LONG BEACH, Calif. — Five new school records headlined early returns for the Montana State track and field team as they competed across a pair of meets in southern California late Wednesday and into Thursday.
Grace Gilbreth set a new Montana State-best in the 3,000 meter steeplechase and Sydney Brewster set a new Big Sky Conference record in the shot put, while Emma Brensdal broke the Montana State record in the discus, Hailey Coey broke the school record in the long jump, and Kyla Christopher-Moody broke the school record in the 5,000 meters.
The middle three came on Thursday afternoon at the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate, hosted by Long Beach State at Jack Rose Track.
The one-day meet is the first of a pair of competitions held this week in Long Beach, with the Cats also competing at the two-day Beach Invitational beginning Friday and continuing through Saturday.
Late Wednesday night in Azusa, California, Grace Gilbreth set the tone for the week with a school record in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, marking the first of now five school records for the Bobcat women through less than two full days of action.
Gilbreth, a product of Bozeman High School, continued the Cats' proud tradition of "Steeple U" on Wednesday night at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa with the first sub-ten minute steeplechase race in school history, clocking a time of 9:58.84 to break the record held by Heather Demorest since 2015 (10:01.68).
The Bobcat women carried that momentum into Thursday, with the sophomore duo of Brewster and Brensdal continuing what has been a special season for the pair of throwers.
First it was Brewster in the shot put, breaking a 28-year-old Big Sky Conference record with a heave of 54-09¼ — a throw that also broke her own school record last set two weeks ago at UNLV.
The reigning Big Sky indoor champion took second to Colorado State's Mya Lesnar with the mark, which broke the previous Big Sky record set by Beth Burton of Cal State Northridge in 1997.
The native of Sandy, Oregon, now ranks No. 22 in NCAA Division I this season.
Shortly after, Brensdal broke through with a massive throw of 165-05 to set a new school record in the discus.
The mark came on the Plentywood native's third attempt of the afternoon, and breaks the record which had been held by her coach, Jen Allen, since 2001.
In two weeks, Bresndal has recorded the second-best shot put mark in school history and now the all-time best discus mark in school history.
Gilbreth wasn't the only steeple standout from Wednesday.
Rob McManus, a two-time All-American in the event and the current face of '"Steeple U," ran a three-second personal-best to take second in a stacked field of some of the country's best at Cougar Stadium at the Bryan Clay Invitational, hosted by Azusa Pacific University.
The senior from Cashmere, Washington, ran 8:26.83 to pass former teammate and three-time All-American Levi Taylor for second all-time in Montana State history, sitting behind only Duncan Hamilton.
The mark is the fourth-fastest time in the country this season.
Over in the sand, it was business as usual for star jumper Hailey Coey.
The junior from Billings added to her haul of records with an all-time MSU best in the long jump — leaping 20-11¼ to break the record held by Lacy Hinzpeter since 2003.
Coey broke the indoor school record in the long jump multiple times during the winter, adding a school record in the triple jump as well. At the 2025 Big Sky Indoor Championships, the junior set a new Big Sky Conference record on her way to a gold medal in Flagstaff.
Her jump on Thursday in Long Beach is the No. 9 mark in NCAA Division I this season
Elsewhere in Long Beach, the 400 meter hurdles duo of Giulia Gandolfi and Olivia Lewis showed out with big performances in the same heat.
Gandolfi, a junior from Faenza, Italy, finished in 58.72 seconds, improving on her standing as the fourth-fastest Bobcat ever in the event.
Lewis, a freshman from Corvallis, Montana, finished in 59.27 seconds, climbing up to fifth on the all-time leaderboard at MSU.
In the pole vault, fellow freshman Jordan Lasher cleared a bar set at 16-08, moving up to No. 8 in Montana State history.
The native of Yelm, Washington, won silver at the 2025 Big Sky Indoor Championships in February.
Over at the Bryan Clay Invitational on late Thursday night after the sun had set, the Bobcat distance group took aim at the 5,000 meters and came away with a school record and a handful of top-ten marks.
Stealing the show was Kyla Christopher-Moody, a graduate student from Royal Oak, Michigan, who ran a spectacular race and finished in 15:47.56--a remarkable new school record.
The race cleared Camila Noe's old mark of 15:52.02 set in 2022, also at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, and gave Christopher-Moody her fourth school record (outdoor 5,000 meters, outdoor 1,500 meters, indoor mile, indoor 3,000 meters).
Also impressing in the women's 5,000 meters was Gilbreth, who ran a 19-second personal-best to finish in 16:10.24, improving her No. 3 all-time mark in program history.
On the men's side, a trio ran all-time top ten marks to put their names in the record books.
In the final race of the night that ended just before 11:30 p.m. local time, Sam Ells gutted out a remarkable time of 13:40.66.
The only Bobcat men who have run faster in the event than the junior from Kalispell? Duncan Hamilton, Ben Perrin and Diego Leon.
Ells' time put him above coach Lyle Weese, Big Sky Hall of Famer Shannon Butler, and former teammate Matthew Richtman.
Earlier in the night, Owen Smith won his heat in the 5,000 meters in 13:54.22, his first collegiate win.
The senior from Billings now owns the eighth-fastest time in school history.
Teammate Will Kelly, a graduate student from Golf, Illinois, finished his heat in 13:59.44, the new tenth-fastest mark in school history.
Action continues on Friday across three sites for Montana State track and field, with competitors spread across the Beach Invite in Long Beach, the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, and the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa.
