BOZEMAN, Mont. & AZUSA, Calif. – The Black Hills State University men's and women's track & field teams competed in their final weekend of last chance meets, traveling to Bozeman, Montana, where Montana State hosted the Tom Gage Classic, and Azusa, California, where Azusa Pacific hosted the Franson Last Chance. The weekend was highlighted by three top-5 times in program history, as Evan Smith ran the fifth-fastest time in program history in the 1,500m run, Evie Boyd running the fifth-fastest time in school history in the 1,500m run, and then Boyd breaking her own school record for the second time this year in the 5,000m run. With the school record time of 16:56.38, Boyd became the first Yellow Jacket to ever break the 17-minute mark in the event.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – MEN'S TRACK & FIELD AT TOM GAGE CLASSIC

• Entering the weekend already with an NCAA Provisional time but looking to move up within the top-22, Flynn Johnston set out to compete in the 400m hurdles in Bozeman. While hitting an NCAA Provisional time once again, he was unable to better his time and improve his ranking nationally, posting a winning time of 52.90 against just one other competitor in the last chance meet.
• Bridger Anderson, who entered the meet with the best long jump mark in program history in 32 years, closed out his sophomore campaign in the event with a mark of 6.56m (21' 6.25") for third in the Tom Gage Classic.

HOW IT HAPPENED – MEN'S TRACK & FIELD AT FRANSON LAST CHANCE

• Evan Smith began the weekend at the Cougar Athletic Stadium with his fourth sub-1:50 time of the season (indoor & outdoor) in the 800m run, posting an 18^th place finish in a field of 126 athletes with a time of 1:49.71. He finished ahead of 22 NCAA Division I runners in the event. Then on Saturday he ran a career-best time of 3:50.26 in the 1,500m run, besting his previous time by four tenths of a second to finish 42^nd in the field of 194 athletes and improving the fifth-best time in program history. He finished ahead of 13 DI athletes.
• Also, on Saturday night in southern California, Gavin Kuhlenbeck made his BHSU debut in the 3,000m steeplechase after previously being an all-conference performer at Charleston Southern in the event. While he was unable to finish the race, he sat 27^th after 2,200m with a time of 7:00.23.

HOW IT HAPPENED – WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD AT TOM GAGE CLASSIC

• Competing against four NCAA Division I pole vaulters, the sophomore duo of Gretchen Adamski and Lauryn Bennett cleared 3.80m (12' 5.5") for third place and 3.65m (11' 11.75") for fifth place respectively. Adamski's mark was yet another NCAA Provisional mark, however, she was unable to move up in the national rankings.

HOW IT HAPPENED – WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD AT FRANSON LAST CHANCE

• Evie Boyd clocked a pair of top-5 times in school history in the 1,500m run and the 5,000m run at the Franson Last Chance. The weekend in southern California began on Friday night as she re-broke her school record in the 5,000m run for the second time this season, becoming the first Yellow Jacket to ever run a sub-17 minute time in the event as she crossed the finish line in a career-best time of 16:56.38 for a ninth place finish in a field of 56 athletes. She finished ahead of 11 NCAA Division I runners in the event. Then on Saturday, she found her way onto the Yellow Jacket All-Time Performance List in the 1,500m run, recording a career-best time of 4:38.32 for the fifth-best time in school history with a 32^nd place finish in a field of 95 athletes. She finished ahead of 16 DI runners in the event.

UP NEXT
Via a press release on NCAA.com, the announcement of qualifiers for the 2026 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be 1 p.m. MT / 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 12. With 22 qualifying in each event, current Yellow Jackets that rank within the top-22 of DII in their events include Evan Smith (800m run), Evie Boyd (3,000m steeplechase), and Cassidy Goddard (discus).