Montana

Three records fall for Montana State Bobcats at Bengal Invitational track and field meet

Published

2 years ago

April 28, 2024

Three records fall for Montana State Bobcats at Bengal Invitational track and field meet

MSU Athletics and 406mtsports.com

POCATELLO, Idaho — Three school records fell for the Montana State track and field team at the Bengal Invitational over the weekend.

All-time MSU marks in the men’s javelin, women’s 100 meter hurdles and men’s 4×400 meter relay were broken, making it now five new total school records for the Bobcats during the 2024 season (the other two were men’s 200 meters and women’s shot put).

On Friday, sophomore Pat Vialva broke his own MSU record in the men’s javelin for the third time this season with a throw of 229 feet, 10 inches. The Tigard, Oregon, product surpassed the 70-meter mark on his fifth throw, moving him up to No. 34 this season in NCAA Division I.

On Saturday, Elena Carter added on to what is one of the most decorated careers in Montana State track and field history with a school record in the 100 meter hurdles. The senior from Helena turned in an altitude-converted time of 13.45 seconds, eclipsing her previous mark of 13.53 from the 2022 outdoor season.

Carter also added a personal best in the long jump, leaping 20-05 to win the event and improve upon her No. 3 all-time mark in MSU history. Along with her teammate Hailey Coey, Carter is one of four MSU women all-time to jump 20 feet (Janet Buntin, 1983; Lacey Hinzpeter, 2003).

Also on Saturday, the MSU men’s 4×400 meter relay team of Michael Swan Jr., Stryder Todd-Fields, Sean Jackson and Jett Grundy broke a record that had stood since 2005 with an altitude-converted time of 3:10.98.

Grundy, the 2024 Big Sky Indoor Track and Field Freshman of the Year and 2024 indoor champion in the event, won thanks to an altitude-converted mark of 46.92, the third-best mark in school history.

Swan, a native of Manhattan, Montana, and the school record-holder in the 200 meters, ran a converted 47.35 to move up to fifth all-time in MSU history.

In the women’s 100 meters, sophomore Peyton Garrison rocketed up to No. 5 all-time with an altitude-converted time of 11.80 (+1.5)

Caroline Hawkes ran an altitude-converted time of 54.30 in the women’s 400 meters, climbing to fourth on the MSU all-time list with the fastest mark since 2014.

Maisee Brown’s win in the pole vault with a mark of 13-08.25 now leads the Big Sky and is second in MSU history in the event, behind only NCAA champion vaulter Elouise Rudy. Brown’s teammate, Taylor Holmes, also enjoyed a big personal-best in the event this weekend, clearing 13-00.25 to reach No. 7 in program history.

In the long jump, Destiny Nkeonye tacked on three-quarters of an inch to his best mark with a winning leap of 24-05.75, the No. 3 jump in MSU history. Ian Fosdick, the school record-holder in the triple jump since 2022 (51-02.75), cleared 50 feet for the first time this season to win the event.

On the women’s side, Taylor Brisendine joined Carter with PRs in the long jump, as she recorded a mark of 19-05.25 to break into the top-10 all-time at No. 8. The 2024 Bobcats now have three of the top-eight long jumpers in program history on the same squad (Carter, Coey and Brisendine).

Brisendine, a Kalispell native, finished with a mark of 40-07.75 in the triple jump to reach No. 4 on the all-time MSU list and become just the fourth Bobcat in history to reach 40 feet in the event, and the first since Alex Hellenberg in 2022.

MSU freshman Emma Brensdal added on a few inches to her personal-best in the discus, winning the event with a throw 158-02 — the fifth-best mark in school history.

Andrew Powdrell, a defensive back for the MSU football team running in his second collegiate meet, ran a wind-aided time of 10.52 (+4.2) in the men’s 100 meters. Grundy ran a 21.28 (+2.5) in the men’s 200, and Carter ran an 11.77 (+2.2) in the women’s 100.

Marks above the +2.0 wind threshold but under the +4.0 barrier can qualify athletes for the NCAA West Preliminaries but do not count towards Montana State all-time top 10 lists.

Montana State closes out the regular season at the Tom Gage Invitational in Missoula at Dornblaser Field on Saturday.

The 2024 Big Sky Outdoor Track and Field Championships, hosted by MSU at Bobcat Track and Field Complex, begin May 8 and conclude May 11.

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Montana

Evacuation orders issued as 5,000-acre wildfire burns near Roundup, Montana

Published

9 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Evacuation orders issued as 5,000-acre wildfire burns near Roundup, Montana

ROUNDUP, Mont. —
The Rehder Creek Fire is burning 16 miles southeast of Roundup has grown to about 5,000 acres, prompting evacuation orders for residents in the Bruner Mountain Area/Subdivision.

The fire started Feb. 26, the cause is unknown and containment was at 0%.

Evacuation orders are in effect for all residents in the Bruner Mountain Area/Subdivision. The Musselshell County Sheriff’s Office is coordinating the evacuation orders, and 911 reverse calls have been sent out to advise people in the area.

A shelter is opening at the Roundup Community Center. Residents were told to contact Musselshell County DES for further information.

Firefighter and public safety remain the top priority. The public is asked to avoid the Fattig Creek and Rehder Road area so emergency personnel can safely and effectively perform their work.

Fire resources assigned to the incident include 40 total personnel, 11 engines, one Type 2 helicopter, three tenders and two dozers.

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Montana

February 26 recap: Missoula and Western Montana news you may have missed today

Published

21 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

February 26 recap: Missoula and Western Montana news you may have missed today

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Montana

Escobar, Jayapal, Members of Congress Call on Camp East Montana to be Shut Down – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Escobar, Jayapal, Members of Congress Call on Camp East Montana to be Shut Down – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) – joined by Representative Pramila Jayapal, the Ranking Member of the Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee, and 22 other Members of Congress – sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons calling for the immediate closure of Camp East Montana in El Paso. They cite urgent humanitarian concerns following multiple deaths in custody, documented unsafe conditions, and serious deficiencies in medical care.

This marks the fourth letter Congresswoman Escobar has sent to DHS and ICE leadership. The previous three letters have gone unanswered.

The letter can be found in its entirety below and here.

“Secretary Noem and Acting Director Lyons:

We are urgently calling on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS or the Department) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to shut down Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas.

Camp East Montana has been operational for six months, and at least three people have died at the site since December 2025: Francisco Gaspar-Andres, Geraldo Lunas Campos, and Victor Manuel Diaz. The El Paso County Medical Examiner has officially ruled Lunas Campos’ death a homicide, citing “asphyxia due to neck and torso compression.”

Camp East Montana was constructed in a matter of weeks and opened before construction was complete and it does not have enough federal staff on-site to provide adequate oversight. Over the last several months, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, in whose district this facility is located, has sent multiple letters to DHS and ICE regarding concerns about the conditions at Camp East Montana, and has received no responses.

According to detainees, there have been constant and consistent problems at the facility since it opened, beginning with the facility’s poor construction and poor ambient temperature control. Upon opening, the drinking water at Camp East Montana tasted foul and made some detainees sick. Detainees continue to be served inadequate meals, including food that is rotten or frozen; last fall, the facility was also consistently failing to make dietary accommodations for detainees. Detainees have shared that they have sporadic access to outside spaces and recreational areas, and that their dormitory pods are cleaned only once every eight days, despite pods housing up to 72 people at a time. Laundry services are not consistent, and people are washing their clothes in the facility showers. Additionally, the facility experiences flooding and sewage backups when it rains, leading to stagnant water.

One of the biggest concerns with the Camp East Montana facility is the inadequate medical care being provided to detainees. Our offices have heard that only the most ill detainees are referred to the medical unit and that there are inconsistencies as to how soon after arriving detainees are able to undergo initial medical screenings. Detainees with chronic health issues who rely on regimented medications for their health have had difficulty accessing necessary medications, including blood pressure medication and insulin.

At least one of the deaths that occurred in ICE custody, the death of Francisco Gaspar-Andres, appears to partially be the result of poor medical care by staff at the facility. According to ICE’s own account, Gaspar-Andres sought medical attention from facility staff for increasingly serious symptoms, but was only transferred to an area hospital once his condition had severely deteriorated.

In addition to our concerns about poor medical care, we are also aware that detainees have experienced irregular access to their legal counsel, including instances of detainees having only two minutes allotted per phone call every 8 days, which is contrary to ICE’s Detention Standards on access to counsel, and that the belatedly created law library lacks adequate resources for the amount of people currently held at the facility. In January 2026, ICE announced the on-site death of Geraldo Lunas Campos “after experiencing medical distress.” ICE opened an investigation into the death, but did not provide a cause of death. However, The Washington Post later reported that another man detained at Camp East Montana had witnessed guards choking Lunas Campos when he refused to enter a segregated housing unit. Weeks later, the El Paso County Medical Examiner ruled that Lunas Campos had experienced “asphyxia due to neck and torso compression” and ruled his death a homicide.

Lunas Campos is the first detainee to die at Camp East Montana as a result of a use-of-force incident, but we are strongly concerned that he will not be the last if ICE is allowed to continue operating Camp East Montana.

ICE was given $45 billion in taxpayer dollars in the reconciliation bill, $1.2 billion of which were awarded to Acquisition Logistics, LLC, a company with no previous experience managing immigration detention facilities, to build and oversee Camp East Montana. However, in the wake of three deaths in custody so far, continued concerns about conditions at the facility, and ICE’s apparent disinterest in responding to oversight letters from Congress, we do not believe Camp East Montana is being run professionally or responsibly.

Camp East Montana must be shut down. For the safety of everyone at the facility, for an end to abuses to detainees, and for fiscal responsibility to the American people, the site cannot continue to operate. We are calling on DHS and ICE to move to immediately close operations at Camp East Montana.

We look forward to hearing from the Department promptly on this matter.

The other co-signers include Representatives Yassamin Ansari, Nanette Barragán, Yvette Clarke, Lloyd Doggett, Maxwell Frost, Jesús “Chuy” García, Sylvia Garcia, Daniel Goldman, Jimmy Gomez, Henry Johnson, Stephen Lynch, Seth Moulton, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Delia Ramirez, Andrea Salinas, Janice Schakowsky, Darren Soto, Rashida Tlaib, Paul Tonko, Lauren Underwood, Gabe Vasquez, and Nydia Velázquez.

Issues: Immigration

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