Athletes of the year

Kayla Mortellaro, women’s golf

Mortellaro has earned her spot as the best golfer in the WAC for three years and the best women’s golfer in Idaho history. The three-time WAC Player of the Year won two consecutive WAC Tournaments and after her most recent tournament title in her home state of Arizona, Mortellaro qualified for her fourth NCAA Regional qualifier May 10 at the Colorado National Golf Club in Erie, Colo. This spring, Mortellaro earned numerous top-five finishes and won two individual titles — one at the WAC Championships and one at the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational, where she also won her first ever collegiate title during the 2008-2009 season.

Hannah Kiser, cross-country/track and field

As a sophomore, Kiser made huge strides during cross-country, indoor and outdoor track and field. The Wenatchee, Wash., native helped the cross-country team clinch its second consecutive WAC Championship and ran the second-fastest individual time.

After a remarkable fall season that saw Kiser earn the top collegiate time at four races, she qualified for the NCAA West Region Championships. An No. 18 finish at the regional race helped her qualify for her first career NCAA Championships meet, which also made her the first Vandal woman to qualify since 2004. Her 85th place finish at the national tournament was the second best in Idaho history.

Kiser had no problem translating her success from the trail to the track and was named the WAC Track Performer of the Year after contributing to her team’s second-place finish at the WAC Indoor Track and Field Championship meet in Nampa. Kiser broke the WAC Championship meet record in the 3,000-meter and was the anchor leg of the record-breaking distance medley team. At the NCAA Indoor Championships, Kiser was named an All-American after finishing No. 13 in the 3,000-meter race.

Andrew Blaser, track and field

Blaser might have been worthy of athlete of the year based solely on his performance at the Texas Relays, but the senior multi-event athlete deserves praise for his accomplishments during indoor and outdoor track and field seasons.

During his final indoor season, Blaser had a monster role in Idaho’s indoor track and field title as the senior claimed three of eight individual titles en route to earning WAC Men’s Field Performer of the Year and the WAC High Point Award. At the WAC meet, Blaser was victorious in the heptatholon and high jump, while his first-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles was a career-best. He further contributed with third-place finishes in both the long jump and pole vault.

Approximately one month later, Blaser proved his worth in the decathlon on the national stage at the highly touted Texas Relays. The Louisville transfer competed in a field of 22 other athletes, seven of which were All-Americans. Blaser finished ninth in the event with a final score of 7,035 – eight points away from his career-best. The Meridian native’s score is a WAC-best and places him No. 12 nationally among collegiate decathletes.

Theo Lawson can be reached at [email protected]


About the Author

Theo Lawson Vandal Nation blog manager Sophomore in journalism Can be reached at [email protected]

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