Hamilton, Bianchini Highlight Track and Field’s Bobcat Challenge

Friday, January 20

BOZEMAN

All Day

Montana State University

Bobcat Challenge

Chris Bianchini

Photo by: Bobcat Creative Services

Hamilton, Bianchini Highlight Track and Field’s Bobcat Challenge

1/22/2023 12:07:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

Final Results

Montana State’s full team competed for the first time this season on Jan. 20-21.

BOZEMAN, Mont. – The Montana State track and field team continued its upward trajectory with another solid slew of performances at their Bobcat Challenge meet on Jan. 20-21.

Competing for the first time as a full team in the calendar year, the Bobcats hosted fellow Division I institution Idaho State, plus Montana State Billings and several local Frontier Conference schools. The meet did not have a team score, yet the Bobcats won 11 individual events on Saturday and both 4x400-meter relays.

"Overall, we saw a lot of personal bests, which was really exciting for our entire track team," Dale Kennedy Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Lyle Weese said. "It was a great sign that we're heading in the right direction."

The distance team wasted no time in its first meet of 2023, as Duncan Hamilton broke his own school record in the 3,000 meters and Chris Bianchini ran a post-conversion time of 1:49.94 in the 800-meter dash that ranks fourth in program history. Both men are in the top 25 in Division I as of press time, as Hamilton ranks second and Bianchini ranks 25th.

Hamilton, who ran the fastest outright time at the Husky Classic last year with a 7:45.40, broke his own school record as his 8:00.38 converted down to a 7:43.28. The senior from Bozeman High School led wire-to-wire, leading a group of Bobcats through the first mile in a 4:17.11. He would close in a final 400-meter split of 61.8 seconds and saved his best lap for last with a 30.8-second split.

"This was their first meet in 2023 and they seemed to come out firing on all cylinders," Weese said of the distance crew. "For Duncan Hamilton to run a race like that as his first race in 2023 is incredible. That will most likely be the mark that gets him into another NCAA Championship."

As of press time, Hamilton ranks second in Division I in the event behind Washington's Kieran Lumb, whose 7:43.27 is only faster by one-hundredth of a second. Hamilton qualified for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in the 3,000-meters last year and earned All-American honors.

Hamilton wasn't the only distance runner with a standout 3,000-meter run. Levi Taylor followed with a post-converted time of 8:00.93, which ranks eighth all-time at MSU. Over in the women's race, Mya Dube and true freshman Lindsey Paulson went back and forth throughout the 3,000-meter run before Dube took the lead for good on the tenth lap. Dube would win with a personal-best time of 9:30.90 — the seventh-best in program history — and, to her credit, Paulson's 9:39.02 was just shy of the program's top-10 leaderboard. Paulson's 9:39.02 is fifth in the Big Sky as of press time.

Over in the mid-distance races, Bianchini led for all four laps in the men's 800 meters, pulled ahead from the field during the second half, and crossed the line with a post-converted time of 1:49.94. Bianchini's time is not only the top 800-meter time in the Big Sky, but also ranks 25th in the NCAA and fourth all-time at MSU.

"To be running an adjusted sub-1:50 time this early in the season — especially leading the race from start to finish — is a great indicator of what he will be capable of doing both in this indoor season and in outdoors," Weese said.

Over in the circle, Leah Klein continued her standout season with another personal-best mark in the weight throw. Klein's first throw of 18.19m (59-08.25) wound up being her best, which not only was second at the meet, but also sixth all-time in program history. Klein entered the season having never thrown past the 55-foot mark in the weight throw, yet she has surpassed that in all three meets this season.

The jumps team also turned in a slew of solid performances: Anna Trudnowski cleared 1.70m (5-7) in the high jump for a personal best, Taylor Brisendine won the triple jump with a season-best 11.63m (38-2) and Elena Carter won the long jump with a leap of 5.66m (18-7). Over on the men's side, Ian Fosdick won the men's triple jump with a mark of 14.62m (47-11.75).

THE RUNDOWN

Matt Furdyk kept his win streak alive in the weight throw with a mark of 18.89m (61-11.75). Furdyk has won the weight throw in all three meets at which he has competed.
Fellow thrower Jordan Fink won the women's shot put with a mark of 14.15m (46-5.25), tying her season-best and marking the second time she has won the shot put in Worthington Arena this year.
Montana State swept the sprinting events, leading off with Macy White's 60-meter win with a pre-converted time of 7.56 seconds.
True freshman Jaeden Wolff won the 200-meter dash with a post-converted time of 25.08, which ranks 10th in the Big Sky.
Competing in a heat of her fellow 4x400-meter relay teammates, true freshman Caroline Hawkes won the 400-meter dash with a 56.87.
MSU freshman sprinters Xavier Simpson and Stryder Todd-Fields were the top finishers in the 60-meters and the 200-meters, respectively. Todd-Fields' 200-meter time of 22.03 seconds was a season-best; it ranks sixth in the Big Sky Conference and second amongst all freshmen.
The Bobcat quartet of Morgan Hanson, Caroline Hawkes, Giulia Gandolfi and Peyton Garrison clocked a season-best 4x400-meter relay time of 3:47.40, which is the second-best time in the conference this season.
MSU's men's 4x400 team of Alex Hershey, Bianchini, Julian Hazen and Will Anderson won the event comfortably with a post-converted time of 3:18.47. Their time ranks third in the Big Sky.

MOVING ON UP
All the new top-10 marks in program history set at the meet

Men's 3,000 meters: Duncan Hamilton, 7:43.28 — New school record
Men's 800 meters: Chris Bianchini, 1:49.94 — 4th all-time at MSU
Men's 3,000 meters: Levi Taylor, 8:00.93 — 8th all-time at MSU
Women's weight throw: Leah Klein, 18.19m (59-8.25) — 6th all-time at MSU
Women's 3,000 meters: Mya Dube, 9:30.90 — 7th all-time at MSU
Women's high jump: Anna Trudnowski, 1.70m, (5-7) — T-10th all-time at MSU

The Bobcats will have two weeks to prepare for their second trip to Spokane of the season to compete in the WSU Combined Events and Multis, held at The Podium on Feb. 2-4. All meet information and updates can be found on the men's and women's track and field schedule pages on msubobcats.com.