After breaking three school records in Seattle last weekend, the Vandal track and field team is back in Moscow for the Vandal Collegiate today and Saturday.
The Vandal Collegiate is the third indoor meet hosted by Idaho this season.
Idaho will face familiar opponents this weekend since most teams don’t travel far right before conference championship meets. Washington State will compete against Idaho for the fifth time this season. The Vandals have faced the Cougars in every meet so far this season. Teams making the trip to the Palouse include Gonzaga, Whitworth, Spokane Community College, Eastern Washington and several Oregon schools. The Vandal Collegiate draws a variety of schools because it is one of the only meets in the area this weekend.
Idaho Director of Track and Field Wayne Phipps said some members of the team who already have solid marks or times won’t compete this weekend in order to rest and recover for the WAC Indoor Championships Feb. 23 to 25 in Boise. Still, many Vandals will vie for last-minute spots in the WAC or NCAA meets.
“There are still some things we can work on,” Phipps said. “Some people sill competing in events that’s been maybe a relatively new event for them this year. Any chance that they can get to compete is going be a benefit to them as well.”
Washington State is coming into the Vandal Collegiate with the same mindset. The Cougars will rest some players this weekend but still have athletes with something to prove.
“There will be some people who need to show us a little something over at the Vandal Collegiate meet in order to be included on that championship team,” Washington State coach Rick Sloan said. “Others have already shown us…”
One Vandal with something yet to prove is senior Andrew Blaser. The multi-event athlete will compete in his last indoor track meet in Moscow.
“It’s kind of that confidence meet,” Blaser said. “As a team, we want to work out those last couple of glitches. We are really trying to chase down that team title indoor on the men’s side especially and the women have a great shot at (a title too).”
Phipps said other Vandals competing for particularly great marks and times this weekend include pole-vaulters, throwers and some sprinters.
Phipps and Blaser said there are several advantages to competing at home for the last regular indoor meet of the season. The time saved by staying at home lets the athletes focus on resting up for the conference meet as well as focusing on academics. Phipps said the time is nice for the athletes since they will be competing over a four-day period during the WAC Indoor Championships.
“We’re gone for a while during the conference championships,” Blaser said. “We have a lot of all-WAC academic honors on the team. It’s good to be at home and get to go to class and make sure that we are still taking care of our student part of our student-athlete.”