Tilde Bjerager, Women’s 4x400m Relay Team Break School Records to Advance to Eugene

Saturday, May 30

Fayetteville, Ark.

12 p.m.

Montana State University

NCAA West First Round - Day 4

Bjerager, Garrison, Gandolfi, Hawkes 4x400m

Photo by: Sam Musgraves

Tilde Bjerager, Women’s 4x400m Relay Team Break School Records to Advance to Eugene

5/30/2026 10:51:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

Bjerager finished sixth in 400m hurdles, joined Garrison, Gandolfi, and Hawkes on 12th-place 4x400m team

By: Pershelle Rohrer

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. --- The Montana State track & field team secured two more qualifications for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in record-breaking fashion on Saturday as Tilde Bjerager advanced to Eugene in the 400-meter hurdles and the women's 4x400-meter relay team of Bjerager, Peyton Garrison, Giulia Gandolfi, and Caroline Hawkes posted a qualifying mark in the final event of the NCAA West First Round.

Bjerager surpassed her own school and Big Sky record to place sixth in the 400m hurdles, and the women's 4x400m team placed 12^th to punch their ticket to Nationals, surpassing the previous school record by nearly two seconds. The Bobcats concluded the weekend with four qualifying marks for the NCAA Outdoor Championships, with Sydney Brewster advancing in the shot put and Rob McManus qualifying in the 3,000m steeplechase.

"Really proud of the way we competed this week against incredibly strong fields," Dale Kennedy Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Lyle Weese said. "The team will have good representation at NCAAs with Rob in the 3,000m steeple, Sydney in the shot put, Tilde in the 400 hurdles, and for the second year a row, we will have a women's 4x400 relay. The individuals and relay we have qualified for the NCAA Finals all have a chance to finish well and contend for All American Honors."

Bjerager clocked a scorching time of 55.83 in the 400m hurdles, crossing the finish line sixth overall to earn her first trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She broke her own school and Big Sky Conference record by two hundredths of a second with the strong performance in Arkansas. Bjerager finished fourth in her heat and posted the fastest time among the three competitors who advanced based on time.

Bjerager, Garrison, Gandolfi, and Hawkes shattered their own school-record time by nearly two seconds to secure the 12^th and final qualifying spot in the 4x400m to wrap up the night. The quartet crossed the finish line in 3:31.36 to become Montana State's fourth entry of the weekend to reach Eugene.

Hawkes finished 23^rd in the 400m quarterfinals on Saturday, crossing the finish line with a time of 53.41. She earned her spot in Saturday's race thanks to a school-record time of 52.42 in Thursday's first round.

Two Bobcats competed in the 3,000m steeplechase, with Hannah Perrin making her second career regional appearance and Niamh Motley making her regional debut. Perrin crossed the finish line with a time of 10:41.32 to place 30^th, and Motley placed 43^rd with a time of 11:04.51.

Brewster competed in the discus to begin the afternoon but did not record a mark.

Full results from the NCAA West First Round are available here.

Bjerager (400m hurdles), Brewster (shot put), McManus (3,000m steeplechase), and the women's 4x400m relay team will all compete at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore., to wrap up the outdoor season on June 10-13.

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