Season of changes — Idaho has a new coach, new conference and several new athletes entering 2014 season

Travis Floeck has a big name to live up to after taking over as Idaho’s new distance coach for cross country and track and field Sept. 4.

The cross country teams warm up during practice Friday on the Kibbie SprinTurf.

George Wood Jr. | Argonaut The cross country teams warm up during practice Friday on the Kibbie SprinTurf.

New Director of Cross Country/Track and Field Tim Cawley hired Floeck as the distance coach for Idaho. The two, along with coach Cathleen Cawley, helped replace former coach Wayne Phipps, who won 16 combined WAC Championships in cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field during his time leading the Vandals.

“Sometimes it can be a little bit more difficult (replacing a guy like Phipps), just because of your own performance and how that’s perceived,” Floeck said. “But there’s also a lot of positives of replacing someone who was doing a good job. The cupboard isn’t bare. There’s some great talent here, there’s some great tradition, there’s some great habits, there’s great lifestyle, great culture.”

Floeck said he’s definitely tweaking some things, but the team has been receptive to his new style of coaching.

Along with the new coaches, Idaho is also competing in the Big Sky this year — a conference much stronger than the WAC. Idaho had the top finishers in the WAC in both the men’s and women’s races in 2013, but top runners Hannah Kiser and Nicholas Boersma don’t return for Idaho in 2014.

Still, Idaho has second-place WAC finisher Cody Helbling returning on the men’s side. Helbling said he is excited for the increase in competition this season.

“I would rather go out and run a PR than go out and win a race,” Helbling said. “I know that’s probably the best philosophy a coach would want to hear but, it’s really exciting for me to run with runners that are going somewhere (in the Big Sky), have been places, that I know are above my current PR’s.”

On the women’s side, it’s a freshman who has stepped up as Idaho’s top runner after the team’s first meet. Despite the strategy to start slow in Idaho’s opening meet, the Clash of the Inland Northwest, Sierra Speiker finished the race in fourth place.

“Because she came from a very small school in Washington  she was used to just getting to the front and winning races by 30 seconds, 45 seconds, a minute,” Floeck said. “So it was a whole new experience for her to be in a race where there was people up there. She must have passed half the field in the last half of the race.”

Several questions were answered after the first meet for a team full of question marks entering the season. Sophomore Alex Siemens of the women’s cross country team said the team is taking away some new strategies, techniques and confidence following the first meet.

“You kind of just go through all the bumps,” Siemens said. “It was awesome just getting together as a team, doing the team cheer. Our team is definitely a lot closer, it’s like a huge family and … I’m excited to see what we’re going to be doing this season.”

Stephan Wiebe can be reached at [email protected]

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Stephan Wiebe Sports reporter Sophomore in journalism Can be reached at [email protected]

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