Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
MSU’s Wyatt Thompson-Siporen Off to Dominant Start to Indoor Season
1/12/2019 3:46:00 PM | Men's Track and Field
Wyatt Thompson-Siporen had a busy week for the Bobcats to begin the New Year
The Montana State Bobcats returned this week to the indoor track & field slate after a little over a month off from competition. The Bobcats held the MSU Multis Meet on Monday and Tuesday, then held the MSU Open on Friday, with both taking place in Worthington Arena.
These meets kick off a busy spring schedule for the Bobcat track and field program.
One of the many standouts on the Bobcat roster this week was Wyatt Thompson-Siporen.
He competed in the heptathlon at the Multis Meet and was limited to the pole vault at the MSU Open. Last season, Thompson-Siporen placed second in the pole vault at the Big Sky Indoor Championships, but didn't compete in a multis event. He took last year off from multi events after starting his college career at UC Santa Barbara, then transferring to Lane Community College, before ending up at Montana State. He needed time to adjust to the new situation. His personal-best pole vault mark last year was 16-06.75 (5.05m), which placed him in a tie for fifth all-time in MSU history for the event.
Thompson-Siporen began this season in dominating fashion.
He placed in the top three in all seven of his heptathlon events and finished first at the meet with a score of 5,194 points. That total was good for fourth all-time at MSU. Thompson-Siporen continued his success on Friday.
The MSU junior set a lifetime best in the pole vault with a mark of 16-09.25 (5.11m), moving him into a tie for third all-time on the MSU leaderboards. Opening his schedule by competing in the multis and the pole vault this season will only help Thompson-Siporen excel in both.
"The multis really help the jumps," said Tom Eitel, assistant track and field coach specializing in jumps. "You're not just training for one event, so you don't get hammered down. You become more fit overall, you become a little more coordinated because you're doing more than one thing."
Thompson-Siporen has even more in the tank. Coach Eitel remarked that he'll jump a lot higher after the two have more time to work on the pole vault. Thompson-Siporen stressed he is working on calming his nerves at the back of the runway before jumping.
Setting a personal best after competing in the heptathlon a few days earlier shows the potential Thompson-Siporen has. The junior credits the training staff at MSU for getting him in position to be able to compete at the MSU Open.
"Yesterday, I felt pretty bad," said Thompson-Siporen. "The timeline after a multi is kind of interesting. The day right after you're a little delirious, but you feel okay. Then the next day, the soreness hits you. That day was Thursday for me and I was just dragging around the track, but today I felt really nice. It was enough time to recover."
Excluding fatigue, excelling in more than one event is Thompson-Siporen's specialty. The Bobcat student-athlete has been competing in multi events since his junior year in high school. After sitting out the 2018 outdoor season, Thompson-Siporen is ready to further leave his mark on the conference in more than just the indoor pole vault.
The men's indoor team was selected to finish third in the Big Sky in the coaches' preseason poll, exactly where they placed at the end of last season. The team views their potential as being the best in the conference. The team, led by a contingent of upperclassmen, believes they have the experience and talent to win the Big Sky.
"The guys are trying to go win indoor, that's our goal," said Thompson-Siporen. "We're all ready to get after (the championship). I'm trying to win the pole vault and the heptathlon. That's my personal goal."
These meets kick off a busy spring schedule for the Bobcat track and field program.
One of the many standouts on the Bobcat roster this week was Wyatt Thompson-Siporen.
He competed in the heptathlon at the Multis Meet and was limited to the pole vault at the MSU Open. Last season, Thompson-Siporen placed second in the pole vault at the Big Sky Indoor Championships, but didn't compete in a multis event. He took last year off from multi events after starting his college career at UC Santa Barbara, then transferring to Lane Community College, before ending up at Montana State. He needed time to adjust to the new situation. His personal-best pole vault mark last year was 16-06.75 (5.05m), which placed him in a tie for fifth all-time in MSU history for the event.
Thompson-Siporen began this season in dominating fashion.
He placed in the top three in all seven of his heptathlon events and finished first at the meet with a score of 5,194 points. That total was good for fourth all-time at MSU. Thompson-Siporen continued his success on Friday.
The MSU junior set a lifetime best in the pole vault with a mark of 16-09.25 (5.11m), moving him into a tie for third all-time on the MSU leaderboards. Opening his schedule by competing in the multis and the pole vault this season will only help Thompson-Siporen excel in both.
"The multis really help the jumps," said Tom Eitel, assistant track and field coach specializing in jumps. "You're not just training for one event, so you don't get hammered down. You become more fit overall, you become a little more coordinated because you're doing more than one thing."
Thompson-Siporen has even more in the tank. Coach Eitel remarked that he'll jump a lot higher after the two have more time to work on the pole vault. Thompson-Siporen stressed he is working on calming his nerves at the back of the runway before jumping.
Setting a personal best after competing in the heptathlon a few days earlier shows the potential Thompson-Siporen has. The junior credits the training staff at MSU for getting him in position to be able to compete at the MSU Open.
"Yesterday, I felt pretty bad," said Thompson-Siporen. "The timeline after a multi is kind of interesting. The day right after you're a little delirious, but you feel okay. Then the next day, the soreness hits you. That day was Thursday for me and I was just dragging around the track, but today I felt really nice. It was enough time to recover."
Excluding fatigue, excelling in more than one event is Thompson-Siporen's specialty. The Bobcat student-athlete has been competing in multi events since his junior year in high school. After sitting out the 2018 outdoor season, Thompson-Siporen is ready to further leave his mark on the conference in more than just the indoor pole vault.
The men's indoor team was selected to finish third in the Big Sky in the coaches' preseason poll, exactly where they placed at the end of last season. The team views their potential as being the best in the conference. The team, led by a contingent of upperclassmen, believes they have the experience and talent to win the Big Sky.
"The guys are trying to go win indoor, that's our goal," said Thompson-Siporen. "We're all ready to get after (the championship). I'm trying to win the pole vault and the heptathlon. That's my personal goal."
Players Mentioned
Jumps
/ Men's Track and FieldFriday, February 11
Monday, February 18
Tuesday, February 12
Tuesday, February 05
