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AUSTIN, Texas – A trio of Vandals wrapped up competition at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships First Round, with Idaho Track and Field representing itself well on the week.
 
"I thought it went well today," said director of track and field/cross country Tim Cawley.  "Again, it was very similar to yesterday, we got some good experience.  I thought people competed hard, which is great.  I'm proud of everyone that wore the jersey today."
 
Ben Doucette got the Vandals started in the 110-meter hurdles, finishing sixth in his heat at 14.94 seconds.  Doucette rounds out an incredible freshman campaign with a pair of All-Conference honors, including First Team honors in the 60-meter hurdles indoors.
 
"He's just a kid that exemplifies what we're looking for in this program; great on all fronts," Cawley said.  "He has great character, great academics and he's a great athlete.  He got a little out of rhythm and if you get out of rhythm in the hurdles it can bite you in the end.  Part of the reason he was out of rhythm is that he maybe went a little too hard.  If you're going to lose it, lose it being too aggressive, lose it going too hard.  And that's what he did.  He laid it out there, put everything on the line, and I think he's going to learn from it and grow."
 
Rechelle Meade took part in her second event of the weekend, competing in the high jump.  Meade cleared the opening mark of 1.64 meters on her first attempt and needed just two tries at 1.69 meters to finish tied for 37^th.  Meade also had an incredible freshman season, earning four All-Conference honors between indoor and outdoor track.
 
"She did great," said Cawley.  "The high jump is still a really young event for her so she's still inconsistent at it.  But she's such a talented and dynamic athlete when she's out there that it's hard to tell.  She just competes so well.  I thought she went out and competed great and got some great experience moving forward.
 
"All the underclassmen are talking about next year, next year, next year.  It's good to hear.  And that's part of it, getting that experience and seeing that next level.  It makes you hungry and I have a feeling that summer training is going to be pretty solid."
 
Nathan Stark concluded an incredible career in the silver and gold with the 3000-meter steeplechase.  Stark fought through illness and battled among some of the nation's best to finish at 9:46.18.
 
"Nathan is just an amazing young man," Cawley said.  "Not just for the track and field program but for the athletics department as the SAAC president and everything else.  His last race, it was a good race I think there was just a lot of change of pace, with the heat and everything, he hung in as long as he possibly could but when they made that break he just couldn't hold on.  I'm truly proud of him.  I think he represents everything that we're looking for in a Vandal.  He's just a good kid.  To end it at the First Round of the NCAA Championships is not a bad way to go out."
 
"I thought it was a very successful year," Cawley added.  "We had a very young team.  To see how many points we scored at the conference level and even looking at where we were at the national level and how it's a lot of freshmen and sophomores is a good sign.  It's a good sign for the future that they're kind of building and growing.  Hopefully as they keep getting older some of their teammates will join them and they're able to get back to this level, if not further.  And we have some other freshmen coming in that can hopefully join them too.  So hopefully it just kind of keeps growing, that's the idea.
 
"We try to outperform our rank, and we did it.  Outdoors we did it very successfully, across the board, men and women.  I can't ask for much more than that."
 
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.