Jared du Toit – Men’s golf
The Idaho men’s golf team fell short of its ultimate goal over the weekend at the WAC Championships, finishing second to New Mexico State by 10 strokes. But that didn’t stop the Vandals from putting up impressive performances. Du Toit was named first team all-conference and the WAC Freshman of the Year. The true freshman from British Columbia should be a key contributor to the Vandals when they enter the Big Sky Conference next season.
Emmanuel Panchol – Track and Field
Panchol claimed Idaho’s first of three victories over the weekend at the Oregon State University High Performance Invitational. He scored a wind-aided time of 47-5 1/4 in the triple jump. He also tied for third in the men’s high jump, with a score of 6-8. The junior from Sudan is competing in his first season for the Vandals after transferring from Ashford University.
Hannah Kiser – Track and Field
Idaho’s star distance runner is back on the track for the first time during the outdoor track and field season after recovering from an injury. She competed in Palo Alto, California, at the Payton Jordan Invitational. She finished ninth at the 5,000-meter run. Kiser has been a main reason why coach Wayne Phipps has so many trophies in his trophy case. The Vandals are looking for their first women’s outdoor WAC Championship since Kiser has been on campus.
Vicky Lozano – Women’s tennis
Lozano was named the 2014 WAC Player of the Year on the women’s side, shortly after she came home with the WAC Championship. She was 17-6 on the season in singles competition and held a 15-5 mark at No. 1 singles. When combined with Almudena Sanz at No. 1 doubles, the dup duo went 17-4 in all competition.
“That’s just huge,” Idaho coach Jeff Beaman said of Lozano. “At No. 1, no matter what school you’re playing, you’re playing a tough opponent. If you go slightly over .500 at No. 1, that’s a great accomplishment. We have other players who could have played at the No. 1 spot, but when you have the ability to play them lower, it builds the confidence for the entire team every match.”