BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas — There were travel delays, poor conditions and interruptions to the action because of lightning, but a trio of Montana Grizzlies were able to weather the storm to take the field at the NCAA West First Round on Wednesday.
Matthew Hockett, Kyle Iorg and Carson Weeden all competed in their final events of the season for Montana against the 48 best athletes west of the Mississippi. It brings to an end the careers of Hockett and Weeden, while Iorg is only getting his first taste of the regional meet as a true freshman.
It’s a difficult meet with high levels of pressure weighing on all the athletes, and while the performances on the day may not have been what the Grizzlies were hoping, they still were able to represent Montana with pride at the end of a great season.
“Although the three men that competed today are disappointed in their results, I’m proud of the way they competed and represented the Griz,” head coach Doug Fraley said.
Weeden had the strongest performance of the day in the men’s pole vault. The competition was fierce, leading to an opening bar of 16-5.5. Weeden was able to clear it on his first attempt.
The progressions are large at the regional meet with the bar going up six inches to 16-11.5 for the second attempts. Weeden came close, but wasn’t able to clear in his three attempts. His first-attempt clearance still earned him a tie for 26th.
The pressure in the javelin comes with opportunity as all the athletes get just three attempts with no finals. Hockett’s first attempt would prove to be his best as he finished with the mark of 202-6.
Hockett, in his third appearance at the regional meet in his redshirt-senior season, finished in 35th place.
“We celebrate the many accomplishments Carson and Matt have achieved over the last five years,” Fraley said. “We all appreciate their tremendous contributions to our program.”
Iorg had a fantastic true freshman season, living up to the hype that accompanied him from high school in Bothell, Wash. He entered the meet fresh off a third-place finish at the Big Sky Conference championships with all-conference honors.
He finished seventh in the event among freshman throwers and 40th overall with a mark of 193-10.
It’s the first of what Iorg and the Grizzlies hope will be many appearances at this meet as he continues to long legacy of javelin at the University of Montana.
“This experience for Kyle as a freshman will be really valuable when he returns to this competition in the future,” Fraley said.
Montana will have one athlete in action on Thursday. Ashley Carroll will kick things off for the Grizzly women with the javelin competition beginning at 1:30 p.m. (MT).
NCAA WEST FIRST ROUND RESULTS
Men’s Pole Vault- Carson Weeden (16-5.5, 26th)
Men’s Javelin- Matthew Hockett (202-6, 35th), Kyle Iorg (193-10, 40th)
