The Vandal cross-country squad traveled to the Dellinger Invitational, hosted by the University of Oregon.
Idaho director of track and field/cross-country Tim Cawley said in a news release he thinks both the men and women’s team improved in the race.
“Again, I was proud of the Vandals, I thought the team ran well,” Cawley said. “I think the both took a good step forward in trying to figure out where they’re at within the region. Getting a little bit more awareness of where they’re at competitively was exciting. I think both teams grew another step further with their confidence as well. I’m excited to see how this season rounds out.”
Idaho faced tough competition, racing against athletes from five nationally ranked teams. The Vandals showed up to compete, with both the men and women’s squad finishing in overall eighth place at the meet.
Junior Andrea Condie came out on top for the women for the third straight race this season. Condie finished the 6k course in 26th with a time of 19:52.3. Junior’s Krista and Kara Story finished 49th and 50th, respectively, with times of 20:22.1 and 20:25.6.
Freshman Malaina Thacker and sophomore Maizy Brewer topped off the scorers for the Vandals. Thacker came in 66th with a time of 20:48.8. Brewer finished close behind in 73rd with a 20:59.7. Sophomore Dwain Stucker led the charge for the men’s squad, finishing the 8k in 48th with a 24:27.2. Sophomore Fabian Cardenas and sophomore Grayson Ollar finished the race not long after Stucker, in 58th and 65th, respectively. Cardenas finished the race with a time of 24:35.4 and Ollar with a 24:43.0.
Redshirt senior Tim Delcourt came in 73rd with a 24:51.0. Junior Skylar Ovnicek rounded off the Idaho scorers with a finish in 84th with a 25:03.9.
The Vandals head back to the Palouse for the Inland Empire Championships Oct. 14 in Lewiston, Idaho.
Meredith Spelbring can be reached at [email protected]