CEDAR CITY, Utah - Championship moments rarely arrive cleanly. They are not scripted, not comfortable, and rarely secured until every last meter has been run. For the Southern Utah men's track and field team, the 2019 Big Sky Outdoor Championship delivered all of that and more, culminating in a finish that will be remembered as one of the most dramatic in program history.
The Big Sky Conference is one of the premier leagues for track and field in the country, where teams that compete train at high elevations and regularly break records. When the final event of the 2019 Championship meet arrived, the men's 4x400-meter relay, the Thunderbirds were not in the lead. They were not even guaranteed a podium finish. But they were within striking distance. Given the opportunity to earn a conference title with the last event, the Thunderbirds struck gold.
In a relay race anchored by urgency, belief, and sheer will. Justin Lewis, Devon Montgomery, Tre Harley, and Max Morley combined to produce a 3:10.94 school-record performance, finishing second in the race. But that second-place finish carried championship weight: it was just enough to vault Southern Utah past the field and secure the program's first-ever Big Sky Outdoor Track & Field title.
"It was intense," Morley said in the moments following the meet. "Down to the last 50, I had to catch that last guy. I just went out and gave it all I had."
That final surge did more than secure a relay result; it completed a team-wide effort that featured titles, records, and clutch performances across every facet of the meet.
A Championship Built Across Two Days
The Thunderbirds spent much of the meet trading punches with perennial conference powerhouses Northern Arizona and Montana. Entering the final events, the margin for error had all but disappeared.
But Southern Utah had already laid the foundation long before the final relay.
The championship began to take shape on the opening evening of competition in the 10,000 meters. Knowing that Northern Arizona entered the meet as the favorite and ranked among the nation's top programs, the Thunderbirds made a deliberate strategic adjustment. Rather than conceding points in the event, Southern Utah focused on maximizing its scoring opportunities and challenging the Lumberjacks where it could.
The approach paid off.
Southern Utah collected valuable points in the 10,000 meters, setting the tone for the remainder of the championship and proving early that the Thunderbirds would not be intimidated by the conference favorites.
"That race really helped set the tone," head coach Eric Houle said. "In previous years we hadn't put enough emphasis on scoring points in the 10,000 because we expected Northern Arizona to dominate. We changed our strategy and looked for ways to get a few more points out of the race, and it worked."
From there, every event group contributed.
Devon Montgomery opened championship Saturday with a gold medal in the 110-meter hurdles, clocking 14.15 to claim the Big Sky title. He later added a silver in the 400-meter hurdles, setting a school record in the process.
Justin Lewis followed with a breakthrough performance of his own, winning the 400-meter dash in a school-record 46.66, separating himself from a deep field and delivering critical team points in the process.
In the middle distance events, the Thunderbirds dominated the 800 meters, with George Espino (1:49.94) and Kasey Knevelbaard (1:50.06) finishing first and second. Knevelbaard also added a silver in the 1,500 meters, continuing a day of multi-event scoring that proved essential to the team race.
Senior leadership showed up in the throws as well, where Cannon Brunsvik opened the day by breaking his own shot put school record with a mark of 59' 1 ¼", putting SUU in early position to contend for the title.
Skyler Porcaro added a javelin crown with a record-setting throw of 234' 9", further solidifying Southern Utah's presence across all event groups.
The Final Stand
As the meet progressed, Northern Arizona's distance depth began to tighten the standings, briefly pushing the T-Birds out of the lead following the 5,000 meters.
By the time the final race approached, the equation was simple: the Thunderbirds needed to outperform the field in the relay to reclaim the championship.
They did exactly that.
The quartet of Lewis, Montgomery, Harley, and Morley executed under pressure, running with the urgency required of a championship-caliber team. Their second-place finish was enough. When the final points were tallied, Southern Utah had done the unthinkable, coming from behind in the last event to win the Big Sky title.
Head coach Eric Houle, who was later named Big Sky Men's Outdoor Coach of the Year, called it the culmination of consistency and resilience.
The championship effort was the product of contributions from every corner of the roster. Sprinters, distance runners, throwers, and jumpers all delivered at critical moments, allowing Southern Utah to remain within striking distance throughout the meet despite competing against one of the nation's top programs.
"We focused solely on our performances rather than what Northern Arizona was doing," Houle said. "Every single event group came through for us, and that helped us perform at the level we were capable of."
"To be able to put it together and have everybody do the job they were called to do was awesome," Houle said. "They really were consistent in their performances, and those performances equaled a championship."
A Defining Moment for the Program
The 2019 title marked Southern Utah's first Big Sky Outdoor Championship in men's track and field, a breakthrough moment for a program that had steadily built toward conference dominance.
Sprints, distance, jumps, and throws all contributed to the final total. The entire team defined the effort through depth, as multiple athletes stepped into scoring positions at critical moments.
And ultimately, it was defined by belief.
From early field events to the final straightaway of the 4x400 relay, Southern Utah never let the meet slip beyond reach.
When the dust settled in Missoula, the Thunderbirds stood atop the Big Sky.
Not comfortably. Not easily.
But unmistakably.
The Legacy of a Championship Coach
As Southern Utah celebrates its return to the Big Sky Conference, the memories of the 2019 championship carry added significance. The season stands as one of the defining accomplishments of head coach Eric Houle's career, who wrapped up the 2026 season, his final year leading the Thunderbirds.
For more than two decades, Houle helped transform Southern Utah into one of the most respected track and field and cross country programs in the West. His teams captured conference championships, produced All-Americans, developed professional athletes, and established a culture built on consistency, accountability, and belief.
The dramatic title run in Missoula reflected many of the qualities that became synonymous with Houle's program.
When the final points were tallied and Southern Utah stood atop the conference, it represented validation of years of growth and a milestone in a coaching career that helped elevate Thunderbirds track and field to new heights.
As Houle prepares to close the final chapter of his remarkable tenure, the 2019 Big Sky Outdoor Championship remains one of the signature moments of a legacy that will leave a lasting mark on Southern Utah Athletics.
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