The Idaho track and field team ended the Washington Against the Region (WAR) IX tournament in Spokane with several successful performances.
Two Vandals earned individual victories, while several others qualified for the Big Sky Championships next month.
On the women’s side of competition, junior thrower Kolcie Bates earned the lone women’s victory for Idaho with a hammer throw distance of 51.82 meters. Bates also competed in the discus, throwing a distance of 42.55 meters to earn a fourth place finish.
In the 400-meter dash, two Idaho athletes earned top ten finishes. Sophomore Meghan Palesch’s time of 59.08 seconds earned a second place performance, while junior Wednesday Walton finished behind Palesch in fifth with a time of 59.72 seconds.
Freshman McCall Skay and sophomore Alex Siemens had fifth and eighth place finishes in the 1500-meter run respectively. Skay broke her personal record with a time of 4:44.49, while Siemens earned a season-best time of 4:47.68.
On the men’s side of competition, sophomore Arphaxad Carroll earned the only men’s individual victory for the Vandals with a first place finish in the long jump.
Carroll’s qualifying mark of 6.97 meters earned the sophomore a berth in the Big Sky Championships in May.
Three Vandals cracked the top ten in the javelin throw. Senior Derek Haas finished third with a season-best 62.65 meter throw.
Junior Ian Middleton finished in fourth behind Haas with a 62.56 meter throw. Freshman Austin Beyer finished sixth with a throw of 60.44 meters, enough to qualify for the Big Sky Championship next month.
In the 110-meter hurdles, senior Jesse Villines finished third with a time of 14.78 seconds, while freshman Zion Stuffle finished third in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 53.31 seconds.
Stuffle’s mark is currently the fastest 400-meter hurdle time for any athlete in the Big Sky Conference this season.
The Idaho track and field team will compete in several events next weekend. Some members of the team will travel to Cerritos, California over the weekend for the Mt. SAC Relays, while others will travel to Los Angeles Thursday for the Cal State Twilight.
In addition, several team members will travel to Azusa Pacific, California for the Bryan Clay Invitational Friday, while the remaining Idaho track and field athletes will compete in the Long Beach Invitational Saturday.
Mihaela Karst can be reached at [email protected]