Locals shine for Lady Griz

A pair of local track and field standouts are currently making plenty of noise at the University of Montana.

Of course, former Big Sandy star Kourtney Danreuther has been doing it for the Lady Griz track team for years now, but former Havre High standout Sammy Evans is making a name for herself too.

Evans, a sophomore at UM, recently wrapped up a brilliant indoor season for the Lady Griz team. At the 2014 Big Sky Conference Indoor Championships last month, Evans won the conference championship in the triple jump with a career-best 39-10 to edge senior teammate Kellee Glaus for the triple jump championship.

Evans scored big points for the Lady Griz the entire indoor season, but her excellent form has carried right over into the outdoor season. Evans has already qualified for the Big Sky championships this season with a triple jump best of 38-4. Her career best is in event outdoors, an astounding 41-1.25. She’s also competing in the long jump and high jump for the Lady Griz this spring. In the recent Al Manuel Invitational, Evans finished first in the triple jump and sixth in the high jump. At the Montana State Invite earlier this month, Evans finished first in the long jump and second in the triple jump.

Meanwhile, Danreuther has been among the top track and field athletes in the Big Sky the last three seasons, and she’s qualified for the last two NCAA Western Regionals. In her senior year, she finished second in the 400 meters and sixth in the 200 meters at the Big Sky Indoor Championships.

Danreuther, who holds the record for most Class C gold medals in Montana history, is already qualified for the Big Sky Outdoor Championships in the 400 hurdles and is currently ranked No. 1 in the Big Sky in that event, and has three wins in the event so far this season. She’s also focusing on the 200 meters for the Lady Griz this season, but has also competed in the 100 and 800 as well.

Both Evans and Danreuther are in the midst of a busy Lady Griz schedule, a schedule that wraps up with the Big Sky Championships next month in Flagstaff, Ariz., and hopefully a trip to the NCAA Regionals May 29-31 in Fayettville, Ark.