The Montana State Track and Field team opened the 2011 outdoor campaign at the Al Manual Invitational on Saturday in Missoula, Mont. The two day meet, hosted by Montana, was scored as a triple dual with Eastern Washington, Montana and Montana State. The MSU men swept Eastern Washington and Montana with scores of 104-91 and 115.5-82.5, respectively. The Bobcat women were edged out by Eastern Washington, 96-95 and fell to Montana, 98-91. (Men's Results | Women's Results)

The men garnered seven gold medal finishes, while the women picked up five. Over the two days, 37total medals were won (19 for the men and 18 for the women). Overall, 16 Big Sky Conference qualifiers were tabbed in Missoula (six for the men, 10 for the women).

One of the top performers for MSU was Asa Staven who won the High Jump with a height of 1.95m (6-04.75). Staven also took second in the Long Jump (6.59m).

David Phillips, after a hugely successful indoor season, extended his winning streak by winning the Hammer Throw with a distance of 60.27m (197-09.00). Phillips took second in the Discus behind teammate Will Rockett. Rockett won with a distance of 45.29m (148-07.00) while Phillips threw 44.40 (145-08.00).

Trevor Gilreath took the Shot Put with a Big Sky Qualifying distance of 16.45 (53-11.75).

Distance runner Nick Atwood earned Big Sky qualifiers in the 5,000 (14:54.03) and also earned gold for MSU.

Other top finishers included Slater Powell who won the 110 Meter Hurdles with a time of 15.05 seconds. His time was also an automatic qualifier for the Big Sky Conference Championships in May. The 110 Hurdles proved beneficial for the Bobcats, as they swept the podium with second and third place finishes, as well. Jeff Mohl took second (15.39) and Keenen Stangl took third (15.43).

The Bobcat women also had several notable performances. Madeline Fuchs won the 400 Hurdles with a time of 1:02.55, while teammate Katie Niemeir took second, just behind Fuchs, in 1:02.76.

Standout Heather Haug clocked in first in the 1,500 with a Big Sky qualifying time of 4:26.58. Haug finished third in the 800 in 2:19.44.

In the field events, Stacey Irvine won the Pole Vault with a height of 3.40m (11-01.75). Amanda Murphy also notched a comfortable win in the Shot Put with a top distance of 14.24m (46-08.75). Murphy was the only double-winner in Missoula with a gold medal finish in the Hammer Throw with a hurl of 56.50m (185-04.00).

“Overall, this was a good start for us,” said head coach Dale Kennedy. “We unfortunately were short numbers for the women, which would have made a big difference in the scores, but the performances we put out were still where I expect us to be at this point.”

MSU Track and Field returns to Bozeman on Saturday, April 9, when they host the MSU Open at the MSU Track and Field Complex. The meet is slated for an 11:30 a.m. start.