Anna Trudnowski (left) and Lucy Corbett (center)
Photo by: Kyle Cajero
Bobcat Women Place Second on Action-Packed Last Day of the Big Sky Conference Championships
2/25/2023 11:02:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field
Helping her team place second, Lucy Corbett joined rare company by becoming the fourth Big Sky Conference women’s athlete in indoor history to four-peat in the women’s high jump.
MOSCOW, Idaho – Anyone who knows track and field understands that at the end of the day, it's a team sport.
All told, the Montana State women's track and field team wasn't the Big Sky Conference runner-up on Saturday because of one athlete raking in the points — although Elena Carter came close to fitting that mold by earning Big Sky Most Valuable Athlete honors with her titles in the long jump and the 60-meter hurdles, the latter of which reset her school record with an 8.29 second time on Saturday.
MSU won a runner-up title at the Big Sky Conference Championships on the strength of two relay teams that made the podium, two high jumpers that medaled on day two, senior Leah Klein's medals in the women's throws, plus having several athletes qualify for finals from the 60 meters all the way up to the 800 meters.
"I'm super proud of our finish," Carter said. "Overall, I think that every women's team I've ever been on has been super strong, but I'm especially proud to finish second with this team. There are a ton of young athletes that will do great things in the future, and I am super honored to finish my indoor with the other fifth-year seniors I started this journey with."
After being picked to finish third in the preseason coaches' poll, MSU out-performed expectations by tallying 125 points — a sizeable cushion over third-place Idaho's 70.50 points. Northern Arizona won the team title on the men's and women's sides with 182.50 and 200.50 points, respectively.
Medal-wise, MSU's women's team won eight medals in individual events and in both relays — including a 3:44.01 second-place showing from the Bobcats' newcomer-heavy relay team of Madison Smith, Peyton Garrison, Giulia Gandolfi and Caroline Hawkes to cap off the day.
Yet few conference medals were as significant as fellow fifth-year senior high jumper Lucy Corbett's, who became just one of four athletes to four-peat indoors in Big Sky Conference history. Her clearance of 1.76m (5-9.25) won her the title, yet her company on the podium was strikingly different than years past. Teammate Anna Trudnowski took the bronze by clearing 1.73m (5-8) — tied for fifth all-time at MSU. This was a far cry from 2019, when Lucy was the only women's high jumper on MSU's roster.
"The practice dynamic is much more fun — I used to train with the boys, but I have a lot of girl friends now," Corbett said, remembering her early years.
"Our women's team has gotten better and better every year," Corbett added. "I'm excited to see where it goes with all of the talent the team has on it now. I'm honored to be part of it, and I know that as the years go on, this group of girls will only get better and better. Hopefully, we can get the win."
Trudnowski's bronze in the high jump — an event NAU and Idaho scored a combined 0.5 points in — helped the women's team solidify itself in second on Saturday. The high jump was the only women's event with multiple MSU medalists, yet a slew of point scorers in the finals of the running events helped the Bobcats gap the Vandals.
Saturday's point blitz started with five from Mya Dube and Ava Weems in the women's mile, then a pair of close fourth-place finishes from Caroline Hawkes and Madison Smith in the 400 meters and 800 meters, respectively. MSU got a late boost from Leah Klein, as the senior went two-for-two on the podium in the women's shot put with her third-place finish. Macy White and Jordan Fink's fifth-place finishes in the 200 meters and the shot put, respectively, helped the cause going into the women's 4x400 meter relay, which delivered with a silver medal in a time of 3:44.01. MSU's 125 points were the most since scoring 150 points in the 2002 team's runner-up finish.
NAU would win the women's title with 200.50 points. Idaho State's Destinee Rose-Haas was the Most Outstanding Performer while Carter was in a three-way tie with NAU's Alyssa Colbert and Annika Reiss for Most Valuable Athlete honors after scoring 20 points apiece.
MEN'S TEAM PLACES THIRD WITH 39 POINTS FROM DISTANCE TEAM
Just as the Montana State women's team showed its growth on Saturday, the Bobcat men's team took third place with 97 points — 39 of which came from the distance crew on Saturday.
Look no further than the men's mile, which saw Duncan Hamilton and Levi Taylor go 1-2 in a statement-making finish for both the medalists and the program. Going into the race, MSU was stacked up against a slew of Northern Arizona runners, making it essentially a dual meet between two of the top distance programs in the Big Sky Conference. Yet after the first 100 meters, Hamilton found himself in the lead with the green light to dictate the pace as he saw fit.
"Our plan going in had switched a couple of times," Hamilton said. "Right off the gun, I ended up in the front. About 100 meters into the race, I looked for Levi, but then decided to keep an honest pace."
Like he has been wont to do, Hamilton took out the first half of the mile at an honest pace; he was close to two minutes flat in the first half before putting on a decisive surge that changed the course of the proceedings. Hamilton turned on the jets coming out of the first corner at the midway point, yet Taylor and the NAU contingent he was fighting off didn't latch on.
"I definitely didn't realize how much of a gap I put on them," Hamilton said. "My plan going in was to be progressive and make a gradual squeeze of the pace before cutting it down over the last couple of laps. But then I realized how much space I had on the field, so at that point, it was managing my effort while staying ahead.
It was Hamilton's race to lose. But the fifth-year senior didn't relinquish his lead as the bell lap sounded. With the race for second place commencing, Taylor went into the last lap feeling confident despite mixing things up with NAU's Theo Quax and highly touted freshman Colin Sahlman. The race for the podium was up for grabs — until it wasn't.
"During the last lap, I was feeling really good," Taylor said. "I was trying to match [Theo Quax's] moves and I knew once we were coming around the corner, I had it. I was feeling too good."
Taylor made his move on the final curve and fended off the Lumberjacks down the stretch. Right before crossing the line, Hamilton glanced back and saw his teammate firmly in second place. Both Bobcats fist-pumped before crossing the line in 4:01.88 and 4:03.29, respectively — both times were well under the meet record.
"As we crossed the line, I felt relief that we finally did it," Taylor said. "I was super pumped for Duncan. He took it out and that was the race plan we wanted: make it fast, make it honest and know we're both ranked in the top two of the Big Sky for a reason."
The distance group would put up more points later that afternoon in the 3,000 meters. This time, Ben Perrin was the one who made a decisive move late, throwing down a big kick on the last lap to challenge eventual winner Drew Bosley and take second place with a time of 7:59.35. In the same race, Hamilton placed fourth, Taylor placed sixth and Cooper West was eighth in his final collegiate indoor race to help the Bobcats score 17 points in the event.
"It was a similar story with Ben Perrin in the 3K and having those guys post great results," Hamilton said. "It's one thing if you do well individually, but to see all of your cohorts also excel makes the success so much more meaningful."
While the Bobcats got most of their points Saturday from the distance squad, Ian Fosdick helped the cause by placing third in the triple jump with a mark of 14.75m (48-4.75) to take third place. In a bittersweet silver-medal showing, pole vaulter Colby Wilson tied for second by clearing a bar of 5.05m (16-6.75) before exiting the competition with an injury. The men's 4x400 meter relay team of Michael Swan Jr., Julian Hazen, Chris Bianchini and Will Anderson also grabbed some points late with their fifth-place showing in 3:14.49 — good for the fifth-best time in program history.
The NAU men won with 182.50 points and Idaho placed second with 113 points. MSU placed third with 97 points — the team's most since placing second with 119 points in 2019.
The NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships will be held in Albuquerque, N.M. from March 10-11. Seedings for the meet have yet to be announced. As for outdoor season, the Bobcats will travel south for the Redlands Invitational on Saturday, March 17.
MEDAL ROUNDUP
All the medalists at the meet. Medals are awarded to the top three individuals and relays.
MOVING ON UP
All the new top-10 program records set at the meet.
All told, the Montana State women's track and field team wasn't the Big Sky Conference runner-up on Saturday because of one athlete raking in the points — although Elena Carter came close to fitting that mold by earning Big Sky Most Valuable Athlete honors with her titles in the long jump and the 60-meter hurdles, the latter of which reset her school record with an 8.29 second time on Saturday.
MSU won a runner-up title at the Big Sky Conference Championships on the strength of two relay teams that made the podium, two high jumpers that medaled on day two, senior Leah Klein's medals in the women's throws, plus having several athletes qualify for finals from the 60 meters all the way up to the 800 meters.
"I'm super proud of our finish," Carter said. "Overall, I think that every women's team I've ever been on has been super strong, but I'm especially proud to finish second with this team. There are a ton of young athletes that will do great things in the future, and I am super honored to finish my indoor with the other fifth-year seniors I started this journey with."
After being picked to finish third in the preseason coaches' poll, MSU out-performed expectations by tallying 125 points — a sizeable cushion over third-place Idaho's 70.50 points. Northern Arizona won the team title on the men's and women's sides with 182.50 and 200.50 points, respectively.
Medal-wise, MSU's women's team won eight medals in individual events and in both relays — including a 3:44.01 second-place showing from the Bobcats' newcomer-heavy relay team of Madison Smith, Peyton Garrison, Giulia Gandolfi and Caroline Hawkes to cap off the day.
Yet few conference medals were as significant as fellow fifth-year senior high jumper Lucy Corbett's, who became just one of four athletes to four-peat indoors in Big Sky Conference history. Her clearance of 1.76m (5-9.25) won her the title, yet her company on the podium was strikingly different than years past. Teammate Anna Trudnowski took the bronze by clearing 1.73m (5-8) — tied for fifth all-time at MSU. This was a far cry from 2019, when Lucy was the only women's high jumper on MSU's roster.
"The practice dynamic is much more fun — I used to train with the boys, but I have a lot of girl friends now," Corbett said, remembering her early years.
"Our women's team has gotten better and better every year," Corbett added. "I'm excited to see where it goes with all of the talent the team has on it now. I'm honored to be part of it, and I know that as the years go on, this group of girls will only get better and better. Hopefully, we can get the win."
Trudnowski's bronze in the high jump — an event NAU and Idaho scored a combined 0.5 points in — helped the women's team solidify itself in second on Saturday. The high jump was the only women's event with multiple MSU medalists, yet a slew of point scorers in the finals of the running events helped the Bobcats gap the Vandals.
Saturday's point blitz started with five from Mya Dube and Ava Weems in the women's mile, then a pair of close fourth-place finishes from Caroline Hawkes and Madison Smith in the 400 meters and 800 meters, respectively. MSU got a late boost from Leah Klein, as the senior went two-for-two on the podium in the women's shot put with her third-place finish. Macy White and Jordan Fink's fifth-place finishes in the 200 meters and the shot put, respectively, helped the cause going into the women's 4x400 meter relay, which delivered with a silver medal in a time of 3:44.01. MSU's 125 points were the most since scoring 150 points in the 2002 team's runner-up finish.
NAU would win the women's title with 200.50 points. Idaho State's Destinee Rose-Haas was the Most Outstanding Performer while Carter was in a three-way tie with NAU's Alyssa Colbert and Annika Reiss for Most Valuable Athlete honors after scoring 20 points apiece.
MEN'S TEAM PLACES THIRD WITH 39 POINTS FROM DISTANCE TEAM
Just as the Montana State women's team showed its growth on Saturday, the Bobcat men's team took third place with 97 points — 39 of which came from the distance crew on Saturday.
Look no further than the men's mile, which saw Duncan Hamilton and Levi Taylor go 1-2 in a statement-making finish for both the medalists and the program. Going into the race, MSU was stacked up against a slew of Northern Arizona runners, making it essentially a dual meet between two of the top distance programs in the Big Sky Conference. Yet after the first 100 meters, Hamilton found himself in the lead with the green light to dictate the pace as he saw fit.
"Our plan going in had switched a couple of times," Hamilton said. "Right off the gun, I ended up in the front. About 100 meters into the race, I looked for Levi, but then decided to keep an honest pace."
Like he has been wont to do, Hamilton took out the first half of the mile at an honest pace; he was close to two minutes flat in the first half before putting on a decisive surge that changed the course of the proceedings. Hamilton turned on the jets coming out of the first corner at the midway point, yet Taylor and the NAU contingent he was fighting off didn't latch on.
"I definitely didn't realize how much of a gap I put on them," Hamilton said. "My plan going in was to be progressive and make a gradual squeeze of the pace before cutting it down over the last couple of laps. But then I realized how much space I had on the field, so at that point, it was managing my effort while staying ahead.
It was Hamilton's race to lose. But the fifth-year senior didn't relinquish his lead as the bell lap sounded. With the race for second place commencing, Taylor went into the last lap feeling confident despite mixing things up with NAU's Theo Quax and highly touted freshman Colin Sahlman. The race for the podium was up for grabs — until it wasn't.
"During the last lap, I was feeling really good," Taylor said. "I was trying to match [Theo Quax's] moves and I knew once we were coming around the corner, I had it. I was feeling too good."
Taylor made his move on the final curve and fended off the Lumberjacks down the stretch. Right before crossing the line, Hamilton glanced back and saw his teammate firmly in second place. Both Bobcats fist-pumped before crossing the line in 4:01.88 and 4:03.29, respectively — both times were well under the meet record.
"As we crossed the line, I felt relief that we finally did it," Taylor said. "I was super pumped for Duncan. He took it out and that was the race plan we wanted: make it fast, make it honest and know we're both ranked in the top two of the Big Sky for a reason."
The distance group would put up more points later that afternoon in the 3,000 meters. This time, Ben Perrin was the one who made a decisive move late, throwing down a big kick on the last lap to challenge eventual winner Drew Bosley and take second place with a time of 7:59.35. In the same race, Hamilton placed fourth, Taylor placed sixth and Cooper West was eighth in his final collegiate indoor race to help the Bobcats score 17 points in the event.
"It was a similar story with Ben Perrin in the 3K and having those guys post great results," Hamilton said. "It's one thing if you do well individually, but to see all of your cohorts also excel makes the success so much more meaningful."
While the Bobcats got most of their points Saturday from the distance squad, Ian Fosdick helped the cause by placing third in the triple jump with a mark of 14.75m (48-4.75) to take third place. In a bittersweet silver-medal showing, pole vaulter Colby Wilson tied for second by clearing a bar of 5.05m (16-6.75) before exiting the competition with an injury. The men's 4x400 meter relay team of Michael Swan Jr., Julian Hazen, Chris Bianchini and Will Anderson also grabbed some points late with their fifth-place showing in 3:14.49 — good for the fifth-best time in program history.
The NAU men won with 182.50 points and Idaho placed second with 113 points. MSU placed third with 97 points — the team's most since placing second with 119 points in 2019.
The NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships will be held in Albuquerque, N.M. from March 10-11. Seedings for the meet have yet to be announced. As for outdoor season, the Bobcats will travel south for the Redlands Invitational on Saturday, March 17.
MEDAL ROUNDUP
All the medalists at the meet. Medals are awarded to the top three individuals and relays.
- Women's long jump: Elena Carter, 5.86m (19-2.75), Big Sky Champion
- Men's distance medley relay: Sam Ells, Chris Bianchini, Levi Taylor, Duncan Hamilton; 9:45.98, Big Sky Champions
- Men's mile: Duncan Hamilton, 4:01.88, Big Sky Champion
- Women's 60-meter hurdles: Elena Carter, 8.29, Big Sky Champion
- Women's high jump: Lucy Corbett, 1.76m (5-9.25), Big Sky Champion
- Women's pole vault: Maisee Brown, 4.02m (13-2.25), runner-up
- Women's weight throw: Leah Klein, 18.66m (61-2), runner-up
- Men's mile: Levi Taylor, 4:03.29, runner-up
- Men's pole vault: Colby Wilson, 5.05m (16-6.75), co-runner-up
- Men's 3,000 meters: Ben Perrin, 7:59.35, runner-up
- Women's 4x400-meter relay: Madison Smith, Peyton Garrison, Giulia Gandolfi, Caroline Hawkes, 3:44.01, runners-up
- Men's triple jump: Ian Fosdick, 14.75m (48-4.75), third place
- Women's shot put: Leah Klein, 14.21m (46-2.75), third place
- Women's triple jump: Anna Trudnowski, 1.73m (5-8), third place
- Women's distance medley relay: Kendra Lusk, Giulia Gandolfi, Ava Weems, Lindsey Paulson, 11:37.10, third place
- Women's 5,000 meters: Camila Noe, 16:36, third place
- Men's 5,000 meters: Ben Perrin, 13:53.03, third place
- Men's heptathlon: Garret Coley, 5,007 points, third place
MOVING ON UP
All the new top-10 program records set at the meet.
- Women's 60-meter hurdles: Elena Carter, 8.29 — New school record
- Women's 60 meters: Macy White, 7.49 — New school record
- Women's distance medley relay: Lusk/Gandolfi/Weems/Paulson, 11:37.10 — 2nd all-time at MSU
- Women's 4x400 meter relay: Smith/Garrison/Gandolfi/Hawkes, 3:44.01 — 3rd all-time at MSU
- Women's weight throw: Leah Klein, 18.66m (61-2) — 3rd all-time at MSU
- Women's 200 meters: Macy White, 24.27 — 4th all-time at MSU
- Women's pole vault: Maisee Brown, 4.02m (13-2.25) — 4th all-time at MSU
- Men's 4x400 meter relay: Michael Swan, Julian Hazen, Chris Bianchini, Will Anderson, 3:14.49 — 5th all-time at MSU
- Women's high jump: Anna Trudnowski, 1.73m (5-8) — T-5th all-time at MSU
- Women's 800 meters: Madison Smith, 2:10.49 — 6th all-time at MSU
- Men's 60 meters: Xavier Simpson, 6.89 — 6th all-time at MSU
- Men's distance medley relay: Ells/Bianchini/Taylor/Hamilton — 6th all-time at MSU
- Women's 400 meters: Caroline Hawkes, 55.19 — 8th all-time at MSU
- Men's 200 meters: Stryder Todd-Fields, 21.86 — 8th all-time at MSU
- Men's heptathlon: Garret Coley, 5,007 points — 9th all-time at MSU
Players Mentioned
Sprints
/ Men's Track and Field
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Jumps
/ Women's Track and Field
Jumps/Hurdles
/ Women's Track and Field
Sprints/Jumps
/ Men's Track and Field
Jumps
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Throws
/ Women's Track and Field
Jumps
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints/Hurdles
/ Women's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track and Field
Throws
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track and Field
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track and Field
Jumps
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track and Field
Jumps
/ Men's Track and FieldBig Sky Preview
Friday, February 11
Track and Field Big Sky Championships
Monday, February 18
Coach Kennedy - Feb. 11, 2013
Tuesday, February 12
Coach Kennedy - Feb. 4, 2013
Tuesday, February 05
