With the arrival of fall sports just around the corner, it can be easy to miss sports with less action.
While football and soccer have dominated headlines, Idaho’s cross-country team has been working under the radar. Vandal football kicks off Thursday, but just across the way, Idaho runners will be warming up for the first meet of the season.
The cross-country team held their annual training camp in Leavenworth, Washington, to prepare for the season ahead.
Idaho’s roster has seen the departure of seasoned veterans as well as the arrival of new, untested freshmen. Both the men’s and women’s team are bringing talented, experienced players back.
Seniors Tim Delcourt, Nathan Stark, Christopher Black and Santos Vargos all return to the men’s team for their senior season.
Idaho has plenty of depth when it comes to young playmakers. Freshman Noah Belcik comes into his first year at Idaho after making headlines while running at Lakeridge High School.
Sophomores Skylar Ovnicek and Levi Wintz will look to begin their transition into leadership roles after their impressive first year.
The women’s team has also been strengthening their roster over the summer. Valerie Mitchell, Halie Raudenbush and Ally Ginther are looking to keep up their performance during their senior year. Junior Sierra Speiker will be making a comeback after suffering a season-ending injury.
The first meet of the season will be the Clash of the Inland Northwest Thursday at the UI golf course in Moscow.
The women begin at 6 p.m., followed by the men at 6:30 p.m. Gonzaga, Eastern Washington, Washington State, Lewis-Clark, Whitman, Montana, and Whitworth have all been invited to compete.
The meet will take place on the UI golf course, where runners will travel 4 kilometers for women and 6 kilometers for men.
In 2015, alumni Kinsey Gomez took first place in the women’s competition with a time of 13:40.33. This year, the Vandals will have to do without Gomez, who graduated last spring.
Ally Ginther also had an impressive showing, finishing 13th. The men had less success, with Nathan Stark being the top finisher for Idaho at 21.
After the first meet, Idaho will then travel to four different schools to compete. On the road until October, the Vandals will have meets against Gonzaga, Washington, Montana and will conclude the regular season in Lewiston for the Inland Empire Classic.
The Big Sky Championship will be next on the schedule for Idaho, who will be hosting the Championship meet Oct. 28 on the UI golf course.The Vandal women placed in fourth in last year’s championship. The men finished 11th in last year’s competition.
Brandon Hill can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @brandonmtnhill