Frontier Conference Track and Field Championships this Saturday and Sunday in Butte

The following is a release from the Montana Tech Sports Information Department:

BUTTE, Mont.- The Frontier Conference Track and Field Championships will be held in Butte, Mont. on May 5^th and 6^th. This will be the first time the Championships will be contested in the Mining City.

The Oredigger men and women are both defending champions from a year ago. The Montana Tech men won with 248.3 points, Carroll finishing second at 243.3. The women on the other hand, raced out quickly and never looked back, putting up 245 total points, Carroll finishing second with 156.5.

The Oredigger women will start with points on the board when they arrive at Charlie Merrifield track. As the Orediggers already have a pair of champions in Alyssa Jany, and Abby Clark.

Alyssa was the highest-placed Frontier competitor in the 3000m Steeplechase at the Montana Open, giving her the championship for the conference (The Butte facility does not have a steeplechase water pit)

Abby dominated the competition in winning the heptathlon at the Trudnowski Open in Helena. Abby won six of the seven events and put up a total score of 5009 points. Her tally was not only a new personal record for Abby, it was also the second-highest score in the NAIA this year.

During day one of the heptathlon, Abby sent a new PR in the high jump, clearing 1.69m (5’ 6.5” – tied for the 9^th highest jump in the country) The jump also cleared the NAIA A Standard, meaning she automatically qualified for nationals in the high jump.

Other Orediggers that are looking to get to the top of the podium include Rylee Armstrong, and Jenna Jordan.

During the Fighting Saints Open, Jordan hit 132’7” in the javelin, giving her an NAIA B standard mark, and placing her in the top 20 distances so far this season. The women’s jav is one of the most crowded fields in the Frontier with three different athletes (from three different schools) in the top 20.

Rylee Armstrong is the athlete to beat in the long jump. During the Montana Open in Missoula, Rylee uncorked. Jumping 5.98m (19’ 7.5”) she was the highest NAIA finisher on the day. That mark is the fifth-longest jump in the country this year.

Several other Orediggers lead the conference in their given events. Kamryn Comba has the fastest 800m time this spring. Alyssa Plant has a top 50 time in the 10,000m. Olleca Severson has the best time in the conference for the 400m hurdles.

The Oredigger men have had a strong spring, with three NAIA A Standards (automatic qualifiers to Nationals) and two additional B Standard throws (a team can bring three B qualifiers to Nationals). Three-time Frontier Conference Field Athlete of the Week, Cade VanVleet has an A Standard throw in the shot put and the hammer throw. He also has a B Standard throw in the discus.

Teammate Jesse Mecham also has an A Standard throw in the shot put and will enter the Frontier Championships with the best throw this Spring in the Frontier Conference.

All American Nicolo Lancini enters the meet as the guy to beat in the triple jump. The freshman who placed 8^th in the triple at Indoor Nationals has jumped 14.54m to lead the Frontier Conference.

Ian Barville has been strong in the 800m and will enter as the number one qualifier in the Frontier. His time of 1:52.66 is best this Spring.

Adam Schrader will lead the charge in the 400m hurdles for the Orediggers. He is the only Frontier athlete in the top 50 of the country, sitting at No. 22 with a 53.91 that he ran at the Whitworth Peace Meet.

The Frontier Conference Track and Field Championships will get underway this Sunday in Butte.