)
• A female MSUB sprinter won a GNAC title: Never
• A female MSUB distance runner won a GNAC title: Never
• A female MSUB thrower won a GNAC title: 2014 (Corrie Holm, discus)
• A female MSUB jumper won a GNAC title: Never
• A female MSUB relay won a GNAC title: Never
• A MSUB athlete was named Newcomer of the Year: 2008 (Richie Pemberton)
• A MSUB athlete had the Performance of the Meet: 2021 (Beau Ackerman)

MOVING ON UP
Here is a running list of all the new MSUB top-10 marks that have occurred this season.
 

Event	Rank	Time	Athlete	Meet	Date
400-meter Hurdles	9	1:11.46	Annelise Clark	Yellowjackets/Battlin' Bears Icebreaker Open	3/19/2022
3,000-meter Steeplechase	2	11:15.27	Kailee Stoppel	Bryan Clay Invitational	4/13/2022
1,500 meters	2	4:45.13	Kailee Stoppel	Bryan Clay Invitational	4/15/2022
400 meters	5	1:01.05	Madeline Severson	Trudnowski Open	4/22/2022
10,000 meters	8	43:01.50	Ally Whitmer	Bengal Invitational	4/29/2022
10,000 meters	9	44:16.30	Kit Wiersema	Bengal Invitational	4/29/2022
800 meters	2	2:18.61	Kailee Stoppel	Bengal Invitational	4/30/2022
4x400 relay	6	4:08.15	Severson/Durbin/Hamill/Stoppel	Bengal Invitational	4/30/2022

         

Event	Rank	Distance	Athlete	Meet	Date
Long Jump	1	5.39m (17-8.25)	Kendall Lynn	Yellowjackets/Battlin' Bears Spring Open	4/2/2022
Javelin	2	39.35m (129-1)	Ryann Moline	Yellowjackets/Battlin' Bears Icebreaker Open	3/19/2022
Hammer Throw	6	40.99 (134-6)	Jordan Cookman	Yellowjackets/Battlin' Bears Spring Open	4/2/2022
Hammer Throw	10	40.09m (131-6)	Grace Jones	Bauer Open	4/8/2022
Shot Put	4	12.37m (40-7)	Dakota Lobmeyer	Bauer Open	4/9/2022
Discus	4	40.56m (133-1)	Ryann Moline	Pacific Coast Intercollegiate	4/14/2022
Long Jump	4	5.20m (17-0.75)	Madeline Severson	Trudnowski Open	4/22/2022

 

Event	Rank	Time	Athlete	Meet	Date
110-meter Hurdles	1	14.80	Bradley Graves	Bengal Invitational	4/29/2022
400 meters	5	50.50	Benjamin Ralston	Yellow Jacket Spring Open	3/26/2022
1,500 meters	5	3:58.62	Ase Ackerman	Yellow Jacket Spring Open	3/26/2022
3,000-meter Steeplechase	3	9:07.74	Carson Jessop	Bryan Clay Invitational	4/13/2022
5,000 meters	5	15:19.20	Ase Ackerman	Bryan Clay Invitational	4/14/2022
1,500 meters	2	3:54.03	Ase Ackerman	Bryan Clay Invitational	4/15/2022
10,000 meters	7	33:29.73	Bryant Edgerton	Bengal Invitational	4/29/2022
3,000-meter Steeplechase	7	9:39.57	Ase Ackerman	Bengal Invitational	4/30/2022

Event	Rank	Distance	Athlete	Meet	Date
Shot Put	9	14.18m (46-6.25)	Braden Anderson	Yellowjackets/Battlin' Bears Icebreaker Open	3/19/2022
Hammer Throw	3	47.99m (157-5)	Forrest Cross	Yellow Jacket Spring Open	3/25/2022
Shot Put	7	14.45m (47-5)	Forrest Cross	Yellowjackets/Battlin' Bears Spring Open	4/2/2022
Discus	4	45.34m (148-9)	Forrest Cross	Pacific Coast Intercollegiate	4/14/2022
Hammer Throw	4	47.77m (156-9)	Coen Guisti	Trudnowski Open	4/21/2022
Triple Jump	9	13.06m (42-10.25)	Garrett McMillen	Trudnowski Open	4/22/2022
High Jump	7	1.90 (6-2.75)	Favor Okere	DSU Last Chance Meet	5/5/2022

UP NEXT: Day one of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships starts on Friday at 10:30 a.m. PT with the women's long jump. The 3,000-meter steeplechase will be the first track event at 3 p.m. Live stats can be found at www.gnac.live, plus all results will be updated to the men's and women's track and field schedule pages at msubsports.com at the completion of the meet.