Big Sky Outdoor T&F Titles Up For Grabs In Ogden
Heat Sheets | Performance List | Schedule of Events | Championship Central
FARMINGTON, Utah (May 11, 2021) – This week all 11 full-time members of the Big Sky Conference will ascend on Ogden, Utah, to take part in the 2021 Big Sky Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Chick Hislop Track and Stewart Stadium.
Due to COVID-19 there were no championships in 2020, and when they were last held they took place in Missoula, Mont. That season Sacramento State claimed the women’s crown for the eighth time since 2008, while Southern Utah won their first outdoor title since joining the league in 2012.
Nearly two years later rosters look a little different, but all 11 teams are anxious for a chance to bring home some hardware.
On the men’s side the Lumberjacks of Northern Arizona are nationally ranked at No. 17 in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Top-25 Poll as the lone representative in the league.
NAU is No. 3 in the NCAA Mountain Region behind only Brigham Young University and Texas Tech. Ranked No. 8 in the Mountain Region out of the Big Sky is Montana State, followed by Weber State (No. 12), Southern Utah (No. 13), Idaho State (No. 14), Montana (No. 15) and Northern Colorado (No. 17).
In the NCAA West Region Idaho is the top representative from the Big Sky on the men’s side at No. 12. Eastern Washington (No. 16), Sacramento State (No. 25) and Portland State (No. 28) round out the league’s presence in that region.
Coming in as the favorite, the Lumberjack men’s squad will be seeking their 25
th Big Sky Conference Outdoor title in Ogden this weekend.
On the women’s side the league doesn’t boast any nationally ranked teams, but has a number of squads with impressive regional placement.
NAU holds the highest ranking out of the Big Sky in the NCAA West Region, sitting at No. 5. Closely behind them is Weber State, as the championship hosts are No. 7 in the West Region heading in to the championships. Idaho State (No. 12), Montana State (No. 14), Southern Utah (No. 16), Montana (No. 19) and Northern Colorado (No. 20) round out the representatives in the West Region out of the Big Sky.
In the NCAA West Region Eastern Washington is slotted at No. 19, followed by Idaho (No. 22), Portland State (No. 28) and Sacramento State (No. 29).
NAU’s women’s squad has won 13 Big Sky titles dating back to 1989, while the Wildcats are seeking their first title since 2002.
The Big Sky is also home to a number of individual athletes that have put the NCAA on notice to this point of the season.
The Lumberjacks currently hold the two best times in the NCAA when it comes to the 10,000-meter, with Abdihamid Nur (27:47.27) in the No. 1 spot and Blaise Ferro (27:56.30) sitting No. 2. SUU’s Christian Ricketts is ranked No. 22 in the 10K with a 28:40.62.
NAU holds four of the top-16 marks in the men’s 5,000-meter, with Nico Young (No. 5; 13:24.26), Nur (No. 10; 13:26.74), Luis Grijalva (No. 14; 13:29.02) and Ferro (No. 16; 13:31.54) all setting impressive marks during the season. Grijalva is also ranked No. 24 in the men’s 1,500-meter with a 3:39.02.
In the 400-meter hurdles Montana State’s Drake Schneider has posted the 10
th best time in the NCAA this season at 50.23. He hit that altitude adjusted mark at the 2021 ISU Bengal Invitational. MSU’s Duncan Hamilton also posted an impressive mark in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and is ranked No. 11 in the NCAA with an altitude adjusted 8:43.28.
Weber State’s Tracen Warnick also holds an impressive mark in the steeplechase, sitting No. 13 in the NCAA with a 8:43.74.
Idaho State’s Treyshon Malone is ranked No. 14 in the long jump after hitting a 7.90m (25’ 11”) at the Westmont Collegiate Classic back in March.
Idaho’s Zack Short is ranked No. 19 in the shot put with a 19.51m (64’ ¼”) that he hit at the OSU High Performance Meet at the end of April.
In the men’s javelin Montana’s Dylan Kipp is ranked No. 21 thanks to a 70.20m (230’ 4”) that he thew at the 2021 Al Manuel Invitational.
On the women’s side there are also a number of student-athletes that have ranked themselves amongst the best the NCAA has to offer.
Taryn O’Neill currently holds the No. 8 time in the 5,000-meter so far this year, clocking in at 15:36.14 at the Fresno State West Coast Relays. Weber State’s Lexie Thompson is ranked No. 12 in the NCAA in the 5K, running a 15:37.34 at the OSU High Performance Meet.
WSU’s Thompson also holds the No. 5 time in the 10,000-meter this season, hitting a 32:49.62 at the Wayward Premiere meet at the beginning of April. Lumberjack, Jaralyn Poe, owns the No. 13 time in the women’s 10K with a 33:14.95 that she ran at the West Coast Relays as well, followed closely by WSU’s Billie Hatch, who ran a 33:39.68 in the Hayward Premiere to rank No. 18. PSU’s Kaila Gibson Is ranked No. 28 in the event as well.
Weber State also has an impressive mark in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, with Summer Allen ranked No. 19 at 9:59.42.
Southern Utah’s Alexis McAllister owns the No. 22 javelin throw on the women’s side in the NCAA this season, hitting a 51.87m (170’ 2”) at the UNLV Spring Opener at the beginning of March.
Wildcat Kate Sorensen is ranked No. 26 in the 400-meter hurdles for Weber State, hitting a 58.17 at the OSU High Performance meet.
Eastern Washington’s Morgan Fossen is ranked No. 28 in the pole vault, hitting a 4.18m at the Whitworth H.I.R. Invite.
The stadium feed of the Big Sky Championships will be available through the course of competition on PlutoTV Channel 1054 (Weber State's Channel) and
www.WatchBigSky.com. Throwing events on Friday and Saturday will be availalbe on
Facebook Live.
Follow the Big Sky Conference on social media – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat – at @BigSkyConf and use the hashtags #BigSkyGolf and #ExperienceElevated.