Track & Field | 05/26/2018

RESULTS

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A trio of Vandals competed at the 2018 NCAA Championships West Preliminaries on Saturday.  The three all performed well, with each finishing ahead of their seeds by beating their ranks.
 
"I saw Vandals competing, that was the fun part," said director of track and field/cross country, Tim Cawley.  "I saw three young athletes, in their first time at the NCAA Championships, I didn't see nerves.  I saw three kids going out and having fun, and competing.  I was proud of all three of them.  I think it says a lot about the staff, our coaches got them ready, but it's just three confident kids enjoying the process.  Anytime you beat your rank it's fantastic."
 
And that they did.  But possibly even greater was the experience gained by all three, each having at least one year of eligibility remaining.
 
"Anytime you can get experience before you come back again is a big help," Cawley added.  "As much as you think you know what you're getting into, it's always a little bit different.  You can never undervalue experience, it's pretty amazing what it gives you."
 
ZACHARY SHORT – 24^th – SHOT PUT
 
Short placed 24^th in the shot put, beating his rank of 27 entering the meet.  He improved with each of his throws, finishing in second in his flight at 17.86 meters (58-7.25).  MORE
 
AUSTIN BEYER – 25^th – JAVELIN
 
Beyer came out strong in the javelin competition, breaking 60 meters on both of his first two attempts.  He saved his best for last, however, posting a mark of 62.60 meters (205-4) in his third and final throw to take third in his flight and 25^th overall. MORE
 
ANDREA CONDIE – 39^th – 5000 METERS
 
Condie found herself in a lightning-fast 5k and went on to finish with a time of 16:40.36.  The race got out to an incredible pace, with Condie running the opening 3000 meters faster than she has ever run a 3k in her career.  She placed 39^th overall, and 19^th in her heat.  MORE
 
Missing from the list are a number of other athletes who either showed signs of bright futures during the year or redshirted the season, giving Cawley and the staff even more hope moving forward.
 
"We redshirted all our kids that came last year," said Cawley.  "And with these three having their first experience, going into next year having a little bigger pool there and a lot more experience going into the NCAA Championships should be exciting."
 
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.