Montana State thrower Sydney Brewster qualifies for NCAA national meet

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Montana State racked up big marks and shattered records on Thursday as Sydney Brewster, Caroline Hawkes, and Tilde Bjerager highlighted the Bobcats’ second day of the NCAA West First Round meet.
 
Brewster became the first Bobcat to secure her spot at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore., thanks to a season-best mark in the shot put and a fifth-place finish. Hawkes broke her own school record in the 400-meter dash to advance to Saturday’s quarterfinal race, and Bjerager secured sixth place in the 400 hurdles to also earn a spot in the quarterfinals.
 
Brewster recorded a mark of 17.16 meters/56 feet, 3¾ inches on her first throw to catapult herself into fifth place and secure her first trip to Eugene. She will represent the Bobcats at the NCAA Championships for the second time this season after earning second-team All-America honors at the indoor meet earlier this year. Her mark surpassed her own season best by four centimeters.
 
Hawkes shattered her own 400-meter school record by 0.22 seconds to place 20th overall and advance to the event’s quarterfinals, which will be held on Saturday at 5:50 p.m. Mountain time. She placed fourth in her heat and qualified with one of the six fastest times outside of the automatic qualifiers. Hawkes will look to advance to Eugene for the second-straight year after competing the 4x400 relay at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in 2025.
 
Bjerager clocked another impressive time in the 400 hurdles, crossing the finish line in 56.44 to place sixth overall. She placed second in her heat to automatically qualify for Saturday’s quarterfinals with her second-straight time below 57 seconds. Giulia Gandolfi competed alongside Bjerager in the same heat, posting a time of 59.59 to place 37th.
 
Madi Siana made her NCAA Regional debut in the 10,000 meters, clocking a time of 34:36.41 to finish 34th. The time was her second-fastest of the season in the event.
 
A trio of pole vaulters saw action in Arkansas on Thursday, with Bob Hartley and Jordan Lasher competing on the men’s side and Tatum Richards vaulting on the women’s side. Hartley and Lasher both cleared 5.07m/16-7½ on their first attempt to tie for 20th place in their regional debuts. Richards posted a mark of 3.93m/12-10¾ on her third and final attempt to tie for 41st in her second trip to regionals.