Track and field to compete in final meet before indoor conference championships
Unlike the WAC where only a handful of teams competed in indoor track and field, the Big Sky features 12 teams with players vying for spots in the conference championship meet.
With so many teams in the conference, the last weekend before the championship meet is the last chance for athletes to sneak into the top 16 or get qualifying times and marks for the Feb. 26-28 Big Sky Championships.
Nate Mattson | Argonaut
Pole Vaulter Mareyna Carlyn practices Thursday in the Kibbie Dome. Carlyn will compete in Friday’s meet against the University of Washington.
The Vandals will compete at the Husky Classic Friday and Saturday in Seattle. The meet, hosted by Washington, will feature some of the best teams from around the country. Some of the more represented conferences are the Big Sky, Mountain West and Pac-12.
“We’re just kind of getting into the main peak for the season, so it’s just nice to give them an opportunity and go out and see what they can do,” Idaho coach Tim Cawley said. “It gives us a better chance to secure some different spots in the conference and helps us set up and see how potentially we want to enter people for the conference championships.”
For Idaho, the main focus of the meet will be getting qualifying times and marks for the Big Sky Championships. Cawley said there are multiple Idaho athletes on the brink of being eligible for the championship meet, but other teams also have several players trying to get into the meet as well.
“Right now, I think we have the chance to get some good kids to go to conference,” he said. “We already have a few in good positions and we’ll kind of see how this weekend goes. See how it gets shaken up.”
One Idaho athlete already in a prime position in conference play is jumper Emmanuel Panchol. The senior from Khartoum, Sudan, currently ranks No. 1 in the conference in the triple jump and is tied for No. 5 in the conference in the high jump.
“We’re looking really good, practices are going very well,” Panchol said. “We’re confident, so that’s the best thing to have when you’re going into competition. The coaches support us, lift us up, get us ready mentally and physically, so I’m really happy about that.”
Panchol said he enjoys learning from an Olympic-level coach this season. Cawley coached Olympian Janay DeLoach to a bronze medal in London in 2012.
Nate Mattson | Argonaut
Pole Vaulter Mareyna Carlyn practices vaulting in the Kibbie Dome Wednesday.
Another Idaho athlete in a good position heading into this weekend is thrower Ana Pardo. The sophomore from Madrid, Spain, currently sits at No. 5 in the conference in the shot put — two spots behind teammate Adara Winder.
“I’m thinking I can make finals,” Pardo said. “I know it’s going to be hard. I’m going there thinking I know they can throw a little bit more than me, but I just want to be focused on me and know that I can do it.”
As he’s been saying all year, Cawley said this season is a process. He won’t know who all will be competing in the conference meet until the Husky Classic is over.
“As much as you can look at past results and things, sometimes you just got to go through the year and get it figured out from there,” Cawley said. “Every conference is a little different, so you’re preparing for it or you’re trying to optimize your schedule and season … When we’re done with the season we’ll see how we prepared things, set things up and try to figure out if there’s a way to optimize our opportunities better next year.”
Stephan Wiebe can be reached at [email protected]