PORTLAND, Ore. — Montana State Billings freshman Rae Smart was named Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's track and field athlete of the week on Monday.
Smart’s collegiate track and field career got off to quite the start last week at the Yellowjacket/Battlin’ Bear Open as she posted solid marks in four throwing events.
Her biggest performance of the meet was a shot put of 46-6¼ feet (14.18 meters) as she topped a field of 20 competitors. That was the seventh-farthest throw by any athlete in NCAA Division II so far this spring, and it was the furthest by a GNAC athlete.
Smart also posted the GNAC’s sixth-best javelin throw at 124-10 feet (38.04 meters), 11th-best hammer throw at 126-10 feet (38.65 meters) and 12th-best discus throw at 121-10 feet (37.13 meters).
Smart, a Billings Skyview High School grad, is a dual-sport athlete for MSUB. She helped deliver the 2026 GNAC women’s basketball tournament title to the Yellowjackets earlier this month.
"Rae had a great meet. I am so impressed that she shifted from basketball to track and field so quickly," Jackets coach Jonathan Woehl said. "She is very coachable and has picked up a lot of the cues she and coach Nels (Flanagan) have been working on during training."
Meanwhile, MSUB's Johnnie Young was named GNAC men's field athlete of the week.
Young was the first GNAC men’s athlete this season to clear two meters in the high jump, as he won the competition at the Yellowjacket/Battlin’ Bear Open on Saturday in Billings.
Young made a jump of 6-7 feet (2.01 meters), hitting his best mark of his debut collegiate season. The freshman finished ninth in the high jump at the GNAC indoor championships, and his previous season best in the event was 6-4 feet (1.93 meters) achieved on Feb. 6.
"Johnnie had everything clicking for him on Saturday and he jumped very well," Woehl said. "He has been working hard with coach Jamie (Flanagan) to improve some of his technique and he had a great result."
