EUGENE, Ore. ? Idaho's men's and women's track and field teams put together another solid weekend's worth of performances at the Oregon Relays on Friday and Saturday, which were highlighted by Elvie Williams' NCAA top-20 mark in the long jump.
Williams, a senior and returning All-American in the long jump, won the event with a leap of 25-0¾ (7.64m), which was eight inches better than second place and is tied for 19th in the NCAA this season. After not competing during the indoor season, Williams appears to be regaining his timing. He also took fourth in the triple jump on Friday with a leap of 48-5½ (14.77m).
“Elvie was amazing today,” Idaho co-head coach Yogi Teevens said. “There was a big crowd right in front of the long jump area that got really involved in his jumps. He just stepped up and competed in a really big way.”
As is the theme of the women's season so far, freshmen stepped up big over the weekend. Lauren Schaffer, a first-year Vandal from Boise, Idaho, ran a lifetime-best 2:11.94 to win her section and finish seventh overall. Keli Hall, who hails from Lakeview, Oregon, ran a lifetime-best 56.39 to finish second in the women's 400m. Schaffer's time ranks second in the Western Athletic Conference, while Hall's is sixth.
“Keli had about 20 of her relatives here cheering for her and she has been battling a few injuries, so it was really good to see her hit that lifetime best today,” Teevens said. “And Lauren ran a lifetime PR in the 800m and led from start to finish. For her to come out as a true freshman and perform like that was really exciting.”
Freshman Julia Veseth and junior Maike Holthuijzen each had personal-best performances in the women's 5,000m second section on Friday. Holthuijzen took ninth with a 17:56.70 in her first career race for Idaho, while Veseth finished 14th in 18:15.86.
Junior James Rogan, the WAC's 2009 indoor shot put champion had his best throw of the year with a 51-10 (15.80m) in the men's B section of the event. He also took fourth in the hammer throw at 200-9 (61.19m).
“It (Rogan's shot put mark) was still a ways below his personal best, but his focus has really been on the hammer and he's just started working on the shot recently, so it's a move in the right direction,” Idaho co-head coach Wayne Phipps said.
In the men's pole vault, freshman and Moscow native, Jeremy Klas, bumped up his personal best again after clearing 16-1¼ (4.91m) to give him the WAC's second-best vault of the year.
“Jeremy is vaulting very consistently right now and that's usually a good sign of a big jump to come,” Phipps said. “I think it's just a matter of time before he gets that regional qualifying mark (16-6¾).”
While they don't show up in Idaho's results another group of Vandals were in Eugene competing over the weekend. Christie Gordon, Mykael Bothum, Gabby Midles and Allix Lee-Painter are all redshirting the outdoor season for Idaho, but they made their way to the meet and did not disappoint.
Gordon won the women's 100m hurdles and Bothum won the women's shot put, while Lee-Painter took second in the women's 3,000m steeplechase and Midles took sixth in the women's hammer throw.
“It's always tough when you're redshirting,” Phipps said. “You have to maintain that competitive edge, so it's nice to see that group getting themselves to these meets and I thought they all performed very well this weekend.”
The Vandals will spend next weekend at Cheney, Wash., for the Pelluer Invitational, where last year, Idaho hit four NCAA Regional marks.
