The WAC Indoor Championships are over, but competition is not done for Idaho track and field. A few athletes will travel to Seattle for the Husky Last Chance meet Saturday. This meet will be the last chance for athletes to post NCAA Indoor Championship qualifying times and marks. The Husky Last Chance comes one week after the WAC Indoor Championships, where the Vandal men took home gold and the women silver.
“As far as (the Husky Last Chance), it’s primarily designed for kids who have a shot still of going to the NCAA meet, so we’re just taking a small group,” Idaho coach Julie Taylor said.
Senior Jeremy Klas is almost guaranteed a spot in nationals as the nation’s No. 10 pole-vaulter but is still travelling to Seattle to solidify his spot.
“I’m going to go (to the Husky Last Chance) this weekend just to get another touch in in the vault,” Klas said. “It’s not that I necessarily need it because I think my mark should hold up to go to nationals in two weeks.”
Klas’ mark qualifies for the NCAA meet but with several last chance meets happening all over the nation, there is a chance other athletes could pass his current mark. Competing this weekend could help him keep his spot in the NCAA Indoor Championships.
“(The University of Washington) has amazing pole-vaulters so you’re always going to go in and have amazing competition there,” Taylor said. “At this point that’s really crucial — that you are going in and have a good competition — and we know that if we go to UW that as far as the vaulting, he’ll have a good chance.”
Other Vandals are still vying for a chance to qualify for the national meet, including seniors Barry Britt, James Clark, Josh Dalton and Stephane Colle on the men’s side and seniors Erica Digby, Anna Kalbrener and Lauren Schaffer, and junior Liga Velvere on the women’s side. Besides Klas, all the Idaho competitors are middle or long-distance runners. Seniors who don’t qualify for nationals compete in their last indoor track meet as Vandals.
Any qualifiers this weekend will join sophomore Hannah Kiser at nationals. Kiser already has a NCAA automatic-qualifying time in the 3,000-meter race. Kiser’s qualifying time also came in Seattle and is No. 8 in the nation.
“Liga (Velvere) is the closest (to qualifying for nationals),” Taylor said. “In the 800 meters … this will give her another chance to have one last stab at qualifying and trying to be in that sweet 16 to make it. Some of the fields are just amazing. To make it to NCAA Indoors is quite an accomplishment.”