PORTLAND, Ore. – The Montana State University Billings men's and women's track and field teams would each have a member of it's rosters receive Great Northwest Athletic Conference Field Athlete of the Week honors as announced by the conference on Monday afternoon, with Johnnie Young winning the honor for the men, and Rae Smart receiving the honor for the women.
 
Both athletes would have standout performances on Saturday in the Yellowjacket's opening meet of the 2026 outdoor season, the Yellowjacket/Battlin' Bears Open. Both freshmen claimed first place finishes in an event at the meet. Young would emerge with a top finish in the high jump, while Smart would be victorious in the shot put.
 
Young would earn his first-place mark with a personal best leap in the high jump, clearing 2.01m (6' 7"). That mark currently stands as the best result by any high jumper in the GNAC this season, and climb him up to third all-time in MSUB program history. Young would also take part in the triple jump, where he would finish in second place overall with a mark of 13.07m (42' 10.75"), where he currently sits sixth on the GNAC performance list this season and tenth in program history.
 
"Johnnie had everything clicking for him on Saturday, and he jumped really well" said MSUB head coach Jonathan Woehl. "He has been working hard with coach Jamie (Flanagan) to improve some of his technique, and he had a great result."
 
Meanwhile, Smart would take the top spot in the shot put, throwing a PR mark of 14.18m (46' 6.25") to post not only the best mark in the event of any GNAC athlete this season, but the seventh highest mark in the entirety of Division II. In just her first meet of the season after finishing up the season with the Yellowjacket women's basketball team, Smart would post the second furthest shot put mark in program history. She would also compete in the javelin, where her throw of 38.04m (124' 10") would rank sixth in the GNAC and fourth at the meet, hammer throw where her 38.65m (126' 10") throw ranked 11^th in the GNAC and sixth at the meet, and javelin, where she ranked 12^th in the conference and second at the meet with a throw of 37.13m (121' 10").
 
"Rae had a great meet," Woehl said. "I am so impressed that she shifted from basketball to track & field so quickly. She is very coachable and has picked up a lot of the cues she and Coach Nels (Flanagan) have been working on during training."
 
Smart, Young, and the rest of the Yellowjackets will be back at Lockwood High School for their second and final home meet of the regular season, hosting the Dave Coppock Yellowjacket Open on Saturday, March 28.