Months of preparation for the 2016 season paid off Saturday as the Idaho indoor track and field team began the season on a positive note.
The Vandals took top honors in 12 out of the 28 events at the Vandal Indoor Invitational in the first event of the year.
Idaho coach Tim Cawley said he was proud of the team’s exhilarating efforts Saturday.
“They competed fantastic for our season opener,” Cawley said. “We’re starting off the season strong and I’m excited for where we are.”
Senior sprinter Ben Ayesu-Attah returned to the track after redshirting last season and made the most of his reappearance.
Ayesu-Attah was victorious in the men’s 200 and 400 meters, with a time of 21.90 seconds and 47.82 seconds respectively. Both times were good enough to earn a spot in the Big Sky Conference Indoor Championship Feb. 25-27 at Missoula, Montana.
“It feels good to be running again,” Ayesu-Attah said. “I haven’t raced in couple of years and it feels good to qualify for conference. Now I feel comfortable going through the season to start bettering my qualifying mark.”
Along with Ayesu-Attah, senior Matt Sullivan will advance to the Big Sky championship tournament after winning pole vault for men’s by clearing a height of 4.95 meters.
In the men’s 60 meter hurdles, the Vandals swept the podium with junior Drew Thompson, senior Jesse Villines and freshman Zion Stuffle finishing in the top three respectively.
Thompson and Villines also qualified for the conference championship tournament.
As a result of the Vandal Indoor Invitational, four Idaho competitors have punched their ticket to Missoula.
“Having four guys qualifying for five events right off the bat was good,” Cawley said. “They’re veteran competitors. They came out and got it done Saturday and I’m excited.”
Sophomore Tim Delcourt went the distance and held off Gonzaga’s Jerry Sicalo and Idaho teammate Santos Vargas to win the mile by nearly one second in a photo finish.
The women runners also showcased their dominance on the track.
Two out of three Vandal winners were true freshmen, as Kaleala Bass won the 400-meter dash and Victoria Goetz claimed the 200-meter dash. Junior Marquita Palmer also won the 800-meter with a time of 2:17.4.
In field competition, the freshman class also took top honors with Reed Richardson winning the triple long jump and Cecilia Watkins clearing 3.35 meters in pole vault.
Sophomore thrower Lauren Cooper and junior Kolcie Bates finished in the top two respectively in women’s weight throw.
Last season, Cooper was injured and said she was surprised at how well she did Saturday.
“This was a great improvement for me,” Cooper said. “I was hoping we come out strong and everyone has done really well. That motivates me to do really well myself.”
Despite Saturday’s results, Cawley said that the team would need to work on being more consistent in their events.
“We will continue to work on consistency,” Cawley said. “It is a process, and competing is a process, so managing the intensity and the competition will come as the team grows.”
“Some of the ones who have great meets can’t get overexcited, so they have to stay within themselves and keeping moving forward,” Cawley said.
With one meet in the books, the Vandals will resume action at the Washington State University Open Jan. 22-23 in Pullman, Washington.
The WSU Open will be the first of four straight meets in the Evergreen State.
“We’re in a good position to do some good things,” Cawley said. “Now we just have to let the season play out and see if we can finish strong.”
Luis Torres can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @TheLTFiles