(Editor's note: Montana Athletics release.)
SPOKANE, Wash. — Erin Wilde had been on top of the Big Sky once before. The freshman shocked the conference last year in Greeley, Colo., at the outdoor championships, reaching 5-9¼ to claim the Big Sky high jump title in her first year.
This time around, there would be no element of surprise for the Whitefish product. She wouldn’t need it.
Wilde won her second Big Sky title on Friday night in Spokane, clearing her first four jumps of the meet and finishing with an indoor PR of 5-8½. Wilde entered as one of the favorites having won two regular season meets already. She finished in the top three in all five of the Grizzlies meets heading to Spokane.
It all came together for her inside The Podium. She opened at 5-3 and was perfect all the way through her final mark, where she would miss just once. It gave her the edge over Idaho State senior Kapri Sylvester, who finished in second.
“It’s really cool,” head coach Doug Fraley said of Wilde’s performance. “She won it last year as a freshman without really any pressure, and it’s totally different when you’re coming into it in year two as the defending outdoor champ and you have a big target on your back.
“She was flawless in her first several jumps and put the pressure on the other women and just did a fantastic job and took home the title. I couldn’t be prouder of her.”
Wilde is the first Grizzly female to win the indoor high jump since current assistant coach Lindsey Hall did it in 2011.
