MSU Track and Field Announces 2024-2025 Newcomers
9/17/2024 12:00:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field
13 new Bobcats include six from the Treasure State
BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Coming off the most successful year in program history, Montana State track and field announced 13 signees ahead of the 2024-2025 season on Tuesday.
The new Bobcats hail from six states and two countries, with six staying in the Treasure State to continue their collegiate careers. The group joins 11 previously announced distance signees to comprise a decorated class for Dale Kennedy Director of Track and Field Lyle Weese and his staff.
Montana State set 11 school records and 74 new top-ten marks across the indoor and outdoor seasons last year, with the Bobcat men winning the Big Sky Outdoor Track and Field Championship for the first time since 2005 on their home track.
Easton Hatleberg, Grandview HS, Grandview, Texas
Hatleberg signs with the Bobcats as a highly decorated thrower out of Grandview High School in Grandview, Texas. The Lone Star native was the 2024 3A state champion in the shot put as a senior, placing fourth in the discus at the state meet. The school-record holder in both events has thrown 63-01.50 in the shot put and 175-00 in the discus. Hatleberg also won the javelin at the 2024 TTFCA Meet of Champions with a toss of 202-07, the fifth-best mark by a high schooler in Texas history. The thrower added to his stellar senior season with a big showing at the Texas Relays, placing third in the shot put and fifth in the javelin. Hatleberg also lettered in football and golf, and was the 7-3A Division I Defensive Lineman of the Year.
From Coach Allen: "Easton is extremely athletic and is our first athlete that has the ability to compete at a high level in shot, disc, hammer, weight and javelin. He adds great depth to the throws group and will make an immediate impact for our team."
Maggie Hillis, Laurel HS, Billings, Montana
Hillis will stay in the Treasure State for college after signing with the Cats out of Laurel High School in Laurel, Montana. The three-time top-two finisher in the shot put at the Class A state meet capped her high school career with a state title in 2024 after back-to-back runner-up finishes in 2022 and 2023. Hillis first broke the school record for the shot put at Laurel as a sophomore before breaking it again as a junior and senior, leaving the Locomotives with a best mark of 43-08.00. The Laurel native was the Eastern A Divisional champion in the shot put her last three years of high school, and recorded a career-best mark in the shot put of 125-03. Hillis was a member of the National Honor Society and plans to major in psychology.
From Coach Allen: "I am very excited to add Maggie to our women's throws squad. She brings great energy, is very coachable and will make big gains in her throws with year round training."
Jordan Lasher, Yelm HS, Yelm, Washington
Lasher comes to Bozeman after graduating from Yelm High School in Yelm, Washington. The two-time state champion in the pole vault broke the 3A state meet record with a vault of 16'6" in 2024—a mark that would currently rank tenth all-time in MSU history. At the same state meet that he won the pole vault crown as a senior, the multi-talented athlete also placed fourth in the 110 meter hurdles. As a junior in 2023, Lasher placed second in the state decathlon and sixth in the 110 meter hurdles on top of his state title in the pole vault, helping Yelm win the team state championship. Lasher also starred in football, helping Yelm win a state championship in 2023 and finish runner-up in 2024.
From Coach Hunter: "Jordan's combined work ethic and talent position him to climb our top-10s list early in his career. Boasting an already competitive mark in the pole vault and an impressive hurdles time, he should be a contributor early on in his career here."
Megan Bell, Pioneer HS, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Bell signs with the Bobcat track and field program out of Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Bell graduated early from Pioneer in 2023 with an outdoor personal record in the pole vault of 11'7," clearing 11'4" at outdoor regionals to place first and vaulting 11'5.75" to take fourth at New Balance Nationals Rising Stars. In 2024, Bell continued to improve and in March cleared a personal-best 3.80m (12'5.61") while competing at the Spanish U20 National Championships in Salamanca, Spain, placing fourth. Bell did not start competing in the pole vault until her sophomore year of high school, instead participating in competitive gymnastics. The member of the National Honor Society plans to major in either community health or environmental science.
From Coach Hunter: "Megan impressed me by moving to Europe for her senior year and still having a breakout season. She was able to adjust to a completely different lifestyle while achieving new heights at the same time. That skillset is invaluable when adjusting to college, so I feel confident she is ready to hit the ground running."
Mathias Mees, University of Charleston, Antwerp, Belgium
Mees transfers to Montana State after beginning his college career at the University of Charleston (NCAA Division II). The multi-event athlete finished third in the heptathlon at the 2024 Mountain East Indoor Track & Field Championships, tallying 4074 points, and was the conference champion in the heptathlon in 2023 at the same indoor championships meet, finishing with 5016 points. The Belgian's lone outdoor season at Charleston was capped with a phenomenal 2023 Mountain East Outdoor Track & Field Championships, where he won gold medals in both the long and triple jump while taking fourth in the high jump and fifth in the pole vault—earning both MVP and Freshman of the Year at the conference meet. Over the course of his first two years at Charleston, Mees eanred all-conference first team accolades in the hepthathlon,long jump, triple jump, high jump, and pole-vault.
From Coach Hunter: "Mathias adds significant value to our multis group, helping us stay at the top of the Big Sky in the Decathlon and Heptathlon. He has some incredibly strong individual events, which when put together will lead to him to be a significant contributor at the conference level."
Kyra Bakke, Tualatin HS, Portland, Oregon
Bakke signs with the Bobcats as one of the more sought after high jump recruits in the country out of Tualatin High School in Portland, Oregon. Bakke has cleared a personal-best mark of 5-08.50, which would currently rank fifth all-time in MSU history. Only one Bobcat (Lucy Corbett) has cleared that mark since 1993. Bakke placed second in the event at the 6A Oregon state championships this past spring after finishing first at the 6A-5 Three Rivers League championships. The prior summer, the Rose City native won the USATF Oregon Association Junior Olympics and finished third at the USATF National Junior Olympics. Bakke's junior year saw her finish third at the Oregon state championships and seventh at Nike Indoor Nationals. The high jumper graduated with a 4.1 GPA and plans on majoring in nursing.
From Coach Hunter: "Kyra arrives as a top national recruit in the high jump with a strong passion for the event, adding firepower to an already strong group that should be challenging the podium with multiple scorers. She is ready to make the next step towards being an elite jumper, following in the footsteps of Lucy Corbett."
Hailey Ells, Whitefish HS, Whitefish, Montana
Ells signs with Montana State track and field from Whitefish High School in Whitefish, Montana. The versatile and talented athlete projects to be a multi's contributor, with strong marks in a variety of events. On the track, the Whitefish native competed in the 100, 200, and 400, while also racing in the 100 meter hurdles and 300 meter hurdles and participating in the high jump. Ells' senior season saw her thrive as the team captain on the volleyball, basketball, and track teams. Ells exits the Bulldogs as a part of the school-record 4x100 meter relay and 4x400 meter relay teams. The future pre-med intake major was named Academic All-State in each of her varsity seasons across all three sports. Ells' sister, Mikenna, is a senior sprinter at the University of Montana.
From Coach Hunter: "Hailey's versatility makes her the perfect candidate to develop into our next multi. She has shown range across the sprinting events as well as sparks in some field events. Her hard work and passion impress me; being in a group of exclusively upperclassmen, she has great role models to develop the necessary skills from."
Landrie Anderson, Hellgate HS, Missoula, Montana
Anderson signs with the Bobcats from Hellgate High School in Missoula, Montana. The pole vaulter was undefeated her entire senior season leading up to a fourth place finish at the Class AA state championships. Anderson cleared 12 feet during her senior year, drastically improving her best mark and breaking the Hellgate school record in the process. The All-State honoree started at Sentinel before transferring across town, and also starred in golf, earning All-Conference recognition on the links. Outside of sports, the future environmental design major has been heavily involved in Special Olympics and the Harriet Anderson Memorial Foundation.
From Coach Hunter: "Landrie had a breakout pole vault season her senior year, improving her PR a foot and a half in one season. With the direction the Big Sky women's vault is headed, quick improvement is a valuable asset to our team."
Nash Coley, Gallatin HS, Bozeman, Montana
Coley will stay in Bozeman for his college career after graduating from Gallatin High School. The All-American hurdler placed fifth at Nike Outdoor Nationals this past June in the 300 meter hurdles after setting the Montana state record in the event as a senior. Coley exits the Raptor program, where he ran under the tutelage of legendary Bobcat coach Dale Kennedy, with a career-best time of 36.91 in the event. The 2023 and 2024 Class AA state champion in the 300 meter hurdles also won a state title in the 400 meters his junior year, placing third this past spring. Coley helped Gallatin win state titles in the 4x400 meter relay in 2022 and 2023, placing second in 2024. Nash's older brother, Garrett, competed for the Cats for two years and both parents ran at the University of Minnesota-Duluth in the 1990s.
From Coach Peck: "We are very excited to have Nash on our team. Not only is he a Montana kid, but he is from Bozeman and has a natural affinity for the Bobcats. I got to watch him develop here in town and slowly became one the top recruits in the country in the 300 meter hurdles. I think he will be even better at handling the longer hurdle race and will be a great 4x400m addition as well. I cannot say enough good things about this kid."
Brooke Reuter, Savage HS, Savage, Montana
Reuter becomes the latest in a long line of Treasure State standouts to ink with the Bobcats, coming to Bozeman after graduating from Savage High School in Savage, Montana, where she collected seven state championships in the sprint events. Reuter won the Class C state title in the 100 meters four times, adding three Class C state titles in the 200 meters. The sprinter holds school records in the 100, 200, 400, and long jump, and was also the student council president. Reuter was also a two-time All-State selection in volleyball and a three-time All-Conference pick in basketball. Reuter also participated in band and was on the honor roll all four years, and plans to major in elementary education.
From Coach Peck: "I was very excited when Brooke decided to become a Bobcat because of the amount of potential this young woman has. Coming from a very small town in Montana (Savage), she has found success with less resources than most to say the least. There is something about small town Montana athletes, like Brooke, that carry a chip on their shoulder and do not shy away from hard work. I am excited to see what she brings to this roster."
Drake Wilkes, Vanguard University, Austin, Texas
Wilkes signs with the Bobcats after beginning his college career with one season at Vanguard University (Division II) in Costa Mesa, California. Originally from Austin, Texas, Wilkes will bolster a men's sprint group that made strides and helped contribute towards the Bobcats' outdoor Big Sky championship title this past May. Wilkes placed second in the 100 meters and third in the 200 meters at the GSAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships this past spring, also running a leg on the 4x100 meter relay team that won the conference crown on the way to being named GSAC Athlete of the Month. Wilkes boasts personal-best times of 10.70 in the 100 and 21.90 in the 200. Out of Westlake High School in Texas, Wilkes ran on the school-record 4x100 meter relay team and graduated magna cum laude.
From Coach Peck: "Drake is a second-year transfer originally from Texas that brings unique energy to this short sprints group. He wants to be great and came here to be surrounded by others that want the same. Drake started to have some success last year over the 100 meters and 200 meters and I am looking forward in helping him build on that."
Olivia Lewis, Corvallis HS, Corvallis, Montana
Lewis stays in-state and signs with the Bobcats out of Corvallis High School in Corvallis, Montana. The 2023-2024 Gatorade Montana Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year set the all-class state record in the 300 meter hurdles with a time of 41.86, the 19th fastest time in the country last year, winning state titles in the 300 meter hurdles, 100 meter hurdles, and 400 at the Class A state meet to lead the Blue Devils to a team championship. The decorated sprinter and hurdler qualified for the state meet finals in seven different events as a senior, factoring in 39 of her team's 92.5 points. Lewis' state title this past spring in the 400 was her third in a row in the event, also winning gold medals in 2022 as a sophomore and in 2023 as a junior. Lewis is the first athlete from Corvallis to win Gatorade Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year.
From Coach Peck: "Olivia is a very tough athlete with a positive attitude that fits right into our culture. She is probably one of the best sprint recruits to come out of Montana and should have an immediate impact, especially in the 400 meter hurdles. I am excited to work with Olivia because of the grit and talent she already possesses."
Jade Biittner, Colfax High School, Grass Valley, California
Biittner signs with the Bobcats out of Colfax High School in Grass Valley, California. The versatile athlete set her school's record for most sports played in a single year, serving as the team captain in basketball, tennis, and flag football while also competing in cross country, track and field, and swimming. Biittner owns Colfax's school record in the 400 meters, crossing the line in 58.64 seconds, and was a part of two section champion cross country squads. Biittner was named Female Athlete of the Year and was valedictorian of her class.
From Coach Peck: "Jade is joining our sprints crew as a 400/800 athlete. We are continuing to grow our presence in the 800 meters as a team. Jade brings some untapped potential into both events. Track is new to her and I was impressed with what she was able to accomplish with being a multi-sport athlete. I'm excited to see where year one takes her."
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