BOZEMAN — A pair of school records and a standout day in the women’s pole vault highlighted a slew of eye-popping performances from the Montana State track and field team in their Bobcat PReview season-opener inside Worthington Arena on Thursday.
Drake Wilkes’ record in the men’s 60 meters and Hailey Coey’s record in the women’s triple jump headlined the day, but the two top marks were far from the only head-turning results.
“I think across the board we’re in a really good place with our entire team which is exciting,” head coach Lyle Weese said. “We had some standout performances and events like the women’s pole vault, pretty special having three go over 13 feet in the first meet. That was really exciting. School records for Hailey in the triple jump and Drake in the 60, so it was quite a first meet.”
Wilkes, making his Bobcat debut on the track after joining the team over the offseason, made quite the first impression.
The Austin, Texas, native clocked a converted time of 6.79 to rewrite the Montana State record in the 60 meters, beating out his new teammate Noah Barbery, who set the record last year in 6.80 seconds.
In the jumps, Coey started her day with a leap of 20-00.50 in the long jump to move up to No. 3 all time. The Billings native became one of just three women in program history to clear 20 feet in the indoor long jump, joining Lacy Hinzpeter (2000) and Janet Buntin (1983).
Later, Coey outdid herself in the triple jump.
With the current school record holder, Erin Jones-Graf, watching and measuring the event, Coey’s fourth jump went 40-03.25 — breaking Jones-Graf’s record of 40-00 set in 2004.
After Coey’s celebration with teammates and coaches, Jones-Graf was the next to greet the new school record holder with a congratulatory embrace.
In the final event of the night, a trio of Bobcat pole vaulters remarkably all cleared 13 feet.
Led by Tatum Richards’ final clearance of 13-05.75, Libby Hansen and Megan Bell also cleared 13-01.75, with the jumps of all three coming in succession as they fed off each other’s energy and momentum.
Richards’ mark propels the Emmett, Idaho, product to No. 3 all-time in MSU history, with Hansen and Bell both now tied for sixth in the record books.
In the sprints, Peyton Garrison picked right up from a strong outdoor season last spring, running a blistering converted time of 7.52 in the women’s 60 meters to win the event and move up to third all-time at Montana State.
Racing alongside Wilkes’ record-breaking performance, Xavier Simpson clocked a converted time of 6.86 to tie for sixth in program history, building on his previous best time by a hundredth of a second.
Over in the throwing cage, Jenavieve Lynch unleashed a massive heave of 59-10.25 in the women’s weight throw. The second-best throw by a Bobcat since 2012 was good enough to move the Bozeman High standout up to seventh in program history.
“Today was the product of a lot of hard work for our sprints, jumps, and throws squad from this summer and fall,” Weese said. “They showed today that we’re in a really good place as a team, so we’re excited to start the indoor season so strong and think about what we can do in January and February.”
Prior to the 4×400 meter relays, the 2024 Big Sky Men’s Outdoor Track and Field championship team was honored with a tribute and the unveiling of the championship banner in the northeast corner of Worthington Arena.
For full results from the Bobcat PReview meet, click here.
