Most of the Idaho track and field team competed in the Sam Adams Classic in Spokane, while a few ran at the Texas Relays in Austin during the weekend. Neither meet was scored but the Vandals had several top performances.
File Photo by Ilya Pinchuk | Argonaut The Idaho Vandal track and field practices outdoors March 28 at the Dan O'Brien Track and Field Complex.
Vandal track and field competed in Spokane for the second consecutive week where the team posted 19 career best performances at the Sam Adams Classic, hosted by Whitworth.
On the men’s side, freshman Ben Ayesu-Attah won two sprinting events for the Vandals. He posted top times in the 200-meter in 22.24 seconds and the 400-meter in 48.59. Sophomore Andrew Bloom finished right behind Ayesu-Attah in each event posting career best times in both.
Sophomore Dylan Watts capitalized in the pole vault with the absence of all-American vaulter, Jeremy Klas, who competed in Texas. Watts took first in the men’s pole vault with a jump of 15-9 feet. Not only was Watt’s vault a career best, but it put him at No. 9 in Idaho history in the men’s pole vault.
In the throwing events, sophomore Kyle Rothwell won the hammer throw by more than 21 feet with his career-best mark of 186-06. Sophomore Andrey Levkiv’s 54-01.75 in the shot put was also a career best and placed him second in the event.
Every first and second place finish in the Sam Adams Classic for the Vandal men came from an underclassman.
On the women’s side, freshman Allee Cooper and sophomore Mercedes Blackwood finished first and second in the women’s 100-meter with 12.74 and 12.86 — the only racers to finish in less than 13 seconds.
Senior Emma Goode placed second in the 200-meter in 26.05 and sophomore Kelly Jacka placed second in the 400-meter in 58.15 to round out a strong sprinter showing for the Vandal women. Goode and Jacka showed their versatility as each competed in the race the other normally competes in.
In the distance events, senior Maggie Miller placed second in the 800-meter in 2:20.11 while freshman Abby Larson placed first out of two runners in the 10,000-meter in 40:13.26.
Sophomore Cait Rowland swept the women’s hurdle events with victories in the 100-meter hurdles, at 15.17 seconds and 400-meter hurdles at 1:05.77 minutes, while freshman Johanna Hocketstaller placed second in 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.68.
Hocketstaller also contributed a first place finish in the discus with a career best throw of 155-08 as well as a second place finish in the shot put with a mark of 44-10.75.
Junior Sarah Nutsch placed first in the hammer throw with a toss of 163-00, more than eight feet further than the next competitor.
Senior Morgan Dunning rounded out the top finishes for the Vandal women with 10-06.00 in the pole vault.
The handful of Vandals that travelled to Austin for the prestigious Texas Relays also showed up big for the Idaho.
Senior Andrew Blaser took ninth in the men’s decathlon with 7,035 — eight points shy of his career best. Blaser finished ninth in the 23-man-field that featured several all-Americans.
“Being my first big multi-event and being able to hang with some of the big dogs in the country was a really good experience,” Blaser said after the event. “It’s really important to see that level of competition, because a lot of those guys will make it into nationals and I want to be there with them.”
Sophomore Ugis Svazs set a career best in the men’s javelin with a throw of 213-09 while senior Jeremy Klas cleared 17-0.75 in the men’s pole vault moving him to No. 1 in the WAC.
Two women’s throwers also competed for the Vandals with senior Gabby Midles throwing 165-0 in hammer and junior Kristine Leonard tossing 143-1 in the discus.
Vandal track and field will be split again with members competing in Palo Alto, Calif., for the Stanford Invitational while the rest of the team will compete in Spokane for the WAR V Dual Meet.
Stephan Wiebe can be reached at [email protected]