The Idaho track and field team left the Spokane Memorial Open this weekend with five individual victories as well as a multitude of career-best performances in overcast weather.
“We were lucky today,” Gonzaga women’s head coach Parry Ley said. “The rain stayed away and we only had to deal with a few clouds.”
Idaho junior Kolcie Bates led the charge for the Vandals with her victory in the discus throw. The junior recorded a distance of 42.01 meters, while her throw of 49.6 meters in the hammer throw earned Bates a third place finish in the event.
Bates also finished ninth in the shot put with a distance of 11.60 meters.
Freshman Kaleala Bass won the 400-meter dash with a time of 58.30 seconds. The freshman sprinter edged out Janessa Day of Eastern Washington by one-hundredth of a second.
Freshman Victoria Goetz finished second in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.64 seconds, while sophomore Meghan Palesh ran the 200-meter dash in 26.28 seconds to earn a fourth place finish in the event.
In the javelin throw, senior Taylor Feinauer claimed third with a season-best throw of 39.28 meters.
On the men’s side of the competition, Kaizer Gillispie claimed the 400-meter dash with a time of 48.98 seconds. The mark was good enough to earn the freshman a qualifying time in the Big Sky Conference.
Junior Juan Medina threw the discus 48.12 meters to earn a first place finish in the event. Medina’s throw cleared all other competitors by at least 1.5 meters.
Freshman sprinter Zion Stuffle continued his strong performance this spring with a victory in the 400-meter hurdles. Stuffle finished the competition with a time of 52.99 seconds, while fellow teammate and freshman Mack Baxter finished in second with a time of 54.63 seconds.
Two Vandals finished with season-best times in the 200-meter dash. Gillispie finished third with a time of 22.17 seconds, while junior Ian Middleton finished in fourth at 22.39 seconds.
Sophomore Dusan Jevtic claimed second place in the high jump with a jump of 1.95 meters. Freshman Dustin Harrah finished in fourth after clearing a mark of 1.90 meters.
The Idaho track and field team will compete in the Border Clash in Boise Friday and Saturday. Members of the team will also travel to Palo Alto, California on Sunday to take part in the Payton Jordan Invitational.
Mihaela Karst can be reached at [email protected]