In Idaho’s second meet of the season, many Idaho runners made their marks Saturday in Spokane at the Erik Anderson Invitational hosted by the Community Colleges of Spokane.
Junior Tim Delcourt, running unattached, and sophomore Sierra Speiker led Idaho, completing the course with notable times in both the 8k and 6k.
“Results at any given meet are always a mixed bag, but I saw a lot of positives today on both the women and men’s sides,” assistant coach Travis Floeck said. “I think some felt a little fatigued going into the race, but I expect that at this time of the season. We won’t taper for races at this time. I thought everyone competed hard regardless of how they felt going in.”
Speiker cinched a 10th place finish in the 6k with a time of 21 minutes, 41.73 seconds. Junior Ally Ginther trailed closely behind, claiming 12th place with a time of 21:56.68. The third top finisher for the Vandals, junior Valerie Mitchell, finished in 18th place with a time of 22:24.05.
“Sierra and Valerie were two that said they felt tired and a little off, but they still both ran very solid, which is a good sign,” Floeck said.
Freshman Andrea Condie, running unattached, finished 24th with a time of 22:46.81.
“Andie Condie ran out of her mind and really made a big leap today,” Floeck said. “She will be in uniform and inserted into the lineup at our next meet in Montana.”
Delcourt finished the 8k with a time of 25:25.07, taking 19th place. Junior Nathan Stark finished with a time of 25:49.35, securing a 24th place finish.
Following closely behind Stark was senior Santos Vargas, who ran unattached and finished in 27th with a time of 25:49.35. Also running unattached were freshmen Drew Schultz and Dwain Stucker. Schultz finished 33rd with a time of 26:13.51 and Stucker finished 42nd with a time of 26:35.02.
Freshman Skylar Ovnicek completed his second collegiate race in 35th with a time of 26:17.82.
“Nathan ran a great race and stayed tough when not feeling his best mid-race,” Floeck said. “Skylar continues to impress and showed the 8k distance will be a good one for him. Our men running unattached show what the future seasons have in store for us. The ones in uniform right now are doing a great job and getting opportunities to carry the load.”
The Idaho men’s and women’s cross country teams travel to Missoula to compete in the Montana Invitational Oct. 3rd.
Faith Evans can be reached at [email protected]
Photo by: Kira Hunter