BILLINGS — Harlowton graduate Ryan Fenley stands alone in the MSU Billings record books.
Fenley recently posted a school record in the decathlon as part of a fifth-place finish at the GNAC Combined Event Championships. Those 10 events have been quite a grind on the body.
“I've definitely had my lows and my highs this season. About two weeks ago I was just sorry for myself. I was sore all the time," Fenley said. "It ended up paying off in Washington. Definitely a lot of silly soreness, little injuries here and there. Tom (Ebel) really helps us out here. He's a really good trainer and he helped get me where I was, for sure."
In those 10 events, Fenley will run, sprint, jump, throw and even pole vault. He didn’t vault before getting to college, so it’s been a bit of a learning curve.
“Last year I kind of was told to grip it and rip it and hope for the best, and that's kind of how it's been since then," Fenley said. "Now it's working more into the form of things. It's difficult now, but give it a summer of training and I'll be a lot farther than I am now."
He actually PR’d by more than a foot in the pole vault this past weekend, and that performance was the cherry on top of what has been an outstanding first year in the blue and gold, as Fenley transferred to Billings after two years at Dickinson State.
Fenley might even still be a Blue Hawk if not for his career path.
“To afford college and I'm trying to make a career out of the military. Once I graduate here I'll go to flight school," Fenley said. "I kind of want to fly for 20 years. I'm going to try and make a career out of the military. The Army pays me to be in Montana. They didn't pay me to be in North Dakota."
Fenley’s track and field season isn’t over just yet, as he’ll head to Washington for the GNAC Outdoor Championships next weekend.
