(Editor's note: Montana State athletics press release)
The Montana State track and field program is set to send a school-record 17 athletes to the 2022 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field West Preliminary Rounds. The four-day competition begins on Wednesday, May 25, and takes place at John McDonnell Field on the University of Arkansas campus.
Twelve men and five women will represent the Bobcats following entries and scratches completed through the coaches' reviews. Competing at the NCAA West Preliminaries will be Chris Bianchini, Elena Carter, Lucy Corbett, Cantor Coverdell, Morgan Evans, Ian Fosdick, Duncan Hamilton, Alex Hellenberg, Cooper Hoffman, Alec Nehring, Derrick Olsen, Ben Perrin, Matthew Richtman, Drake Schneider, Angellica Street, Levi Taylor and Colby Wilson.
The fields for all the events at the preliminaries will features 48 athletes vying to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Athletes with the top 12 times/marks at the West Preliminary Round will advance to the NCAA meet which is scheduled for June 8-11 in Eugene, Ore.
"To see the numbers of qualifiers we have heading to the West Regionals is obviously very exciting," said Lyle Weese, Montana State's Dale Kennedy Director of Track and Field. "It's a sign of really the direction the program is heading.
"The West Regional is a bit of a stressful meet because you really want to get to the NCAA Championships. If we have a group of individuals that goes there and handles it really well, I think we can get a lot of people into the NCAA meet."
Heading into the competition, Montana State has five athletes that have current marks that rank among the top 12 on the West Region performance list.
Hamilton has the fastest time in the 3,000-meter steeplechase of 8:26.44, while Taylor joins him in the top 10 with his personal-best mark of 8:38.90. Corbett is fourth on the women's high jump list with her school-record height of 6 feet, 1.50 inches (1.87m). Schneider sits fifth in the region in the 400 hurdles after setting a facility, Big Sky and MSU record time of 49.15 last week at the conference championships. Wilson ranks 10th in the pole vault with his outdoor best height of 17-07.25 (5.37m). Also, narrowly outside the top 12 is Coverdell who has a personal-best throw of 223-11 (68.26) in the javelin this season, a year after taking 13th overall in the javelin at the regional round.
A majority of running events will feature first round races that lead into quarterfinals. Field events will have a lone first round competition to advance them to Eugene.
Bianchini (800), Olsen (110 Hurdles), Schneider (400 hurdles), along with Carter (100 hurdles) and Evans (100 hurdles), will be participating in First Round races that advance 24 runners to quarterfinals races. The top 12 finishers from the quarters advance to the NCAA Championships. MSU's remaining athletes will compete in their lone heat or flights as part of their round and will try to finish among the top 12 to qualify for Eugene.
The NCAA West Preliminary competition takes place in Fayetteville, Arkansas, from May 25-28. A stream will be available on SEC Network+ but won't be live until 5 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday as well as 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. A live results link and championship information host site is available on the Montana State track and field schedule page.
NCAA Division I West Preliminary Round – Montana State Participants
All times listed below in Mountain Time
Men's Qualifiers
Chris Bianchini – 800m (Wednesday, May 25 - 6:50 p.m.)
Cantor Coverdell – Javelin (Wednesday, May 25 - 1 p.m.)
Ian Fosdick – Triple Jump (Friday, May 27 - 5 p.m.)
Duncan Hamilton – 3,000m Steeplechase (Friday, May 27 - 4:40 p.m.)
Cooper Hoffman – Javelin (Wednesday, May 25 - 1 p.m.)
Alec Nehring – Shot Put (Wednesday, May 25 - 6 p.m.)
Derrick Olsen – 110m Hurdles (Wednesday, May 25 - 5 pm.)
Ben Perrin – 5,000m (Friday, May 27 - 7:10 p.m.)
Matthew Richtman – 10,000m (Wednesday, May 25 - 8:10 p.m.)
Drake Schneider – 400m Hurdles (Wednesday, May 25 - 7:20 p.m.)
Levi Taylor – 3,000m Steeplechase (Friday, May 27 - 4:40 p.m.)
Colby Wilson – Pole Vault (Wednesday, May 25 - 5:30 p.m.)
Women's Qualifiers
Elena Carter – 100m Hurdles (Thursday, May 26 - 5 p.m.) | 100m (Thursday, May 26 - 6 p.m.) | Long Jump (Thursday, May 26 - 6 p.m.)
Lucy Corbett – High Jump (Saturday, May 28 - 1:30 p.m.)
Morgan Evans – 100m Hurdles (Thursday, May 26 - 5 p.m.)
Alex Hellenberg – Triple Jump (Saturday, May 28 - 5 p.m.) | Pole Vault (Thursday, May 26 - 5:30 pm.)
Angellica Street – Javelin (Thursday, May 26 - 1 p.m.)
