Eleventh in a series
Part 10 - Brittanee Fisher, Softball Freshman
Part 9 - Sarah Schroefel, Women's Golf Junior
Part 8 - Lamont Frisby, Men's Track & Field Freshman
Part 7 - Kobe Terashima, Men's Basketball Freshman
Part 6 - Zharon Richmond, Men's Basketball Freshman
Part 5 - Hannah Collins, Women's Basketball Freshman
Part 4 - Izela Alvarez, Volleyball Freshman
Part 3 - Maddi Vigil, Volleyball Freshman
Part 2 - Natalie Cabiad, Women's Soccer Freshman
Part 1 - Kylee Clarke, Volleyball Freshman

MSUB SPORTS – "I was done with track and field."
 
Billings Senior High School track and field competitor, Hannah Nessan, packed up her belongings, moved to Bozeman, Mont., and closed the door on a future as a collegiate athlete. After many successful years of competing and perfecting her throwing abilities, Nessan decided that she wanted to attend college as a normal student. At the time of the move, Nessan also battled a setback of stomach problems that made it difficult to compete. Ultimately, she knew that her athletic career would be best viewed in the rearview mirror. Or so she thought.
 
"I wanted to experience school first," Nessan said about her decision to move to Bozeman. "I never thought I would go back to competing because my stomach hurt all of the time. I really just wanted to get the feel for college."
 
After a year of pursuing a business degree at Montana State University, Nessan decided to move back home. She did continue on in schooling, but this time it was at Montana State University Billings.
 
As time passed, Nessan stayed dedicated to pursuing her business degree without a single thought in her mind of returning to athletics. However, one day when Nessan walked into a coffee shop, she had a coincidental meeting with an old friend she hadn't seen in a while.
 
"I ran into my high school coach and he asked me if I would be interested in helping him coach at Senior," Nessan said about the meeting with Senior High head coach Brandon Quesenberry that became a pivotal moment in her life. "So I decided to volunteer coach and as we spent time coaching together, he kept encouraging me to reconsider collegiate throwing."
 
As the memories and passion for track and field began to resurface, Nessan decided to rethink her future as a college athlete. Nessan's high school coach ran into long-time Yellowjacket head coach Dave Coppock, and talked with him about Nessan's potential decision to throw collegiately. In the spring of 2016, Nessan signed her letter of intent with MSUB. The rest was history.
 
"I love it."
 
It only took three concise words for Nessan to describe her return to competition and transition into becoming a Yellowjacket. Nessan has been reunited with her love for throwing and this can partly be attributed to a warm welcome by the Yellowjacket track and field family.

"I get along with every single one of my teammates," Nessan said. "The first person I really talked with was Hailey Steinbeisser. We went and threw a couple times this summer, but quickly after her I met Abbie Lohof, Taylor Stringari, Kassadee Kuoha, and the rest of the team. I really am close with all of them."
 
Though Nessan has experienced a great amount of acceptance as a new member of the team, there have been challenges she has had to face due to a two-year stretch away from competition. "I definitely have picked up some bad habits because of taking a break," Nessan humbly stated. "My form has faltered slightly and there are just some things that I have to push through to get back to where I once was."
 
These newly acquired bad habits may seem like an initial hurtle, but for Nessan, her rekindled love for throwing has become an alley of motivation. "I haven't thrown for a while, but I do have the background knowledge and I know how to throw successfully so that is definitely one of my biggest strengths."
 
Stepping into the throwing ring for the first time as a collegiate athlete has also brought many other firsts for Nessan. Upon entering MSUB's throwing team, Nessan was asked to compete in two new events, the hammer throw and weight throw, on top of the two events in her wheelhouse, discus and shotput.
 
Nessan had also never competed indoors. "It was definitely an experience," Nessan said of her first throwing season indoors. "It was really amazing to see the indoor facilities that make it possible to compete. We don't compete in the discus event when we throw indoors, and that is my favorite event so that's kind of hard."
 
Even though Nessan could not compete in her favored event and was thrown into two new throwing events, she still found success in her initial entrance to collegiate competition. On Dec. 2, Nessan packed up her gear and headed back to Bozeman. This time however, she arrived as a different person. She was a college athlete now.
 
At the preview, she placed third in shotput with a distance of 35-10.75 which led all MSUB throwers. She also threw 37-5.75 in the weight throw placing seventh. At the MSU Indoor Invitational, Nessan placed fourth with a distance of 36-5.5 in shotput, again leading for MSUB, and 42-3.25 in weight placing eighth. At the Bobcat Indoor Invitational, Nessan led MSUB throwers in third place in both events with the distances of 37-1.75 in shotput and 43-10.5 in weight. At the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Indoor Championships, Nessan was the highest placer for MSUB in shotput with 36-8.25 where she placed 15th. She also threw a distance of 40-8.75 in weight.
 
Jonathan Woehl, Yellowjacket track and field head coach, has also been one to welcome Nessan into the MSUB thrower's ring. "She has made a smooth transition into throwing in college," Coach Woehl commented. "Towards the end of the indoor season she began to produce marks similar to what she did in high school in the shotput all while modifying and tweaking her form. Further throwing distances will be coming."
 
Preparations are taking place as Nessan approaches the upcoming outdoor season. With three days of working out and five days of practice a week, Nessan is on her way to challenge her personal best distances of 38-8 in shotput and 134-9 in discus. "I haven't thrown discus in a long time and I am really excited to do that again," Nessan said. "I am also just really trying to get back to the level I was at in high school."
 
After leading MSUB in the shotput in every indoor meet this season, the outdoor schedule will provide Nessan with an opportunity to put her abilities on display in new events.
 
"Hannah will be adding hammer throw to her repertoire this spring in outdoor," Coach Woehl stated about the upcoming season. "It's easy to get frustrated with learning a new event, but she's stuck with both new events and has seen much improvement with weight throw during indoor season. She should have very similar results with the hammer throw this spring."
 
Nessan has also been working on fine-tuning her technique in each event and breaking her bad habits with the help of assistant coach Jessica Sharbono. "She has experienced a lot," Nessan said of her college throwing coach. "I have a close relationship with her and she has helped me a lot."
 
Though there are some adjustments that Nessan has had to make as she reenters competition, throwing has become an outlet for her. "I always wondered before I started college how athletes can practice the same sport year-round," Nessan commented. "Now that I'm in it, I understand that over time you realize that you really do love the sport and being able to do it every day is truly a stress reliever."
 
There are many other aspects of Nessan's life outside of athletics that are important to her as well. It is family life that ranks as one of her highest priorities. "My family has a farm outside of Crow Agency and that has had a huge impact on my life," Nessan stated. "I've learned so much out there. It is just something that unifies my family."
 
Not only has Nessan been in the midst of transitioning into college track and field, she has also undergone an academic transition. Nessan recently switched her degree from business to a newfound love for elementary education. This new degree discovery has unveiled what has ultimately become the most defining moment of success in her life.
 
"The biggest challenge of my life has been figuring out my career and what I want to do," Nessan said. "I've always known what I've wanted to do, but I've always had people's opinions hinder me. I have come to realize that what you are doing the rest of your life should be something that you enjoy, so I have made my own decision. I am going to be an elementary school teacher."
 
As Nessan moves from dipping her toes into business classes to plunging headfirst into education courses, her original struggle of uncertainty has become written in stone.
 
Nessan also plans to continue to help volunteer coach with 'Q,' her endeared nickname for her high school coach, this spring. "I really enjoy coaching," Nessan stated enthusiastically. "I definitely can see myself continuing on with coaching in my future as well."
 
Nessan's college experience has been quite the ride thus far. The door that originally looked closed on collegiate sports was actually wide open as one for her to walk through. Looking back on this incredible transition, Nessan spoke of utter gratitude and appreciation for the support and encouragement that has gotten her to where she currently stands.
 
"I really do regret not doing those two years of track," Nessan stated. "However, I am glad that I did make the decision to continue on. I am honestly thankful for my high school coach for what he did for me. He got me back up on my feet and now here I am at MSUB."