Montana

Montana Grizzlies' Evan Todd breaks program javelin record

Published

2 years ago

April 20, 2024

Montana Grizzlies' Evan Todd breaks program javelin record

(Editor’s note: University of Montana news release)

MISSOULA — There has been a sense for a few years now that the Montana men’s javelin school record was not safe. Evan Todd, the two-time defending Big Sky Conference champion in the event, has had it in his sights since arriving on campus.

Last week, Todd hit 70 meters for the first time in his career, but came up inches short of Jensen Lillquist’s 2019 record of 232-6. On Friday afternoon, in what may be his final event at his home venue and in blistering winds, Todd made history.

His second throw of the day carried 71.45 meters, or 234 feet and 5 inches, to set a new program record.

“It felt great. It was a long time coming, I’ve been waiting on that throw for a while,” Todd said.

The crowd at Dornblaser provided him with a clap as he made his approach. The first throw of the day had power, but was turned a bit sideways in the wind and came down quickly. He had no such problems with the second attempt.

He dove to the ground on release. When he looked up and saw the flight, he shouted “get out there,” and his javelin listened. When the distance was announced, Todd, his teammates and coaches, and all those watching erupted into cheers.

There were hugs all around, including to Todd’s family who had traveled down from Kalispell to watch him compete at home one final time.

“It was awesome. I’m so glad they were able to make it,” Todd said. “During the week, I was talking with my coach and thinking whether it was smart for me to throw or not. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to throw at my last home meet so I wanted to give it one last hurrah. It’s super fulfilling to finally get that, and crazy to do it in my last meet here.”

He had a sense that it would be a new record when he saw it land, but still had to wait for the official word. He stood off to the side and waited for the official measurement. 71.45 meters.

“Once I heard 71, I knew it was a record,” Todd said. “I threw it, looked up, and could see that it was still fishtailing up there so I knew it had some serious power. I knew it was a big one.”

The senior has been a leader on Montana’s team for several years now and had checked off nearly every box possible in his javelin career. Now, he gets to add yet another accolade to his impressive resume.

“Great things happen to great guys, and he’s one of the great guys,” head coach Doug Fraley said. “He’s a tremendous leader on our team and I’m just really proud of him for breaking that school record here in what will likely be his last meet at Dornblaser. To see his parents come up and give him a hug as soon as the distance came up on the board, that’s a really special thing for a family.”

Todd was one of three Grizzlies to win an event on the first day of competition of the Montana Open. The men’s and women’s hammer and javelin events were contested on a cool, windy afternoon in Missoula.

Ariel Clark opened up the day with a dominant win in the women’s hammer. Clark threw 184-10 to win, and freshman Morgan Thomas finished fourth with a PR throw of 152-8. Freshmen Scout Nadeau and Mary Mickelson also had season-best throws in the hammer.

In the women’s javelin, Lea Moose topped a 15-athlete field with a throw of 142-7. In the same stiff headwind that Todd faced, Moose missed out on her personal record by just two inches. It’s a season best for Moose and moves her into the top 80 in the West qualifying region.

Ashley Carroll had a PR in the event with a throw of 131-5.

Walker McDonald had a big throw in the men’s hammer to finish second in the field. McDonald set a new PR with a mark of 184-11, and had two throws that beat his previous career best mark.

Todd provided the big highlight of the day in the final competition, but Everett Fred also finished fourth with a throw of 189-1. Porter Coffield, who is training for the decathlon at the Big Sky Championships, set a new PR with a throw of 163-1.

“It was really a fine day for our throws crew in both the hammer and javelin. Coach Kolb is doing a really good job bringing that crew along and we got off to a really good start to our Montana open today.”

The bulk of the meet will be on Saturday with field events starting at 11:00 a.m. and track events beginning at 11:20 a.m.

Men’s Javelin- Evan Todd (234-5^, 1^st), Everett Fred (189-1, 4^th), Porter Coffield (163-1, 8^th)

Men’s Hammer- Walker McDonald (184-11*, 2^nd), Wade Rykal (151-11, 5^th), Alex Shields (139-6, 9^th)

Women’s Hammer- Ariel Clark (184-10, 1^st), Morgan Thomas (152-8*, 4^th), Scout Nadeau (147-6*, 6^th), Mary Mickelson (145-4*, 7^th), Molly O’Dell (139-0, 9^th)

Women’s Javelin- Lea Moose (142-7, 1^st), Ashley Carroll (131-5*, 5^th), Tatum McNamara (108-2, 11^th), Brooke Stayner (79-9, 15^th)

^School Record

Source link

Click to comment

Montana

Montana-Montana State’s FCS semifinal get-in ticket prices surpass College Football Playoff games

Published

1 hour ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Montana-Montana State’s FCS semifinal get-in ticket prices surpass College Football Playoff games

Montana-Montana State, known as the Brawl of the Wild, is one of the best rivalries in FCS. This year, more than bragging rights are on the line, as the matchup will take place in the FCS semifinals.

The high stakes and relatively smaller seating capacity have made this game the most expensive entry-level ticket in college football this weekend, including the first round of the College Football Playoff.

The cheapest ticket for the game at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman, Montana, is $675 on Gametime Tickets compared to about $350 for the Miami at Texas A&M game, which is the most expensive of the four first-round College Football Playoff matchups. The most expensive ticket for the FCS semifinal is a sideline seat priced at $1,152. The Miami-Texas A&M game has Founder Club tickets listed at $2,484.

The seating capacity for Bobcat Stadium is 20,767, compared to more than 102,000 at Texas A&M’s Kyle Field. The other three CFP games this weekend will be hosted by Oklahoma (capacity 80,126), Ole Miss (64,038) and Oregon (60,000).

Next year’s Montana-Montana State matchup starts at $876, with some tickets listed as high as $1,359.

Montana State is the No. 2 seed in the playoffs at 12-2 after defeating Stephen F. Austin 44-28 in the quarterfinals this past weekend. Third-seeded Montana is 13-1 and beat South Dakota 52-22 in its quarterfinal. Montana leads the all-time rivalry 74-44-5.

Montana State has won the last two matchups between the teams, most recently winning 31-28 at Montana on Nov. 22. At least one of the teams has appeared in the FCS championship game in three of the past four years. Montana’s last national championship came in 2001, while Montana State’s came in 1984.

Montana is led by head coach Bobby Hauck, who is the second-winningest active FCS head coach and one of the top 10 winningest active coaches overall in Division I football at 151-42. Montana’s key players are quarterback Keali’i Ah Yat, running back Eli Gillman and wide receiver Michael Wortham.

Montana State is led by head coach Brent Vigen. Key players for Montana State include quarterback Justin Lamson, running back Julius Davis and wide receiver Taco Dowler.

Source link

Montana

Montana-vs.-Montana State semifinal sequel set for 2 p.m. Saturday on ABC

Published

13 hours ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

Montana-vs.-Montana State semifinal sequel set for 2 p.m. Saturday on ABC

The first playoff meeting between football rivals Montana and Montana State is set for 2 p.m. Mountain time next Saturday at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman. The game will air nationally on ABC.

The Bobcats and Grizzlies will square off in the semifinal round of the FCS postseason after each team won convincingly in the quarterfinal round. No. 2-seeded Montana State defeated No. 7 Stephen F. Austin 44-28 at home Friday night and No. 3-seeded Montana raced past No. 11 South Dakota 52-22 on Saturday in Missoula.

Next week’s game between the Cats and Griz will be the 125th all-time meeting, and it will be for a berth in the national championship game Jan. 5 at FirstBank Stadium on the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.

It will also be the first time the schools have faced each other twice in football in the same season since 1913.

The Bobcats are seeking their fourth all-time trip to the FCS/Division I-AA title game and their third visit in the past five years. MSU claims three national championships — 1956 (NAIA), 1976 (NCAA Division II) and 1984 (I-AA). The Bobcats lost to North Dakota State in the championship game in Frisco, Texas, in both 2021 and last season.

The Grizzlies are looking to make their ninth trip to the championship game and their second in the past three seasons. Montana has won two previous titles — in 1995 and 2001. The Griz suffered title-game losses in 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2023.

Montana State beat Montana 31-28 in Missoula on Nov. 22 in the regular-season finale to earn the outright Big Sky Conference title and the No. 2 seed for the playoffs. The Grizzlies lead the all-time series 74-44-5 but MSU owns a 12-10 edge since 2002.

Saturday’s other semifinal game pits unseeded Illinois State against No. 12 seed Villanova. Illinois State went on the road and upset No. 8 seed UC Davis 42-31 in the quarterfinals on Saturday while Villanova held on to beat No. 4 seed Tarleton State 26-21.

Illinois State and Villanova will kick off Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Mountain time on ESPN2.

Source link

Montana

Oregon women earn 11th victory with win over Montana State

Published

1 day ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

Oregon women earn 11th victory with win over Montana State

Oregon women’s basketball moved to 11-1 following a 69-44 win over Montana State Sunday at Matthew Knight Arena.

Four of Oregon’s starters scored in double figures, led by guard Sofia Bell’s 15 points.

Mia Jacobs added 13 points and 10 rebounds. Katie Fiso and Ari Long each scored 10 points. Fiso added five assists.

Oregon (11-1) struggled shooting, hitting 19 of 58 field goal attempts (32.8%), including 9 of 31 from three-point range (29%). However, those numbers were mainly dragged down in the fourth quarter when the game was well in hand.

Oregon, which led 37-14 at halftime, shot just 22.2% from the field in the final quarter and missed all seven of its three-point attempts. MSU won the quarter 16-11.

Bell went 4 of 8 from long distance, Jacobs went 3 of 8 and Long made both of her three-point attempts. The rest of the team went 0-for-13.

Montana State (6-3) received 14 points and four rebounds from Jamison Philip. The Bobcats shot 1 of 19 from three-point range and committed 23 turnovers that the Ducks converted into 25 points.

Next up: The Ducks host Portland (7-4) at 11 a.m. on Thursday. The Pilots defeated Kent State 88-78 on Sunday.

Source link