MOSCOW, Idaho – The 2017 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships are upon us, with five Vandals qualifying for the First Round in Austin, Texas, from May 25-27.
 
Rechelle Meade leads the way after qualifying in both the long jump and the high jump.  Meade took home Second Team All-Big Sky honors in both events at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships last week, posting personal-bests in each event.  Meade is ranked 31^st in the West in the long jump with a program-record leap of 6.17 meters and is 38^th in the high jump at 1.76 meters.
 
Nathan Stark caps off his tremendous career at Idaho with his first trip to the NCAA's.  Stark is ranked 31^st in the West in the 3000-meter steeplechase and took third in the event at last week's Big Sky Championships.
 
A pair of conference champions will also be making the trip to Texas.  Kaizer Gillispie won the 400-meters last weekend, posting a personal-best time of 46.52 seconds along the way.  Gillipsie is currently ranked 33^rd in the West in the event.  Mack Baxter will also be making his NCAA Championship debut, competing in the 400-meter hurdles.  Baxter won the individual title at the Big Sky Championships and is currently 45^th in the West.
 
Rounding out the competitors is freshman Ben Doucette in the 110-meter hurdles.  Doucette took third at the Big Sky Championships last weekend, posting a season-best time of 14.17 seconds in the final.  He is currently ranked 42^nd in the region.
 
Baxter will be the first Vandal to get started, with the qualifying rounds of the 400-meter hurdles on Thursday.  Gillispie will also begin on Thursday, as will Meade in the long jump.  Doucette, Stark and the high jump competition for Meade will begin on Friday.  Check back with GoVandals.com as the meet approaches for more information on timing, streaming and live results.
 
To qualify, an athlete must be ranked in the top-48 in the region in his or her event.  The top 12 finishers from each First Round site will advance to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore.
 
Last season, two Vandals advanced to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, with both Kinsey Gomez and Arphaxad Carroll earning Second Team All-America honors.
 
To stay current on all Vandal Athletics visit GoVandals.com, or follow the Vandals on Twitter, @Idaho_Vandals.
 
Fans can stay up-to-date on all things Idaho track and field/cross country by following the team on Twitter @IdahoTrack.