“The Tom Gage meet is always a great way to finish off the regular season and prep us for the conference meet,” said MSU head coach Lyle Weese. “We had a lot of personal- and season-bests, which is a great sign as we head into championship season. Some student-athletes were fine-tuning certain elements for conference and others were taking the opportunity to break through to a new level with a big late-season mark.”

Harvey Cramb, a freshman from Brisbane, Australia, broke the MSU men’s 800-meter record with an altitude-converted time of 1 minute, 48.67 seconds. The record eclipses the previous mark of 1:48.88, held by Cristian Soratos since 2015.

Cramb also holds the No. 3 all-time mark for the Bobcats in the 1,500 meters (3:40.67) and the No. 7 all-time mark in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (8:49.54) in his first collegiate outdoor season.

“Harvey has not run many 800 races in his young career, so it was pretty amazing he was able to break the school record when he has only raced the event a handful of times, and ran the second half of the race alone,” Weese said.

In the women’s 1,500 meters, Belt native Lindsey Paulson won with an altitude-converted time of 4:25.28, the fifth-best mark in program history. The sophomore was followed by teammate Ava Weems, who finished in an altitude-converted time of 4:27.13, the 10th-best mark in program history. The Cats earned the top seven places in the event.

Plentywood native and MSU freshman Annie Kaul won the women’s 800 meters with a converted time of 2:09.42, the fourth-best mark in program history and the second-best time since 2017.

In the men’s pole vault, Kyle Yonker recorded his best outdoor mark as a Bobcat, clearing 16 feet, 6 inches to move into a tie for 10th all-time in program history.

• Ben Saelens won the men’s 3,000 meter steeplechase.

• Montana State went 1-7 in the men’s 1,500 meters: Rob McManus (1st), Sam Ells (2nd), Levi Taylor (3rd), Owen Smith (4th), Ben Perrin (5th), Matthew Richtman (6th) and Sam Smith (7th).

• Nyla Lee won the women’s 200 meters and placed third in the women’s 100 meters.

• Malikye Simpson placed second in the men’s 100 meters.

• Sydney Brewster won the women’s shot put, placed second in the hammer throw and placed third in the discus.

• Among collegiate entries, Elijah Jackman won the men’s hammer throw and the discus.

• Hailey Coey won the women’s long jump.

• Among collegiate entries, Destiny Nkeonye won the men’s long jump.

• Lina Hommel placed second in the women’s high jump.

• Maisee Brown placed second in the women’s pole vault.

• Emma Brensdal won the women’s discus and placed second in the shot put.

• Talon Holmquist won the men’s shot put.

• Cooper Hoffman won the men’s javelin.

• Clara Fox won the women’s javelin, with Angelica Street and Gracey Carter finishing second and third, respectively.

• Autumn Murray finished first among collegiate entries in the triple jump.

• Tristen Sedgwick finished second in the women’s discus.

Montana State will host the 2024 Big Sky Outdoor Track & Field Championships for the first time since 2012. The championship meet gets underway from Bobcat Track and Field Complex on Wednesday and continues through Saturday.

The waters of Montana are and have always been central to my life. My childhood summers were spent on the lakes and rivers of Northwest Montana, visiting my grandmother in Polson, swimming away hot afternoons in Foy’s Lake with friends, and casting big orange stimulators to willing cutties on the Middle Fork of the Flathead. I made it my work, spending the summers of high school and college as a guide in West Glacier and eventually landing my dream job, working with the team at Simms. These waters flow through me and I hope to pass the same reverence and connection along to my three kids. The effort will be aided this summer by a family trip down the Smith in June, and another down the North Fork of the Flathead in July.

The Montana Headwaters Legacy Act protects the waters that are invaluable to the way of life for residents of this state, and the multitude of visitors that come to experience what we have. The legislation establishes Wild and Scenic designation for 384 miles on 20 of Montana’s rivers, ensuring they remain free-flowing, clean and unharmed by new development.

Yes, this is important to me and my family, but more significantly, it’s critical to the long term economic and cultural vitality of Montana. The outdoor recreation economy has emerged as one of the biggest single economic drivers in our state, contributing $2.9 billion annually. Free flowing, clean rivers are foundational to this economy, drawing visitors from around the world, and offering respite and connection for Montanans.

When I travel the country with Simms, talking to anglers, I hear countless stories about the unforgettable experiences folks have on our rivers, and their bucket list dreams of snagging a coveted Smith permit or catching a big Missouri rainbow with a delicately presented dry fly. We have an opportunity right in front of us to protect this immensely valuable resource.

I’m encouraged by surveys indicating that 8 out of 10 Montana voters support the Montana Headwaters Legacy Act. It’s a no-brainer for the wellbeing of Montanans and the economic opportunities that enable us to live here. For me, and for the team at Simms, this is far too important and pragmatic to be a partisan issue. We’re ready to work with any and all in the effort to protect and conserve our natural resources.

If you agree, speak up. Let all of your elected representatives know how you feel and why it’s important to you. Simms will be right there with you, doing everything we can to move the needle on the big issues and opportunities that affect our community and our business. Protecting our rivers through the Montana Headwaters Legacy Act is something that nearly all of us agree on, and it inspires us to work together on something so critically important.