Saving the Best for Last
2/28/2014 9:42:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field, Track & Field
Final track event of the night yields Big Sky title on Day 2 of conference meet
It's been a rush so far for Montana State Track and Field. While the scores may show the women in eighth place of 11 teams and the men in seventh, it's clearly not indicator for what Saturday's schedule will have in store. MSU had a strong day at Holt Arena at the Big Sky Indoor Track and Field Championships, hosted by Idaho State.
The second day of the Big Sky Championships began with the final three events in the heptathlon. Mason Storm, MSU's only entrant in the two-day feat, placed 11th in his first Big Sky Championship meet. His score of 4, 474 was shy of a lifetime best but he did notch big day two performances. He notched PRs in the 60 hurdles (8.64), pole vault (10-11.75) and the 1000m (3:00.96).
The men's weight throw kicked off the field events at the 2014 championships, hosted by Idaho State at Holt Arena in Pocatello. Normally a powerhouse in every sense of the word, tonight was not the Bobcats' night. Sean Ferriter was MSU's highest finisher, placing ninth with a throw of 58-05.75 (17.82m). He placed fourth in 2013. Zach Sharp came in 12th (54-04.75), while Derek Marsh (54-01.75) and Jarek Jensen (52-08.00) came in 13th and 15th, respectively.
Mason Storm, after his 11th place showing in the heptathlon, turned around and competed in the long jump, where he came in 15th with 20-05.75 (6.24m).
The women's high jump featured Amber Amsbaugh who has been at the top of the conference for almost her entire career. She placed second in her final indoor high jump with a height of 5-08.75 (1.75m) for her fourth all-conference performance.
Ryan Kropp placed fourth in the pole vault, just shy of an All-Big Sky finish. He launched himself to a height of 15-11.00 (4.85m).
Paige Squire was the first Bobcat on the track, racing in the first heat of the 60 hurdles. Her time of 9.02 tied her season's best time, landing her in 12th place, unfortunately eliminating her chances to advance to Saturday's final.
In the 400, Sonia Antar and Iris Hardarson lived to run another day, picking up the seventh and eighth finals spots in their specialty distance. Antar clocked a lifetime best 56.29, as did Hardarson in 56.46.
Making his Big Sky debut was Rory Bauer who also squeaked into finals of the men's 400 with a time of 49.24.
A dominant force since his first season as a Bobcat, Chris Wilson is position to regain his Big Sky title following his performance in the 60m prelims. His time of 6.82 marks a third seed for Saturday's race and more impressively, a lifetime best for the senior speedster. Michael Tobin also raced and finished 13th in 7.07.
Both of MSU's entrants in the women's 800 rose to the occasion to punch their ticket to tomorrow's races. Kaylee Schmitz, the current program record holder finished fourth in 2:13.11, followed by Christie Schiel just behind her in fifth. Schiel's time came in at 2:13.13. Both are making their first appearance at the indoor Big Sky meet, in addition to their first final.
The men's 800 also saw huge success at Holt Arena. The preliminary race was all Blue & Gold with a Jacob Kirk-Matthew Tex 1-2 finish. Kirk crossed the line in 1:57.33, while Tex nabbed a 1:54.38. Tex was the 2013 outdoor 800 winner.
Chantel Jaeger, an integral part of the MSU sprint corps, finally found her niche this season and her race in the 200 proved that almost flawlessly. Her time of 24.24 ties her for second after prelims, but still denotes a lifetime best as she will seek her first individual conference title on Saturday.
Chris Wilson took his momentum from the 60 and put it to good use in the 200, picking up his second personal best of the night. His time of 21.55 gives him the lead into tomorrow's final.
In the women's 5,000, Jenette Northey earned one point for MSU with her eighth place finish time of 17:57.72. Rachel Atwood finished 14th with 18:06.76. In the men's edition, Zachary Kughn was the Bobcats' highest finisher coming in 10th with a time of 15:12.70. Trevor Polson and Seth Garbett came in 14th and 16th, respectively.
Day two came to a close with the Distance Medley Relays, which did not disappoint. The quartet of Schmitz, Squire, Hardarson and Schiel came in fifth place, earning four points for the Bobcats.
Saving the literal "best" for last was the powerful foursome of Cristian Soratos, Tobin, Tex and Michael Asay. Soratos took the lead from the start and MSU never looked back. Extending their lead throughout the race, Asay was able to hold on and secure their second consecutive Big Sky title in the event. MSU finished with a time of 10:01.89.
Other competitors on Friday included Kristi VandeBergh (shot put), Josephine Petruska (long jump), Lillian Ball (800).
"I'm pleased with what happened out there today," said head coach Dale Kennedy. "While every performance may not have been exactly what we counted on, a lot of people stepped up and we're primed to make a big move tomorrow and be as competitive as we can."
The Big Sky Championships will conclude Saturday, March 1. The meet begins at 10 a.m. with field events and 12:30 p.m. on the track.
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