Valentine’s Day weekend opened up with Idaho Track & Field/Cross Country splitting up for the Tyson Invitational in Arkansas and the Bronco Challenge in Nampa, Idaho.
The Vandals finished up their indoor season over the weekend. Idaho men and women’s tennis opened up Big Sky Conference (BSC) in Lewiston, Idaho, and Idaho men and women’s basketball headed to Cheney, Washington, for a double-header against Eastern Washington University.
Idaho Track & Field/Cross Country
In the Tyson Invitational, senior jumper Rechelle Mead finished third in the women’s long jump with a leap of 6.09 meters, and sophomore jumper Zachary Nuis finished sixth in the men’s long jump with a leap of 7.31 meters.
Nunis finished ninth in the triple jump with a season-best at 14.67 meters. Senior thrower Zachary Short finished first in the shot put with a mark of 19.21 meters, and junior thrower Grady Leonard finished third in the weight throw with a toss of 18.27 meters.
In the Bronco Challenge, several Vandals had top performances. In the men’s mile, the Vandals finished in second, fifth and seventh place. Freshman sprinter Spencer Barrera finished third in the men’s 400 meter-dash with a time of 48.75.
Saydee Brass | Argonaut
“I think our performances this weekend just shows that we have a lot of consistency going into conference. Our averages are pretty high at this point in the season and I think there’s a lot of excitement building toward the conference championships in two weeks. I think we’re in a great place,” Tim Cawley, director of Track & Field/Cross Country, said.
Idaho Men’s Tennis
The Vandals finished back-to-back matches with sweeps against George Fox University and Whitman College. With three consecutive wins, the Vandals are 4-2 on the season.
Sophomore Bruno Casino gave the Vandals a 3-0 lead in the match in the No. 4 singles spot and freshman Francisco Bascon clinched the win for the Vandals with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 win in the No. 2 singles spot.
Senior Esteban Santibenez and Bascon opened up the match with their fourth doubles win of the season in the No.1 doubles spot. In singles play, the Vandals claimed six wins and swept Whitman College to claim their third consecutive win.
“I thought the guys handled pressure situations pretty well today,” Idaho Head Coach Daniel Hangstefer said. “That was a tough team, but we pulled through and took care of business.”
Idaho Women’s Tennis
The Vandals opened up BSC play with a 5-2 win against Idaho State. The Vandals were behind early when the Bengals picked up two out of three doubles wins, but the Vandals secured the win after claiming five out of six singles matches.
Junior Laura Spataro and senior Maggie Chen picked up their second doubles win of the season. Spataro claimed her second singles win of the season and the fifth point for the Vandals to finish up the match against the Bengals.
Saydee Brass | Argonaut
“The girls played really well,” Idaho Head Coach Babar Akbar said. “We didn’t have the best start in doubles, but we fought very hard in singles and competed. I think the win is a good start to our conference campaign.”
Idaho Men’s and Women’s Basketball doubleheader
The Vandal men and women’s teams traveled to Cheney and both won against Eastern Washington University.
The Vandal women scored 44 points in the second half, with four players scoring in double digits. Sophomore guard Gina Marxen recorded her first career double-double with 18 points and 12 assists.
Saydee Brass | Argonaut
The Vandals tied their season-high of 11 three-pointers, as they cruised past the Eagles 75-46. Idaho women returned to Cowan Spectrum Monday night to defeat Portland State 65-52 with five Vandals scoring in double-figures.
Senior forward Isabelle Hadden led the charge with 16 points. Junior forward Natalie Klinker recorded a double-double, and Marxen did not have a three-point attempt for the first time in her career.
The Vandal men upset the No. 2 seed Eastern Washington Eagles with a 74-71 win. Senior guard Trevon Allen recorded his second career 30-point game with 32 points.
Allen also recorded a double-double with 11 rebounds. The Vandal men had the best scoring run of the season with a 16-0 run in the first half to take the lead early.
The men traveled to Portland Monday night to face-off against the Vikings. The Vikings scored 90 points in their win against the Vandals, the most allowed all season, with four scoring in double figures.
Junior forward Babacar Thiombane recorded a career-best nine points, and freshman Jaxon Woodward scored his first career point with a free throw.
Armin Mesinovic can be reached at [email protected]u.