The University of Idaho has pulled off a women’s track and field coup, with the signing of three Pacific Northwest state champions and a German hurdler in the past month.
Vandal Athletics announced the signings of sprinter Olivia Martin, high jumper Nicole Guthrie, thrower Victoria Rae and German hurdler Franziska Stöhr.
One of the new signings, Martin, is a two-time state champion in the state of Washington in 400 meters, she has a personal best of 56.59 seconds, which is not too far away from state record of 52.66 seconds in the state of Washington.
A statement from the university athletics department said, “The University of Idaho Track & Field program is excited to announce the signing of Olivia Martin of Selah High School in Selah, Wash. Martin is one of the best sprinters in the Pacific Northwest.”
High jumper Nicole Guthrie is a state champion from Washington, holding a best of 5 feet 6 inches in district IV championship meet, which is highly impressive for a teenager.
A statement from the Idaho athletics department said, “The University of Idaho Track & Field program is thrilled to announce the signing of Nicole Guthrie of Woodland High School in Woodland, Wash. Guthrie is a talented multi-sport student-athlete who focuses on the high jump.”
Other new signing, Victoria Rae is a two-time shot-put state champion, has a personal best of 40 feet 4.5 inches and is quite certainly a great addition to the Vandal Family.
“The University of Idaho Track & Field program is excited to announce the signing of Victoria Rae of Bonners Ferry High School in Bonners Ferry, Idaho. Rae is one of the top throwers in the Northwest who has a lot of potential.” the university athletics department said.
Coming all the way from Germany, Franziska Stöhr has a personal best of 62.29 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles, finishing seventh in the German national U20 championships and will add that international flavor to the Vandal track and field team.
“The University of Idaho Track & Field program is thrilled to announce the signing of Franziska Stöhr of Landau, Germany. Stöhr is a national level competitor in Germany and a very talented hurdler and sprinter.” The university athletics department said.
These signings without a question will bolster the track and field team.
Given these valuable additions, Vandals should be able to go toe to toe with other schools in the region throughout major competitions.
These additions to an already strong women’s squad improves team’s chances of finishing on top.
With these acquisitions, vandals have showcased their intentions to get the best track and field athletes from the region, bringing in state champions is quite certainly a statement of intent from the team in gold and silver.
At the same time, it shows the school’s hunger to get better every year.
Naga Prudhvi Panguluri can be reached at [email protected]