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The University of Idaho track and field team will be in Pullman for the third time this season this weekend for the Cougar Indoor II meet.
With the Western Athletic Conference championships in two weeks, the meet will be one of the final chances for Vandal athletes to work out the kinks that may still be in their game.
Thrower Russ Winger had another big week last week breaking the Dempsey Indoor Facility record in the shot put.
Winger’s throw of 66 feet, 6 1/2 inches places him among the elite throwers in the world. Winger’s throw is currently the best in the WAC, second best in the NCAA, and tenth overall in the world.
His effort at the Husky Indoor last week also earned him the WAC Men’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Week award for the third time this season — the sixth of his career.
UI athletes have won the award four of the five weeks this season.
Idaho distance runner Bastien Tardy will strive to improve his WAC-leading 800-meter time this weekend as he finished the race in 1 minute, 51.83 seconds last week.
“I think Bastien is really ready to run an NCAA qualifying time,” Idaho coach Wayne Phipps said. “He got a little boxed in early on and by the time he was able to make a move, it was too late, but he’s in fantastic shape and given the right race, he could run a 1:48 or low 1:49.”
True freshman Paul Dittmer could make history as well this weekend as he has been edging closer to breaking a UI record in the 60 hurdles.
Dittmer ran a 7.97 in the event in Seattle last week, and was just one hundredth of a second from breaking the record.
“I feel he’s a guy who can be a legitimate NCAA All-American down the road,” Phipps said. “A freshman breaking a school record is just awesome. I think that the next clean race he runs is going to break the school record.”
The meet will start at 4 p.m. Friday at the WSU Indoor Facility with the men’s and women’s weight throw.
The rest of the meet will take place on Saturday, starting with the men’s long jump at 8:30 a.m. Admission is free and open to
the public.
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