After coming off a busy yet successful double meet weekend, the Idaho Vandals track and field team headed into a rest week, with every track and field player training like they had never trained before. All the blood, sweat and tears all came down to this week, because from Thursday, Feb. 26, to Saturday, Feb. 28, the Vandals were headed down to Pocatello, Idaho, to compete in the 2026 Big Sky Conference championship.
Although the Vandals lost, there were plenty of great performances from across the board, proving that this team is built on far more than a final score.
This year’s championship meet brought together the best athletes in the conference, and the Vandals answered the challenge with plenty of podium finishes, and gritty efforts in every event. Ultimately, Idaho showed resilience and a competitive edge that shows that the program’s future is bright.
Thursday:
On Thursday, it was the Hanna Tait show, as she was easily one of the best athletes of the day and won a combined four events. Sophomore Hanna Tait came in the women’s 60-meter pentathlon hurdles and dominated, as she won with an 8.65-second time.
She then competed in the women’s pentathlon high jump, which she tied for gold with Montana’s senior Brooke Stayner, with a 1.68-meter jump. Tait then attempted the women’s pentathlon shot put and won easily with a 12.37-meter throw.
Tait ended the day off with a bang as she also won the women’s pentathlon long jump, with a 5.93-meter jump, closing off a memorable day she will never forget.
Friday
Friday saw no gold medals, but still had a memorable day for the Vandals. In the women’s 4,000 distance medley relay, the Vandals took third thanks to senior Abigail Thomas, sophomore Maiya Brunoro, senior Lara Holzhauer,and junior Constanze Paoli, who finished with an 11.40-minute time, making them the no. 81 best in all of Division I.
Sophomore Cami Cvitkovich took silver in the women’s high jump with a 1.77-meter jump, a season best, and it tied the school record as well. Tait then ended the day on a high note again as she took third in the women’s long jump with a 6.05-meter jump.
Saturday
Saturday saw sophomore Keenan Kuntz do what he does best and took gold easily in the men’s 60 meters with a personal best and new school record, 6.59 seconds, making him no. 20 in Division I.
Paoli took bronze in the women’s 3000 meter with a time of 9.47 minutes. The women’s 4×400 meter relay, led by junior Rhyan Madden, junior Blossom Omogor, freshman MaKenna Ritter and Holzhauer, won third with a 3.40-minute relay, also making them the 64th best in Division I.
Junior Gioele Tengattini finished third in the men’s shot put with a personal best 17.57-meter throw. The women Vandals responded by taking second and third in the shot put as well. Freshman Kathryn Burnette took silver with a 15.41-meter throw, making her the 70th best in Division I, while junior Beatriz Marciano took bronze with a 14.98-meter throw.
To end the meet, graduate student Sydnie Zywina took silver in the women’s triple jump with a 12.54-meter jump, making her the 92nd best in Division I.
For most athletes, this marks the end of the indoor season. For seniors, a final lap, a final jump, a final throw in the black and gold this winter.
But if the 2026 Big Sky Conference championship proved anything, it’s that this team is far from finished. Records were broken, personal bests were set and standards were raised across the board.
From dominant individual performances to clutch relay efforts, the Vandals showed they belong among the conference’s best. Veterans left their mark with leadership and poise, while underclassmen announced themselves as the next wave of Idaho standouts. The scoreboard may not have crowned them champions, but the growth, grit, and momentum built over three days in Pocatello tell a bigger story.
For maybe a select few, the Vandals next meet will be the Division IIndoor Track & Field Championship in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on March 13-14.