NAMPA, Idaho – The Montana State University Billings track & field teams would conclude a successful trip to compete in the NNU Open hosted by Northwest Nazarene University on Saturday, with three school record marks and a number of season and personal bests highlighting a successful meet for the teams.
 
Headlining those bests would be three newly bested school records, set by a pair of Yellowjacket women's competitors in Rae Smart and Bella Klein. Smart, a freshman who set an NCAA Provisional Qualifying mark in the shot put in her first meet of the year, would improve upon that mark to grab the top spot in program history, throwing 14.59m (47' 10.50"). That result would rank second in the GNAC this season, rank 13^th in Division II this season, and be good enough to see Smart claim first overall in the event at the meet. Her mark in the event would best the Yellowjacket's previous school record of 14.39m (47' 0.25") set by Leeza Henry in 2012, while also putting her eighth in GNAC history in the event.
 
Smart would then go on to break her second school record of the meet in the javelin, with her 41.84m (137' 3") besting the 'Jackets previous record of 41.60m (136'6") set in 2023 by Ryann Moline. Smart would place third overall at the meet in the event, with her mark ranking third in the conference this season and 36^th in Division II.
 
Klein meanwhile would improve upon her own school record in the 400m for the third consecutive week, lowering her record time to 57.41 and placing third overall in the event at the meet. The senior Klein would improve to 13^th in the GNAC this season in the event, while also running a PR time of 25.85 in the 200m to place third at the meet.
 
Behind that duo, the women's team would see a number of quality finishes up and down the roster. Izzy Ping would take third place in the 100m with a PR time of 12.67, while placing sixth in the 200m with a time of 26.48. Delainey Engen would collect a strong first time of 1:05.93 in the 400m hurdles, placing third overall. Gracyn Rock would continue MSUB's string of third place finishes with her PR performance in the 3000m steeplechase, finishing in 12:10.35. Also collecting PRs on the track would be Kaelyn Sangray in the 1500m with a time of 5:16.35, and Emma Weaver with a time of 13:14.30.
 
In the field events for the MSUB women, Smart would also finish as MSUB's top finisher in the discus, placing fourth with a mark of 40.17m (131' 9"). Hannah Cooper would finish behind her in fifth with a mark of 38.30m (125' 8") Cooper would also earn quality finishes in the javelin, where she placed fourth with a mark of 39.07m (128' 2"), and in the shot put, where her 11.80m (38' 8.75") mark placed sixth. Jaida Green would lead MSUB in the hammer throw, placing third with a strong throw of 47.49m (155' 9").
 
For the MSUB men, JayCee Herbert would lead a trio of Yellowjackets who grab season bests in the 100m, placing sixth with a time of 11.10. Ryen Sanders would finish in tenth behind him with a time of 11.27, while Aidan Johnson placed 11^th with a time of 11.34.  Herbert would also lead MSUB in the 200m with a time of 23.10. Meanwhile in the 400m, Brock Grossman would lead the way for MSUB in seventh, with his PR time of 50.81 seeing him continue to push forward in the top ten in program history, where he ranks seventh. Behind him, Kalub Padilla would grab a season best finish of 51.77, placing 11^th.  John Achter would PR as well in the 1500m with a time of 4:23.86.
 
In the jumping events, Johnnie Young would continue his strong season in the high jump, leaping 1.97m (6' 5.5") to place fourth overall. Behind him, Terran Joseph would PR in sixth place, leaping 1.87m (6' 1.5") and climbing into tenth all-time in program history. Goodness Okere would place fifth in the triple jump with a mark of 12.54m (41' 1.75"). Nolan Evenson would place fourth in the long jump with a mark of 6.44m (21' 6.75"). Evenson would also take third overall in the pole vault with a mark of 4.25m (13' 11.25"), climbing to tie for fifth in program history in the event.
 
In the throws, Braedon Ferris would lead MSUB in the discus with a mark of 45.91m (150' 7"), taking fifth place. Also collecting a fifth-place finish would be Cort Sandefur, who would throw a best of 48.37m (158' 8") in the hammer throw. Sandefur would also place eighth in the discus with a mark of 42.74m (140' 2"), while leading MSUB in the shot put with a ninth-place finish of 13.46m (44' 2"). Sean Zimmer would lead the 'Jackets in the javelin with a mark of 51.46m (168' 10") to place sixth, while Kody Cooper's throw of 50.87m (166' 10") would rank seventh behind him.
  
THE BUZZ: Smart and Ferris were named the Intermountain Health Athletes of the Meet.
 
UP NEXT: The Yellowjackets continue onward with their outdoor campaign, with two more meets scheduled before the GNAC Outdoor Championships. They'll head to Dickinson, ND next week to take part in the Blue Hawk Games hosted by Dickinson State University on Saturday, April 18 at the Henry Biesot Activity Center. Meet information can be found on the men's and women's schedule pages.