Bobcats Earn a Pair of Hammer Wins to Open Cat-Griz Dual/Al Manuel Invitational on Friday

Friday, March 27

Missoula, Mont.

1 p.m.

Montana State University

Cat-Griz Dual/Al Manuel Invitational - Day 1

Photo by: Bobcat Creative Services

Bobcats Earn a Pair of Hammer Wins to Open Cat-Griz Dual/Al Manuel Invitational on Friday

3/27/2026 7:14:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

Matt Furdyk posts No. 4 hammer throw in program history

By: Pershelle Rohrer

MISSOULA, Mont. --- The Montana State track & field team opened its 2026 outdoor campaign with four field events on Friday, highlighted by hammer throw wins by Matt Furdyk and Jenavieve Lynch at Dornblaser Track on the campus of the University of Montana.

Furdyk moved to fourth on the program's all-time top-10 list in the hammer throw to capture one of five personal records set by the Bobcat throwers on Friday. Lynch helped Furdyk complete the hammer throw sweep with her victory on the women's side.

"It worked out well for our team to have the hammer be the first event of the outdoor season," Dale Kennedy Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Lyle Weese said. "They put up some big marks and personal bests right out of the gate. The remainder of the team is excited to get to Missoula tomorrow morning and put up big marks and compete well in their first outdoor meet of the year."

Furdyk led a strong showing for the Bobcats in the men's hammer throw, moving from ninth to fourth in program history with a winning mark of 64.37 meters/211 feet, 2 inches. Easton Hatleberg (3^rd) and Ben Parks (6^th) also recorded new personal bests with respective marks of 60.99m/200-1 and 54.79m/179-9.

Lynch earned the Bobcats' first event win of the outdoor season, recording a mark of 54.88m/180-0 to win the hammer throw. She led a group of three Bobcats who finished in the top five in the event as Sydney Brewster posted a runner-up mark of 53.33m/174-11 and Sydney Mattfeldt recorded a personal-best throw of 52.81m/173-3. Maggie Hillis placed eighth in her hammer throw debut with a mark of 46.48m/152-6.

Easton Hatleberg and Timbur Nilson placed fifth and 11^th, respectively in the men's javelin. Hatleberg recorded a throw of 57.86m/189-10 on his fifth attempt, and Nilson posted a mark of 48.54m/159-3 on his opening try.

Hailey Ells recorded a personal-best mark of 26.18m/85-10 to take ninth in the javelin while Sabine Brueck finished just behind in 10^th place with a mark of 25.12m/82-5 in her event debut.

Full results from the Cat-Griz Dual/Al Manuel Invitational are available here.

The Bobcats will resume competition in Missoula at 10 a.m. on Saturday, with Emma Brensdal, Sydney Brewster, and Jenavieve Lynch competing in the women's discus to open the second and final day of the meet. Running events will begin at 11:15 a.m. as Hannah Perrin, Annie Kaul, and Niamh Motley compete in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

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