MSU track and field qualifies three at Tom Gage

By Chronicle Staff and the Associated Press

MISSOULA - The Montana State University track and field team competed in the Tom Gage last chance qualifier meet on Friday against the University of Montana.

The Bobcats women’s team had three more athletes qualify for regional competition Kala Jacquet, Olivia Rider and Kris Schaffer.

Jacquet won the 800 meter run in two minutes 17.46 seconds. Rider took third in the 100 meter sprint, qualifying with a time of 12.41 seconds. Rider also placed second in the 200.

Schaffer took first place in the women’s shot put event with a distance of 50 feet one inch. Schaffer’s distance was a lifetime best and a foot better than her 49 foot distance last week, according to Dale Kennedy, MSU track and field coach. Schaffer also set a new school record with the 50 foot mark, besting the previous record of 49 feet one inch set by Jen Allen.

Autmn Domitrovich had two first place finishes, winning the 100 and 200 meter sprints.

Other women’s winners include Fawn Kirkpatrick in the 400-meter hurdles, Courtney Austin in the long jump, Karen Helvey in the discus and Alli Jones in the hammer throw.

In the men’s competition, no new athletes qualified for regionals.

Nathan Palmer won the hammer throw, with a personal best distance of 196 feet nine inches. Palmer’s mark on Friday improved on his regional qualifying mark from earlier this season.

Dan Johnson posted a personal record of 10.78 in the 100-meter sprint, but took second behind UM’s James Brown (10.77). Johnson rallied though to take first place in the 200 sprint with a time of 21.67 seconds.

Casey Claussen set a new personal record in the men’s shot put. Claussen’s mark of 52 feet 4.75 inches was good for third place.

Tyler Noland won the 1500-meter run in four minutes 3.4 seconds and Nick Atwood finished in first in the 5000 in 15 minutes 8.49 seconds.

Softball

UGF’s Bailey selected to the NAIA All-Region 1 Softball Team: At Great Falls, the NAIA announced the All-Region 1 Softball team on Friday and Jo Bailey, a senior infielder from Great Falls, Montana, was one of eighteen student-athletes selected

Bailey led the Lady Argos in hits with 43 and had four stolen bases this season. She was ranked No. 19 in NAIA Division I Softball with a hitting percentage of 0.786. The former C.M.R. High standout also had 22 RBI’s, 8 triples and 8 home runs.

GOLF

MSU Billings golf signs two recruits: At Billings, Montana State-Billings women's golf coach Kevin Woodin has announced the signing of two in-state recruits.

Erin Heaney of Anaconda and Libby Rutz of Billings have signed with the Yellowjackets.

Heaney earned all-state honors as a senior, finishing second at divisionals and in the Top 10 at the state Class A tournament last fall.

Rutz, of Billings Senior, placed in the Top 10 at the state Class championships as a junior and senior, earning all-state honors both years.

Basketball

Helena High standout signs with Western basketball: At Dillon, Montana Western men's basketball coach Steve Keller has announced the signing of Helena High forward Grant Fink.

The 6-foot-7 Fink averaged 17 points and 10.3 rebounds for the Bengals, earning first-team all-state honors. He also was selected to play in this summer's Montana-Wyoming All-Star series.

Keller says Fink is a player with great size and athleticism.

Fink's older brother, Garrett, also plays for the Bulldogs.

ANCHORAGE PLAYER Commits to EASTERN: The state of Alaska Player of the Year, Kevin Winford, has signed a letter of intent to attend Eastern Washington University and play for the Eagle men's basketball program, EWU head coach Kirk Earlywine has announced.

Winford, a former high school teammate of Kansas point guard Mario Chalmers, is a 5-foot-11, 175-pound point guard from Bartlett High School in Anchorage, Alaska. He averaged 22 points, five rebounds and four assists per game in leading his team to a runner-up finish in the State 4A Tournament.

He was selected as the 2008 Gatorade Player of the Year in Alaska and was also picked as the 4A Player of the Year on the Anchorage Daily News/Alaska Media All-State basketball team.

"We are very excited that Kevin has chosen to join our program," said Earlywine. "He is exactly the type of person that we want to build our program around. Not only is he a good player, but he is also an outstanding student who comes from a great family."

FORSYTH STAR JOINS BULLDOGS: At Dillon, Stephanie Dana, a 6’0” forward from Forsyth, Mont., has signed a Frontier Conference/NAIA letter of intent to play basketball for the University of Montana Western according to head women’s coach Kevin Engellant.

Dana transfers from Miles Community College (MCC). She averaged 7.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game this past season as MCC finished with a 31-2 record and won their second straight Mon-Dak championship.

“We are looking forward to Stephanie joining our program,” said Engellant. “ She will give us added size and depth in the post position. She has good low post moves and is a solid rebounder. Stephanie comes from a very successful Miles Community College program and she is an excellent student as well.”

Baseball

Western Oregon Sweeps MSUB in Doubleheader: At Monmouth, Ore., Western Oregon posted a pair of two run wins over Montana State Billings Friday afternoon in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference doubleheader, 5-3 and 6-4. With the losses, the Yellowjackets fall to 13-37 overall and 4-24 in conference play.

The Wolves opened the scoring in the first inning of game one with two runs as Dylan Bruck began the game with a triple and was brought home by a RBI single later in the inning.

A two out rally in the sixth got the Yellowjackets back in the game as Matt Schoonover doubled down the left field line and scored on a Jonathan Schlender RBI single. Moments later, Levi Johnson scored on a Steve Larson single for a 4-2 score.

Schoonover led the team going 3 for 5 with a run scored. Tyler Mieras went 3 for 4 with a RBI and a run scored to lead the Wolves. Cody Clark (2-3) takes the loss going six innings and allowing five earned runs with eight hits, one walk and two strikeouts.

In the nightcap, MSUB matched WOU with single runs in the first two innings, but the Wolves took the lead in the third, 3-2. Schoonover hit a RBI single in the first for the Jackets, followed by Nick Rupert RBI single in the second.

MSUB scored a run in the seventh on a RBI single by Schoonover and left two on but were unable to score more runs, falling 6-4.

The Jackets and Wolves will complete the regular season tomorrow with the final doubleheader of the series.

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