DICKINSON, N.D. — The Montana Tech men's 4x400-meter relay team raced to a second-place finish in the final event of the Frontier Conference outdoor track and field championships Sunday to help the Orediggers win the team trophy at the Henry Biesiot Activities Center.
Tech trailed host Dickinson State (N.D.) by two points in the team standings entering the relay. The Diggers crossed the finish line in 3 minutes, 21.26 seconds to place second behind Bismarck State (N.D.), while Dickinson State was fifth with a time of 3:25.24. Tech finished the championships with 154 team points, and the Blue Hawks had 150.
Carroll was third with 142.5 points, followed by Dakota State (N.D.) with 124 and Bismarck State with 97.
Dakota State won the women's team title with 167 points to outpace Dickinson State (153.5 points), Bismarck State (148), Carroll (135) and Tech (86).
Jaxon Allery and Morgan McClernan gave Tech's men a pair of wins in impressive fashion. Allery set the Tech school record in the 100-meter dash, blazing to a 10.14-second finish. The time would be the fastest in the NAIA this spring, but it was considered wind-aided.
McClernan broke the 14-second barrier in the 110-meter hurdles, winning with a time of 13.97 seconds, another school record for the Diggers.
Allery and McClernan also ran legs — along with Matt Moreni and Zach Merrifield — on Tech's winning 4x100-meter relay team. The Orediggers finished in 41.21 seconds to win the event.
Moreni and McClernan were joined by Adam Schrader and Konnor Gregerson on the 4x400-meter relay team, which earned the pivotal second-place finish to close out the meet.
Carroll's Carson Krack was one of the individual standouts, winning three events. He claimed championships in the 400 hurdles (52.86 seconds), long jump (23 feet, 3¼ inches) and decathlon (7,078 points), while the Fighting Saints also got wins from Oliver Morris in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (9:36.27) and Reuben Hornby in the javelin (193-1).
Rocky Mountain College's Keenan Morris cleared an NAIA-best 17-0¼ to win the pole vault, and Justin Glass also won the 5,000 meters (15:27.82) for the Battlin' Bears.
Montana Western's Luke Crossley gave the Bulldogs a win in the 10,000 (32:20.12).
The Dakota State women got individual wins from Amelie Steins in the 100 hurdles (13.91 seconds) and heptathlon (4,796 points) and Brooke Beaucaire in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (11:56.52).
Carroll's Claire Bucklin and Brynn Wandle won the 400-meter hurdles and pole vault, respectively. Bucklin finished in 1:04.18, while Wandle cleared 13-0¼. The Saints also won the 4x800-meter relay in 9:35.95.
Other winners from Treasure State programs included Maya Pearcy of Rocky in the 800 (2:13.92) and Providence's Lauren Cima in the hammer throw (181-8).
For full results from the Frontier Conference outdoor track and field championships, click here.
The NAIA outdoor track and field championships are May 20-22 at Asheville, N.C.
