Throwers Wrap up Day One of the Al Manuel Invitational

Pat Vialva

Photo by: Kyle Cajero

3/24/2023 9:34:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

The men’s and women’s javelin and hammer throw opened the Al Manuel Invitational in Missoula on Friday.

MISSOULA, Mont. — Battling cold crosswinds and some snow, the Montana State track and field team wrapped up the first day of the Al Manuel Invitational with the hammer and javelin throws on Friday.

The Bobcats swept the hammer throw, thanks to the efforts of Leah Klein and Matt Furdyk. Right before snow flurries picked up in the mid-afternoon, Klein threw her winning throw of 52.12m to place first. In the same event, Jenavieve Lynch placed sixth with a mark of 46.22m and Sydney Mattfeldt placed eighth with a throw of 42.25m.

Weather conditions cleared for the men's hammer throw, which Furdyk won on his first attempt with a mark of 53.75m. Teammate Carter Slade would place third with a throw of 54.14m, while Elijah Jackman (47.46m) and Ryan McCartney (46.49m) rounded out the top five placers in fourth and fifth, respectively.

Gracey Carter was the lone Bobcat in the women's javelin, and their throw of 39.32m was good for fourth place. In the final event of the day, Pat Vialva and Cooper Hoffman battled sporadic crosswinds in the men's javelin to place second and third, respectively. Vialva's best throw was 62.08m on his fourth attempt, while Hoffman's second throw of 60.27m kept him in the top three throughout the entire series.

Saturday's meet begins with the women's discus and the women's long jump at 11 a.m., while MSU's first running event will be the women's 4x100-meter relay at noon. Live stats and a live stream will not be available, but final results will be posted to the men's and women's track and field team's schedule pages on msubobcats.com.