The first day of the NCAA West Preliminary Round college track and field meet got underway on Wednesday with athletes with Montana ties from all over the country competing for a shot at the national meet.
One Montana State Bobcat did just that on Wednesday as MSU's Colby Wilson finished in 12th in the pole vault to punch his ticket to Eugene, Oregon, for the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Wilson, a sophomore, vaulted 17 feet, 4 1/4 inches (5.29 meters) to finish in 12th to grab the last qualifying spot for nationals. The top 12 placers from both the West and East regional meets advance to the championships which are held June 8-11.
MSU's Drake Schneider qualified for the finals of the 400-meter hurdles on Wednesday. Schneider placed second in the fourth heat with a time of 49.94 seconds which ranks fourth among all competitors in that event. Schneider will compete in the finals of the 400 hurdles in a field of 24 for a shot at nationals on Friday.
Below are the results from the rest of the athletes with Montana ties from Wednesday's competition:
Men's hammer
- University of Montana junior Matt Ward placed 25th with a throw of 204 feet, 3 inches (62.27 meters).
- Sidney native Carter Hughes placed 30th with a toss of 202-9 (61.81 meters) for the University of Minnesota.
Men's javelin
- MSU's Cantor Coverdell placed 19th with a throw of 212-2 (64.67 meters).
- UM's Evan Todd placed 25th with a throw of 205-0 (62.49 meters).
- Glasgow native Benji Phillips placed 29th with a throw of 201-0 (61.26 meters) for North Dakota State.
- MSU's Cooper Hoffman placed 37th with a throw of 193-9 (59.06 meters).
- UM's Matthew Hockett played 41st with a throw of 190-5 (58.04 meters).
Men's 110 hurdles
- MSU's Derrick Olsen placed 46th with a time of 15.41 seconds.
Men's shot put
- MSU's Alec Nehring placed 35th with a throw of 57 feet, 4 3/4 inches (17.49 meters).
Men's 800
- MSU's Chris Bianchini placed 31st with a time of 1:50.16.
- Billings native Dawson LaRance placed 41st with a time of 1:52.55 for Colorado State.
- UM's Quincy Fast placed 42nd with a time of 1:53.21.
Men's 10,000
- MSU's Matthew Richtman placed 31st with a time of 29:35.61.
The meet will continue Thursday through Saturday.
