MISSOULA — Fans witnessed some outstanding performances at a wonderful venue when the Big Sky Conference track and field championships came to Dornblaser Field this past week.
They also saw the hosting Grizzlies have some fun: Montana’s men took third, the women finished fourth, and Griz stars captured the heptathlon and decathlon titles.
Plus, to no one’s surprise, UM topped the podium in one more event on Saturday morning. Senior Hana Feilzer came into the hammer throw as the overwhelming favorite. The former Missoula Big Sky Eagle’s first toss went 205 feet, 6 inches, which was more than 10 feet farther than anyone else on the day.
But even after she had clinched the win, Feilzer kept going farther. On her fifth throw, she hit 208-06, breaking her own school record, and followed that up on her final throw with a heave of 209-10, the fifth-best toss in Big Sky Conference history and 22nd-best in the nation this year.
“It’s awesome. I’ve been shooting for that all season long,” said Feilzer. “Now I’ve got regionals next week, going in placing even higher. And coming off a meet like this, it’s going to be awesome. I mean, that is just going to push me toward nationals. I love having a crowd that big cheering for me — it really pushes me — and I thank all of them for being out here and watching me do this, because I wouldn’t have been here without them.”
Feilzer will next compete in Sacramento for the NCAA West Regional Meet. On May 23, she’ll aim for a top-12 mark and a spot in nationals.
