(Editor’s note: Montana State University press release)
FLAGSTAFF, A.Z. – Multiple Bobcats made podium appearances during the second day of the Big Sky Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships on Friday, Feb. 23, inside the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome. Following the first set of finals events, Montana State’s men’s team sits in third place with 30.33 points and the women’s team is 10th with 11.
Senior Calvin Root earned the top finish of his collegiate career at a conference indoor meet. Root completed a runner-up showing in the weight throw by recording a mark of 61-09.75 (18.84m). MSU sophomore Wyatt Thompson-Siporen matched Root with a silver-medal performance in the pole vault. Thompson-Siporen cleared 16-04.50 (4.99m) in his debut at the Big Sky Championships.
Those two efforts helped the Bobcat men collect 16 points.
The men’s heptathlon came to a close Friday and the Bobcats benefitted from two athletes’ finishes.
Sophomore Noah Martin earned a lifetime-best 4,977 points to take third place. Among the heptathlon field, Martin moved back up among the leaders behind his first-place pole vault clearance of 15-00.75 (4.59) which was the best mark of his career. Sophomore Caleb Neth also set a personal-best total in the event with 4,817 points to take seventh overall.
Junior Kelsi Lasota had the women’s team’s top individual finals showing on Friday. Lasota ran with the lead pack in the 5,000-meter run for a majority of the race and took the lead with 900 meters remaining. Despite her effort, Lasota eventually finished fourth overall with a time of 17 minutes, 40.16 seconds. Sophomore Anna French followed her in 11th by crossing the line in 18:23.24.
Junior Luke Middelstadt was the MSU men’s remaining individual point scorer as he finished in a tie for eighth in the pole vault (14-10.75).
Both the Bobcat distance medley relay squads earned third-place finishes in their respective races. The women’s relay of Lexi Kyro, Hailey Phillips, Ellen Brooks and Trisha Carlson finished in a time of 12:17.83, while the men’s relay of Riley Collins, Christopher Lange, Samuel Bloom and Diego Leon crossed the line in 10:14.96.
Several Bobcats that competed in preliminary races earned finals appearances on Saturday.
Montana State advanced three to the men’s 800 finals. Bloom and Cameron Carroll ran side-by-side the entire last lap to easily distance themselves from the field to take the top two spots in the first heat, with Carroll (1:52.72) finishing ahead of Bloom (1:53.32). Chris Bianchini joined them by taking second in the second heat by finishing in a time of 1:52.47.
The Bobcat women advanced two to the 400 finals. McKenna Ramsay completed a time of 55.26 and Taylor Buschyearned a mark of 55.68 to place fourth and fifth overall, respectively.
Amanda Jaynes, Kendra Larson, Jadin Casey and Mitch Horning all advanced to finals races in their respective races.
Jaynes was the top finisher in the women’s 60 hurdles prelims with her time of 8.52. Larson didn’t finish atop her heat, but completed the 800 in 2:11.91 which was the sixth best mark. Casey finished third overall in the men’s 400 and Mitch Horning took sixth in the men’s 200 field to represent the Bobcats on Saturday.
Numerous MSU athletes narrowly missed finals opportunities.
Morgan Evans finished 10th in the women’s 60 hurdles as she registered in at 8.84. Parker Walton and Truanne Roginskeeach placed 12th overall, with Walton finishing in 49.01 in the 400 and Roginske 7.73 in the 60. Jaynes and Drake Schneidereach completed 13th-place showings, with Jaynes finishing with a time of 24.96 in the 200 and Schneider clocking a 49.10 in the 400.
The final day of the Big Sky Indoor Championships gets started at 10 a.m. Saturday on the campus of Northern Arizona with the women’s weight throw and men’s triple jump. Running events begin at 12 p.m. in the Skydome. Action will be live streamed again on Pluto TV and WatchBigSky.com beginning at 10:45 a.m.
