Whitefish’s Erin Wilde Soars into Griz Track and Field Record Books

It was a record showing last weekend for Erin Wilde at the 2025 Big Sky Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship when the high jumper from Whitefish set a new University of Montana record on her way to taking yet another first place finish in the conference.

Wilde, a junior, set the new women’s indoor high jump record for UM, and a personal record, by managing to clear a 6-foot tall bar. The record jump placed her among the top 20 in the nation in the NCAA women’s indoor high jump. Heading into the championship, the previous University of Montana record for the women’s indoor high jump was set 31 years ago by Brenda Naber when she notched a jump of 5 feet 10 inches in 1994.

“I think 6 foot, in high school, it’s more like a dream,” Wilde said. “As I got older in college, it was more of a goal, and Erica (Fraley) helped me get there and everything. It was just awesome. My vision was blurry I was so happy. I couldn’t even explain it.”

The record-setting jump came after Wilde had already secured a first place finish by successfully jumping a bar set at 5 feet 10-and-3/4 inches, which was in itself a personal record and a new school record.

Erica Fraley, Wilde’s coach, said that she knew from how training had been going that Wilde was in a good place going into the meet, and that competition time is when she typically executes her best technical work and shows improvement. Still, she wasn’t expecting Wilde to hit 6 feet on that particular day, but was happy to see her achieve the milestone, saying that on top of her other accomplishments at the meet it amounted to a cherry on top.

There were some nerves for Wilde in the moments leading up to the highest jump of her career, and looking back, she said that on the whole it was the most nervous she’s ever been for a competition. A major force amplifying her competitive nerves was the simple act of waiting, which amounted to a disruption in her closely-followed routine.

This year’s Big Sky Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship took place Feb. 27 through March 1. Typically the Grizzlies track and field teams arrive for a road competition on a Thursday, and then Wilde jumps on a Friday, but in this case, the team arrived at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff on a Thursday, and the women’s high jump wasn’t scheduled to take place until 10 a.m. Saturday morning.

After a 6 a.m. wakeup, Wilde said she felt herself start to relax somewhat once the competition got going, and she saw other athletes start taking jumps. By the time the bar had been raised to 5 feet 10-and-3/4 inches, Wilde was in a position to take first or second if she could clear. On her third try, Wilde made it over the top to secure first place. But she still had another opportunity to jump, and so she aimed to join the rarefied club of women’s high jumpers to crest the 6 foot mark.

Fraley said she thinks the chance to jump for 6 feet took some of the pressure off Wilde and gave her a chance to jump simply for the love of the sport.

The nerves weren’t completely gone by the time Wilde found herself attempting to break a school record she had set just minutes earlier. It was evident, she said, in the way she diverted ever-so-slightly from her routine and took an extra lean back before beginning her approach. ESPN+ footage from the moment shows Wilde take three leaping strides forward before shortening and quickening her steps, and tilting her body to the left as she begins approaching the bar at a roughly 45-degree angle.

Just as she ran out of room on approach, Wilde jumped off her left foot, and managed to hook her right side over the bar, before the rest of her body followed. As soon as Wilde landed cheers broke out, and she quickly sprang to her feet, threw her hands up and with a smile ran over to hug Fraley.

“I just remember I ran up to Erica, and I gave her a hug, and I pushed her pretty hard,” Wilde said.

Her family was there to see the jump, and she said that as word has spread about her accomplishment, she’s been getting congratulatory messages from other family and friends in Whitefish, old friends from growing up, and even former classmates who she hadn’t spoken to in a long time.

“I think it’s pretty cool how many people support me,” Wilde said.

After the 6-foot jump, Wilde took one more shot at a new record, this time aiming for the 6 foot 1-and-1/4-inch mark, which would have punched her ticket to the indoor nationals by bumping her from No. 18 in the nation to No. 13. Although she was unable to clear that bar, Wilde and Fraley still expressed optimism and excitement about what’s next as they prepare for the upcoming outdoor track and field season.

“There’s absolutely no reason why Erin can’t continue to improve,” Fraley said. Her hope is Wilde can not only return to the NCAA outdoor regional competition this spring, but advance to the next round.

With her latest conference championship, Wilde has now taken first in the women’s high jump at the 2023 Big Sky Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship, the 2024 Big Sky Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship, the 2024 Outdoor Big Sky Outdoor Track and Field Championship, and the 2025 Big Sky Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship.

It amounts to going back-to-back-to-back-to-back, and Fraley said it puts Wilde in the difficult but fun situation of trying to keep her run as champion going.

“She’s put herself in the position where being the Big Sky champion is the norm. That’s a really hard position to be in every meet because you know everyone is focused on you, and you have the target on your back,” Fraley said. “And Erin’s handled that really well.”

The Grizzly women’s track and field team finished with 66.5 points, which was their best showing since 2017, when they took second place at the conference championship, according to the University of Montana Athletics Department. First place went to Northern Arizona, which finished with 205 points. Montana State University came in second with 132.5 points, and Sacramento State took third with 78 points.

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