Bobcats Face Tough Competition at California Meets

Wednesday, April 12

Azusa, CA

All Day

Montana State University

Mt. SAC Relays/California

Mason Storm

Photo by: Kelly Gorham

4/12/2017 8:20:00 AM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

Mt. SAC Relays Central Pacific Coast Intercollegiate Central Bryan Clay Invitational Central Beach Invitational Central Big Sky Notes

Montana State begins a four-day span of meets in California with the multi-event athletes kicking it off Wednesday

By: Andrew Pedersen

A busy couple of days loom for the Montana State track and field staff as select members of the men's and women's teams compete in various meets in California over a multiple day span beginning Wednesday, April 12.

The Bobcats will compete in four meets over a duration of four days beginning with the California Invitational Multi-Events meet – which is part of the Mt. SAC Relays lineup – in Azusa on Wednesday and Thursday. Mason Storm, Dalen Hargett and Jessica Chrisp will serve as MSU's representatives in the opening multi events.

Several Bobcats will participate in a mix of the Mt. SAC Relays, Pacific Coast Intercollegiate, Beach Invitational and Bryan Clay Invitational from Thursday-Saturday. Long Beach State University serves as host for the Intercollegiate and Beach Invitational at the Jack Rose Track Facility. The multi events and the Bray Clay Invite, which are scheduled for Thursday and Friday, take place at Cougar Athletic Stadium on the campus of Azusa Pacific. The Mt. SAC Relay events are being held at El Camino College in Torrance.

Primarily field events occur for the Bobcats on Thursday at the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate. MSU will be spread across three of the meets on Friday while a majority of the Bobcats wrap up action in California at the Beach Invitational Saturday. A few members of the men's and women's track and field teams are part of the Mt. SAC Relays field each day the 'Cats are in California.

General information is provided for each meet at the event's respective central landing page. A total of 22 MSU student-athletes are tentatively set to take part in at least one event in the four-day span of meets.

Men's Travel Roster (Tentative Meet Participation)
Samuel Bloom (Bryan Clay Invitational, Beach Invitational)
Cameron Carroll (Bryan Clay Invitational, Beach Invitational)
Jadin Casey (Bryan Clay Invitational, Beach Invitational)
Kyle Douglass (Pacific Coast Intercollegiate, Bryan Clay Invitational, Beach Invitational, Mt. SAC Relays)
Dalen Hargett (California Invitational)
Mitch Horning (Bryan Clay Invitational, Beach Invitational)
Diego Leon (Mt. SAC Relays, Beach Invitational)
Alex Lewis (Pacific Coast Intercollegiate, Bryan Clay Invitational, Beach Invitational)
Noah Martin (Mt. SAC Relays, Bryan Clay Invitational, Beach Invitational)
Ty Mogan (Mt. SAC Relays)
Alec Nehring (Pacific Coast Intercollegiate, Beach Invitational, Bryan Clay Invitational)
Calvin Root (Pacific Coast Intercollegiate, Beach Invitational)
Mason Storm (California Invitational)

Women's Travel Roster (Tentative Meet Participation)
Jessica Chrisp (California Invitational)
Callen Crawford (Pacific Coast Intercollegiate, Beach Invitational)
Leslie Gappa (Beach Invitational)
Amanda Jaynes (Bryan Clay Invitational, Beach Invitational)
McKenna Ramsay (Bryan Clay Invitational, Beach Invitational)
Christie Schiel (Mt. SAC Relays, Beach Invitational)
Alyssa Snyder (Mt. SAC Relays
Casey Teska (Pacific Coast Intercollegiate, Bryan Clay Invitational, Mt. SAC Relays, Beach Invitational)
Jacqueline Verlanic (Pacific Coast Intercollegiate, Beach Invitational)
Carley VonHeeder (Beach Invitational)

In the Polls/Rankings
The United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced the second edition of the Mountain Regional rankings on Monday. The MSU men's team came in at 14th with an index score of 210.01, a spot down from the previous week. The Bobcat women showed up for the first time this season in the Mountain Region Rankings at 15th with an index score of 188.44.

Multiple Bobcats also have times that rank among the best to be in contention for the NCAA Division I West Preliminary Rounds.

Division I West Region Rankings
Kyle Douglass – 38th, Discus (173-01) | 32nd, Shot Put (57-07)
Amanda Jaynes – 45th, 400 Hurdles (1:00.96)
Noah Martin – T25th, High Jump (06-10.75)
Jacqueline Verlanic – 45th, Hammer Throw (182-08)
Alyssa Snyder – 48th, 5,000m (16:45.46)
Carley VonHeeder – 45th, Javelin (143-06)
Leslie Gappa – 46th (142-08)

MSU Record Book Update
Six Bobcats have forced changes to the all-time top 10 chart after the first two meets of the outdoor season

Christie Schiel has made two moves up the 1,500-meter run top 10 list. She joined it at 10th following the Bobcat Invitational on March 25, then moved up to eighth with her altitude-adjusted time of 4:30.89 while finishing first at the Al Manuel Northwest Invitational April 1. Alyssa Snyder made her first 2017 appearance on the 5,000 top 10 chart at the Bobcat Invite. She's now improved her time on the top-10 list on two occasions during the year and is up to seventh with a converted mark of 16:45.46.

Three new 'Cats made updates to the record book during the Northwest Invite.

Jacqueline Verlanic jumped two spots on the hammer throw top 10 standings to fifth with a personal-best 182-08 for a runner-up showing. Truanne Roginske sits at 10th all-time in the triple jump with her leap of 37-09.50, just a half a foot way from Tiffany Jimison's ninth-place jump. Noah Martin became the first Bobcat to join the men's high jump top 10 rankings in 22 years during the same meet. His jump of 6-10.75 propelled him to fifth on the list.

Kyle Douglass joined the Bobcat crew during the Utah/Weber State Spring Classic. He completed the shot put by moving up a spot to eighth with his throw of 57-07.

Big Sky Performance List Update
Men's Rankings
100m – Mitch Horning 13th (10.76)
200m – Jadin Casey 20th (22.12)
400m – Jadin Casey 8th (48.66), Tyler McQueen 20th (49.81)
800m – Samuel Bloom 4th (1:52.35), Cameron Carroll 5th (1:52.75)
1,500m – Diego Leon 9th (3:54.75), Cameron Carroll 11th (3:55.70), Zach Kughn 12th (3:55.85), Andrew Vandine 17th (3:58.43)
3,000m Steeplechase – Zach Kughn 5th (9:21.95), Anthony Schmalz 17th (9:50.27), Martin Ponce 20th (9:54.52)
5,000m – Diego Leon 13th (14:56.85), Ty Mogan 14th (14:57.77), Adam Wollant 15th (14:57.88)
110m Hurdles – Mason Storm 10th (15.11), Christopher Lange 19th (15.52)
400m Hurdles – Christopher Lange 8th (54.87), Caleb Neth 12th (55.96), Jared Schwend 19th (56.94)
4x100m Relay – 42.79 (10th)
4x400m Relay – 3:18.70 (6th)
High Jump – Noah Martin T1st (6-10.75), Aidan Pedersen T12th (6-04.75)
Pole Vault – Graham Reid T3rd (15-01), Austin Decker T3rd (15-01), Jake Bradford T8th (14-07.25), Branygen Andersen T8th (14-07.25), Knox Semenza T14th (14-03.25), Noah Martin T14th (14-03.25)
Long Jump – Alex Lewis 8th (23-03.50), Caleb Neth 20th (22-05.75)
Triple Jump – Alex Lewis 14th (44-06), Trevor Simanski 18th (40-07)
Shot Put – Kyle Douglass 2nd (57-07), Alec Nehring T8th (53-06.50), Calvin Root 14th (49-05), Mason Storm 17th (45-04.25)
Discus – Kyle Douglass 2nd (173-01), Alec Nehring 9th (157-09), Calvin Root 13th (149-02)
Hammer Throw – Calvin Root 2nd (189-02), Alec Nehring 15th (158-07)
Javelin – Ty Bermes 14th (170-11)

Women's Rankings
100m – Truanne Roginske 10th (12.08), Jessica Chrisp 20th (12.58)
200m – McKenna Ramsay 7th (25.08)
400m – McKenna Ramsay 4th (55.93)
800m – Christie Schiel 4th (2:11.39)
1,500m – Christie Schiel 3rd (4:30.89), Alyssa Snyder 4th (4:32.63), Kendra Larson 18th (4:41.00)
3,000m Steeplechase – Madison Liechty 9th (11:14.33), Kendra Larson 13th (11:37.03)
5,000m – Alyssa Snyder 2nd (16:45.46)
100 Hurdles – Amanda Jaynes T10th (14.53)
400 Hurdles - Amanda Jaynes 3rd (1:00.96), Hailey Phillips 10th (1:03.36), Holly Andersen 20th (1:06.14)
4x100m Relay – 47.91 (5th)
4x400m Relay – 3:56.09 (6th)
High Jump – Carlie Haeffner T18th (5-03), Shey Hannum T18th (5-03)
Pole Vault – Casey Teska 4th (12-06.25), Isabella Calabrese T7th (12-00), Tiffani Finley T15th (11-06.25), Aubrey Kessel T18th (11-00.25)
Long Jump – Megan Ralstin T17th (18-03)
Triple Jump – Truanne Roginske 9th (37-09.50)
Shot Put – Lindsay Benson 12th (43-08.50)
Hammer Throw – Jacqueline Verlanic 5th (182-08), Callen Crawford 9th (172-11), Cailyn Schroeder 16th (161-00)
Javelin – Carley VonHeeder 3rd (143-06), Leslie Gappa 4th (142-08), Tiffany Shearman 14th (128-04)

Bobcat Teams Selected Among Contenders Big Sky Coaches' Preseason Poll
Both the men's and women's teams were listed among the top contenders in the 2017 Big Sky Conference Outdoor Track and Field coaches' preseason poll, which was announced by the league on March 21.

The Montana State men's team was selected third by the Big Sky coaches with 113 points. Northern Arizona was a unanimous choice to win its sixth straight title outdoors with the maximum 144 points, while Southern Utah was the runner-up with 129 points. Those three schools separated themselves from the remaining nine in the preseason poll, with Sacramento State (99) and Montana (97) also high on the list.

The MSU women's squad topped expectations during the indoor slate and will again look to do so heading into the outdoor season. The Bobcats were picked fourth by their peers in the preseason poll and accumulated 100 points. The Lumberjacks are predicted to finish in first by their peers and earned 140 points behind eight first-place votes. Montana was picked by four to finish first but was runner-up on the list with 129. Sacramento State follows the Griz on the list with 118 points.

Montana State has seen success on both sides in recent years. The men's team has finished in the top five at the conference meet in each of the last six years, with runner-up finishes in 2012 and 2014. The women's team finished as runner-up at the Big Sky Championships in 2012 and 2015. Last season, the men's and women's squads took fifth and eighth, respectively.