Bobcat Men & Women Earn Runner up at Big Sky Outdoor Championships

Saturday, May 14

Pocatello, ID

9:30 a.m.

Montana State University

BSC Outdoor Championships - Day Four

Alex Hellenberg and Elena Carter

Photo by: Andrew Pedersen

Bobcat Men & Women Earn Runner up at Big Sky Outdoor Championships

5/14/2022 8:02:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

Final Results

The Montana State track and field program completed a solid performance as the Bobcat men’s and women’s teams each placed runner-up at the 2022 Big Sky Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday, May 14, at Davis Field

By: Andrew Pedersen

POCATELLO, Idaho – The Montana State track and field program completed a solid performance as the Bobcat men's and women's teams each placed runner-up at the 2022 Big Sky Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday, May 14, at Davis Field.

MSU's women scored 125 points which was the squad's highest total at the meet since 2015. MSU's men recorded 119 points. The Bobcats' second-place finishes by both the men and women in the same year is the program's best effort at the Big Sky outdoor meet in 10 years. Northern Arizona's men's and women's teams won the Big Sky titles by scoring conference meet record totals of 185 and 244 points, respectively.

"We had two great meets," said Lyle Weese, Montana State's Dale Kennedy Director of Track and Field, about his teams' performance. "Both teams came here and really competed their hearts out. There's not much more you could ask for."

The Bobcats hauled in multiple specialty awards from the Big Sky Conference.

Senior Drake Schneider was awarded the men's Most Outstanding Performer honor for demolishing the Big Sky record in the 400-meter hurdles. Schneider completed a four-peat individual title in the event by clocking a time of 49.04 seconds. That mark placed him among the top five in the NCAA this outdoor season and among the top 10 times in the world this year.

Schneider became MSU's first male four-peat champion in a specific event in program history. He is the sixth men's athlete in the conference's history to achieve the feat.

"It was fulfilling," Schneider said. "It was expected so it was a bit of a relief for me. I finished the job so I'm glad I got it done. I'm excited but it's kind of short-lived."

What Schneider referred to was the final event of the day for the men's squad; the 4x400 relay. He served as the anchor leg of a relay that included Alex Hershey, Will Anderson and Chris Bianchini that claimed gold. Their time of 3:10.78 is the second fastest in program history.

Elena Carter and Alex Hellenberg ended the championship by sharing the women's Most Valuable Athlete award accolades.

Hellenberg set three lifetime bests over the course of two days. After a second-place finish in the long jump on Friday, Hellenberg followed it up Saturday by taking first in the triple jump and pole vault. She opened the triple jump competition with the top mark and improved on it, eventually finishing with a new school-record leap of 42 feet (12.85m). She continued her success in the pole vault. Despite missing on one attempt at an earlier height, Hellenberg eventually outlasted the competition and cleared an event-high 13-04.50 (4.08m).

"I thought I was going to throw up while I was warming up for the triple jump because I was so nervous," Hellenberg said. "I had big expectations, so to be able to come out and hit it was really nice to finish out my career (in the event).

"We were kind of trying to think about strategizing and passing if somebody cleared, but for me, I just wanted to clear as many bars as possible," Hellenberg said of her pole vault appearance. "Whether that means if I come in second, if I can hit a PR, that's what matters. I think I set myself up nicely going into regionals."

Carter was the first-place finisher in the long jump on Friday and carried momentum from the day prior into Saturday. She was the lead leg of MSU's 4x100 relay that included Morgan Evans, Morgan Hanson and Macy White that won gold in a school-record time of 45.47. Carter claimed another short hurdles first-place showing, following a 60 hurdles title indoors, with her wind-aided time of 13.24. She was joined on the podium by Evans who clocked a 13.45 and claimed her top individual showing of her college career by earning a silver medal. Carter broke the school record in the 100 by clocking 11.56 and took second, while White tied for fourth in the event with a time of 11.74, good for third all-time in program history.

"I think the highlight for me was us winning the 4x100," Carter said. "That wasn't exactly on the table, we wanted to podium, so winning was the craziest feeling ever. It was hard to amp down to run the hurdles.

"It was so cool," Carter said of going 1-2 in the 100 hurdles with Evans. "We raced each other through high school, in college, so it was awesome to finish conference like this and to go to regionals together now."

The Bobcats' remaining podium efforts featured standout efforts.

Ben Perrin completed his second all-conference performance at the meet as he stuck with the lead pack of NAU runners in the 5,000 and earned silver with a time of 14:10.55. He was joined by fellow Bobcats in Levi Taylor (14:18.61), Duncan Hamilton (14:25.67) and Matthew Richtman (14:25.73) who placed in the 8-10 slots.

Will Anderson earned his first all-conference individual honors as he was out-kicked late in the 400. He finished runner-up behind a time of 47.02 which is third fastest on MSU's all-time top 10 list.

Bianchini, Hamilton and Ian Fosdick each claimed bronze medals Saturday. Bianchini led for a majority of the 800 and closed out a personal-best time of 1:50.34. Hamilton earned his second straight all-conference performance in the 1,500 as he finished in 3:44.58. Fosdick had multiple triple jumps over 50 feet in a battle among athletes vying for podium position. His eventual wind-legal best of 51-02.75 (15.61m) set a new program record that had been held since 1990.

MSU's women's team had a variety of high finishers that strung together points over the course of competition.

The Bobcat javelin duo of Angellica Street and Celestia Hamond placed fourth and fifth, respectively with throws of 150-07 (45.91m) and 148-09 (45.35m). Twila Reovan and Taylor Brisendine each set new marks on MSU's top 10 chart in the triple jump. Reovan took fifth behind a leap of 39-10.50 (12.15) putting her fourth in program history. Brisendine completed a lifetime-best mark of 39-03 (11.96m) that placed her seventh on the Bobcat list.

Maisee Brown joined the pole vault all-time top 10 at MSU with her clearance of 12-03.75 (3.73m) and finished seventh. Evelyn Adams completed a time of 14.12 in the 100 hurdles to cap a 20-point Bobcat showing in the event. Madison Smith took sixth in the 800 thanks to personal-best time of 2:13.64. Jordan Fink (46-06.25) and Leah Klein (45-07.75) took sixth and seventh, respectively, in the shot put.

The Bobcat men's throws group was led by Matt Furdyk on Staurday. He finished seventh in both the hammer throw and discus behind lifetime bests of 191-10 (58.49m) and 163-07 (49.87m).

A variety of MSU athletes nearly scored points for the Bobcats. For the women's side, Madi Arneson took ninth in the shot put, Mya Dube placed 10th in the 1,500 and Kylie Christiansen finished 11th in the javelin. MSU's men had Alec Nering take ninth in the discus and Riley Collins finished 1th in the 1,500.

The Montana State track and field program now looks ahead to the NCAA Division I West Preliminary Round. The regional meet takes place in Fayetteville, Arkansas, from May 25-28.