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.
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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.
