Record breakers
The season isn’t over yet but the Vandals have already claimed three school records and are close to grabbing several more.
The first Idaho record to fall was senior Jeremy Klas’ 2010 pole-vault record. Sophomore Matt Sullivan stole his teammate’s record with a vault of 17 feet, 5 inches on April 6, at the Sun Angel Classic. Sullivan was just the fourth Vandal to ever clear 17 feet and one of those guys, Klas, is still on the team. Idaho coach Wayne Phipps said Klas, who has always been a better indoor vaulter, has the potential to take his record back. Klas and Sullivan are sure to be battling for the record until the conclusion of the outdoor season.
Sophomore Hannah Kiser captured the next Idaho record with her 5000-meter time of 15 minutes, 44.06 seconds at the Mt. SAC Relays on April 19. Kiser’s time not only crushed the Idaho record by 26 seconds but also beat the WAC record by 17 seconds. Kiser’s time broke a 19-year-old Idaho record.
The latest Idaho record came at the hands of senior Ugis Svazs’ javelin throw Saturday at the Duane Hartman Invitational. Originally, Svazs didn’t think much of his throw, but after he heard his mark of 240-7, he knew he had the school record.
Svazs and senior Mike Marshall have been battling each other their whole Idaho careers. Last year, Marshall had the better marks but this year, Svazs was the first to break the school record. The duo will continue to battle into and past the WAC Championships.
Idaho also has several athletes who have come close to beating school records. Phipps said senior Barry Britt, senior Liga Velvere, senior Lauren Schaffer and Idaho’s 4×400-meter team all have the potential to achieve the feat this season.
NCAA National Championship bound
Athletes in the top 48 in either the East or West regions at the end of the season qualify for the NCAA Preliminary Rounds, split between the East and West. The top 12 from the preliminary rounds advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Several Idaho athletes are well within the 48-person range while there are still some Vandals on the fringe of getting in.
In the men’s 400-meter dash, sophomore Ben Ayesu-Attah ranks 39th in the West. Teammate Andrew Bloom is just out of reach of the top 48 by a few tenths of a second.
In the men’s 400-meter hurdles, sophomore Jesse Villines ranks 49th in the West — just one spot away from NCAA qualification.
In the 5000-meter run, junior Hannah Kiser rests easily at fourth on the women’s side while senior Barry Britt ranks 45th on the men’s side.
The Vandals also have several throwers
well within the 48-player limit. Senior Ugis Svazs ranks fourth in the javelin, senior Mike Marshall ranks 17th in the javelin and junior Kyle Rothwell currently sits at 17th in the hammer on the men’s side.
On the women’s side, senior Ellen Rouse ranks 23rd in the javelin while teammate Taylor Feinauer ranks right at 48th place.
Back on the track, Lauren Schaffer ranks 26th in the women’s 800-meters while senior Liga Velvere is currently at 41st. Velvere is also ranked in the 400-hurdles at 25th.
Idaho’s pole-vault duo of Matt Sullivan and Jeremy Klas rest easily in the men’s pole vault while their teammate Dylan Watts is still on the fringe of qualification. Sullivan ranks 19th, Klas ranks 27th, and Watts, who has struggled with injuries this season, is still looking to propel himself into the mix.
Other Vandals on the fringe include senior Rendel Jones in the men’s triple jump (just two spots out), senior Kristine Leonard in the women’s shot put and discus and sophomore Johanna Hocketstaller in the women’s shot put.