MOSCOW, Idaho – The 2016 cross country season is finally upon us, with Idaho playing host to the Clash of the Inland Northwest on the Idaho Golf Course on Thursday.  The women's 4k race will begin at 6 p.m., with the men's 6k race beginning at 6:30 p.m.
 
"I'm excited," said director of track and field/cross country Tim Cawley.  "I think we have a team with a really neat blend.  We have some really good senior leadership in there, on both sides, and we have some young talent.  So it has kind of a balance, with the young and the old.  I'm excited to get started and see the team grow together.  It's exciting to run at home."
 
"We're very excited," said Travis Floeck, distance coach for the Vandals.  "It's apparent they put in a lot of hard work over the summer.  That's step one, getting fit and staying healthy and that's where we are right now.  This will be the first home cross country meet since we have been here as a staff so we're really excited.  This being at home, we're all in.  I'm excited for what the possibilities are."
 
The race will serve as a precursor to the Big Sky Championships, which will take place on the same course in just over eight weeks.  Two other Big Sky opponents will be competing on Thursday, with Montana and Eastern Washington making the short trips to Moscow.
 
"This is the same exact course that will be at the Big Sky Championships, it will just be a shorter distance," Floeck said.  "The men will run 6k, the women will run 4k.  At the conference meet the men run 8k and the women run 5k.  It's great for us.  We don't train out there, and we haven't, so for them to learn the course will be very valuable.  What you hope for as a coach is that when we race it in eight and a half weeks we'll be much more fit and faster, but right now we're still putting in some really quality work.  This is just a great opportunity to get those competitive juices going."
 
Both squads will feature a handful of veteran talent, as well as talented youngsters that are ready to compete at the next level.
 
"On the men's side, Nathan Stark had an incredible season last year," said Floeck.  "He finished 14^th at the Championships and he kept that going into track.  He probably had an even better track season and placed third in the conference meet in the steeple chase.  I have seen him improve every season, and right now where he's at I see every indication that he's going to continue to do that.  That's really exciting.  He's leading a really solid group of guys, definitely the strongest group since I've been here.  I think he'll be a great front-runner for us."
 
"We talk a lot about the process, with our mission here.  If anyone has embodied that it's Nathan Stark," Cawley said.  "Going into the year, yes he has goals, but he's going in there to execute his plan and keep working hard.  He enjoys the training and enjoys working hard and putting his best foot forward.  You add summer on to what he was able to do last year, I think he's ready to do some good things.
 
"On the women's side, I think Sierra Speiker is an incredible talent.  The biggest thing is keeping her healthy.  I think she has learned a lot over her first two years.  I think the communication has gotten better, she's learning how to balance things and she should be our front-runner."
 
"Sierra had a medical redshirt last season but competed in track.  She placed in the conference meet in the 10k, got sixth place, and was really doing it off of minimal training.  Now she has the summer base under her and she's looking incredible.  I'm really excited to see what she does this season."
 
With such a short season, preseason training is crucial.  The Vandals take the squad on a week-long trip to Leavenworth, Wash., to train, practice and build the necessary bond to carry the team throughout the season.
 
"It's all about the comradery," said Floeck.  "You go there to build the comradery and give them the opportunity to get reacquainted with each other, but also for the freshmen and the newcomers to get an understanding of what we're trying to accomplish as a team and to look to the senior leaders.  For us, once the craziness of the school year begins it becomes more difficult to spend much time as a team.  We got to spend a lot of time together and I think that really lays down the foundation for what we're trying to accomplish with the culture of the team here at Idaho."
 
"It also gives us a chance to see where the athletes are and what they've done over the summer," said Cawley.  "Cross country is a little bit unique with the short window of competition.  Trying to balance the new members of the team is a tough task, so this is kind of a nice way to amplify that process and figure yourself out as a team."
 
This team is ready, and with home course advantage in the Big Sky Championships, these Vandals are excited to prove themselves.
 
"It's going to be our conference cross country course," Floeck said.  "So I think it's a great opportunity for us to get accustomed to the course and have that in our minds as we approach the rest of the season."
 
"I'm excited for both teams," Cawley said.  "We have all of our guns going this year.  When you talk about this group, you talk about what they accomplished at camp, I think the chemistry is really great.  They're a great bunch of kids, they work hard and they aren't afraid to compete."
 
Check back with GoVandals.com following the meet for the complete recap and reactions.
 
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