On March 27th and 28th, the University of Montana (Griz) hosted the Al Manual, the NCAA’s first outdoor meet of the season.
There were only two NCAA schools at the meet, these being the Griz and Montana State University (Bobcats).
Since the Griz and the Bobcats are the only NCAA schools, the meet acts more like a dual. A dual occurs when there are only two schools competing in the meet.
The Griz
The Griz has multiple track and field athletes that are on the radar this season, but two athletes really stood out this past Saturday: Erin Willde and Karsen Beitz.
Erin Willde is a senior high jumper who has been on top of the podium for most of her collegiate career. In her freshman year, she only had three meets where she didn’t come in first, the first one of those being the NCAA D1 Outdoor Track and Field West Regional.
In the 2025 indoor season, she came first in all five meets she participated in and even got a personal best of 1.84 meters (m) (6.03 feet) at the Montana State Games. Willde also holds the Griz women’s high jump indoor record, which she broke last year with a 1.83-meter jump.
At the Al Manual meet, she almost touched her personal record (PR) by jumping 1.83 meters (6 feet).
With this being the first meet of the season and Willde already breaking her own outdoor record of 1.78m ( 5 feet 10 inches), it will be exciting to watch what Willde will do further in the season.
Karsen Beitz is a junior sprinter who has been making waves in the 100m and 200m. He had a few good meets in his freshman year, where he got second place in the 100-meter and first place in the 200m. He also made it to the 2024 Big Sky Outdoor Track & Field Championship, where he got 14th place in the 100m.
Since then, he has only improved and is now one of the best sprinters in Montana, with his lowest places being third in the 60m and seventh in the 200m. He won the 200m at the Big Sky Indoor championship with a time of 21.09 seconds.
At the All-Manual, Beitz set the tone for the season by not only winning one event, but all three events that he participated in: the 100m, 200m, and 4×100 relay.
He set a new PR in the 100m, with a time of 10.44 seconds; in the 200m, with a time of 20.93 seconds. The relay team that consisted of Romin Saleki, Brody Thornsberry, Ben Bliver, and Beitz himself won with a time of 40.23 seconds.
Since Beitz is only a junior, it can be assumed that he hasn’t hit his peak yet and will only continue to climb his way to the top.
The Bobcats
On the Bobcats’ side, there have also been numerous track and field athletes who have been on top of their game. The athletes who have been catching people’s eyes are Tilde Bjerager and Sydney Brewster.
Tilde Bjerager is a freshman hurdler who has been making a name for herself by winning both the 100m hurdles and the 400m hurdles with times of 13.59 seconds and 57.68 seconds.
She was a full four seconds ahead of her teammate, Olivia Lewis, who ran the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:01 minutes.
She ran unattached for a few meets in the 2026 indoor season, but eventually ran attached to the team. She mostly dominated the 60m hurdles by getting first place three consecutive times in a row.
Because Bjerager is only a freshman, making her performance at the meet all the more impressive. Her college journey will be more than entertaining to watch, and it’s safe to say this is only the beginning of her athletic potential.
Sydney Brewster is a junior shot putter who has been winning the shot put since last year. There was a glimpse of her potential in her freshman year, but she really showed up in her sophomore year.
In her sophomore outdoor season, she didn’t come in first place; most of the time she came in second place, except for the NCAA Outdoor Championship, where she got 20th.
She holds the school record for shot put with a 17.27m (56 feet 8 inches), which she got last outdoor season at the Idaho State Bengal Invitational.
At the Al Manual, she won with a 17.12m (56 feet) throw, meaning she was just a few inches off from breaking her own school record. Second place went to her teammate Emma Brensda, who threw 15.01m (49 feet 3 inches).
With Brewster already almost breaking the school record again in just the first meet, she may break it before the season is done.
Al Manual is only the first meet of the NCAA 10-12 week track season, and there have already been jaw-dropping times and PRs. Expectations for the season have been set, and from the performance from this meet alone, there is no doubt that they will be fulfilled.
