MSU Track & Field Teams Earn Third Place Finishes at Big Sky Championship

Saturday, February 25

Pocatello, ID

10 a.m.

Montana State University

Big Sky Indoor Championship - Day Three

Photo by: ISU Sports Information

MSU Track & Field Teams Earn Third Place Finishes at Big Sky Championship

2/25/2017 6:17:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

Big Sky Championship (Final Results)Individual Scores (Final)

Christie Schiel broke the school record in the women's 800 to lead a host of Bobcats that earned all-conference accolades at the Big Sky indoor meet Saturday

By: Andrew Pedersen

POCATELLO, Idaho – The Bobcats went into the Big Sky Indoor Track and Field Championships with certain expectations. Those expectations were met by one squad and topped by another as the Montana State men's and women's track teams both finished third in the team standings Saturday, Feb. 25, inside of Idaho State's Holt Arena.

The MSU women's team jumped from sixth to third from day two to three and completed the meet with 72.50 points, 6.50 ahead of fourth-place Sacramento State. The men's team wrapped up the championships with 74.50 points, with the Hornets just behind in fourth with 71.50. Northern Arizona won both team titles with 129.50 points on the men's side and 114 in the women's championship.

"The team finishes are really exciting and all about us," Montana state head coach Dale Kennedy said. "It was really a great collective effort on both the men's and women's sides. In the fall, our team set some goals since we finished fifth and eighth a year ago. Our goals ended up set as our men's team to finish third and our women's team to finish fifth. Our men's team achieved their goal and our women's team went beyond it. I think both teams really had a great meet.

"We had some Big Sky champions and that's always exciting and we had multiple number of all-conference performances. But, it was everybody together in this thing. On the men's side, we only beat them by three points, so it takes one point here and there that makes a difference in finishing third compared to fourth or fifth."

Senior Christie Schiel most likely had the run of the day for the Bobcats. Schiel earned her third Big Sky title in the 800-meter run – her first at the indoor championships – by crossing the line in an outright school-record time of 2 minutes, 8.29 seconds. Her converted time due to altitude of 2:07.69 is the eighth fastest in the event in conference history.

"I'm on cloud nine," Schiel said after her historic performance. "It's been a really awesome experience (running for MSU). It's my fifth year and I was hoping to go out on top and it ended up working out.

"I was just racing. A lot of the races I haven't had any one up there pushing me, so it was kind of nice to have some people push the pace. I was just in it to race and you never feel like you won it until you cross the finish line."

"It's great, a three-time champion," Kennedy said. "The one thing that always got away from her was the school record and it was outright. I thought she had a shot of getting the Big Sky record. What a great thrill it was to watch her do that and see a senior come up like that. (Assistant coach) Lyle Weese has done a great job of getting her ready to go and getting her to the starting line."

The women's team continued to see success with two individuals earning all-conference accolades.

Sophomore Alyssa Snyder made her second podium appearance of the weekend by taking runner-up in the 3,000. Snyder crossed the line in 9:47.39, which converted to 9:34.85 moves her to sixth all-time in program history.

Freshman McKenna Ramsay had a solid opening appearance at the Big Sky Championships. She finished second in the 400 with a personal-best time of 55.19 and moved to 8th on the MSU all-time list.

Ramsay anchored a 4x400 relay, that included Daryan Box, Amanda Jaynes and Taylor Buschy, that won gold with a mark of 3:44.44 which is the third best time in program history.

The men's side had three individuals also pick up all-conference honors.

Sophomore Jadin Casey led the way by taking second in the 400 finals with a personal-best time of 48.06. Junior Calvin Root placed third in the weight throw with a mark of 61-02.75 (18.66m), his second bronze finish in the event. Junior Luke Middelstadt finished third in the pole vault. He cleared 15-09.75 (14.82m) for a lifetime best.

The men's 4x400 relay of Christopher Lange, Bill Yeager, Samuel Bloom and Casey had the men's top finish outside the podium of fourth by crossing the line in 3:19.04.

Bloom led the 'Cats in the 800 with a sixth-place finish in 1:54.17. Senior Zach Kughn scored points for MSU in the mile with his seventh-place 4:13.29 finish. Trevor Simanski placed eighth in the triple jump with a mark of 46-03.25 (14.10m) and Jake Bradford tied for eighth in the pole vault by clearing 15-00 (4.57m).

Junior Amanda Jaynes barely missed out on all-conference honors in two events for the Bobcats' women's squad. She finished fourth in the 60 hurdles (8.67) and fourth in the 200 (24.29), with the latter being completed in the fourth fastest time at MSU all-time.

Senior Daryan Box also moved up in the program ranks in the 60 with her 7.66 lifetime best. She led MSU by taking fourth. Rogsinke followed Box in the 60 by taking eighth in a time of 7.74 and also finished eighth in the triple jump with a mark of 37-02.50 (11.34m).

Freshman Kimberly Parsell also earned MSU a point in the 800 by crossing the line eighth in 2:21.66.

Several Bobcats barely missed out on contributing to the team totals at the Big Sky Championships Saturday.

Louisa Serpe finished ninth in the women's 3,000 with a personal-best time of 10:06.77. Senior Jessica Chrisp (5-03.25) fell just shy with a 12th place finish in the high jump.

Alex Lewis led MSU's non-scoring competitors by taking ninth in the triple jump with a mark of 46-00.50 (14.01m). Diego Leon and Martin Ponce finished 10th and 12th, respectively in the mile, while Ponce also had an 11th-place showing the 3,000.

"Our coaches did a really great job of preparing our kids (for the championships)," Kennedy said. "We're really ready to take the next step for outdoors in a month. This was a nice stepping stone going into the outdoor season. We're growing and we're getting better. We're moving in the right direction and we're pretty excited about the upcoming season."

The Bobcats concluded its indoor campaign with the Big Sky Championships. MSU men's and women's squads will have a month off until the outdoor season which begins with the Bobcat Invitational on March 25 in Bozeman at the Bobcat Track and Field Complex.