LIVE RESULTS

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The final regular season meet of the year is here for Idaho cross country, with the Vandals traveling to California for the Bronco Invitational.  The men's 8k will begin at 8:45 a.m. on Saturday, while the women's 6k will start at approximately 9:30 a.m.
 
The women have enjoyed an incredible season thus far.  In three meets this year, the women have finished first twice and third once.  The coaches' association has taken notice, voting the Vandals as the No. 9 team in the West, per the last United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) rankings.
 
The No. 9 ranking is the highest ever for the Vandals, with records dating back to the 2010 season.  The team has historically been ranked, but is now in the top-10 for the first time after slowly climbing throughout the year.  The women's squad features a number of student-athletes with a ton of experience, including three seniors and three juniors.
 
"It's neat to see the women being ranked so high, the highest they've been ranked since we've been here," said director of track and field/cross country, Tim Cawley.  "But rankings are rankings, it's exciting and neat to be recognized in that way but we're still focused on the process and pushing forward and seeing how everything comes about.
 
"That's what we preach all the time, it's about the process.  The student-athletes have bought into the idea, and I think that's part of the reason why we are getting the recognition that we are right now."
 
The men are also ranked, currently No. 15 in the West.  The squad got as high as No. 14 this year, and has been ranked every week.  The men also have a veteran team, with two seniors and three juniors competing regularly. 
 
"Some of that has to do with how well they ran last year, in the region," Cawley said.  "And seeing that we didn't really lose too many people and we're coming together at the right time, running strong, it's nice to see that.  But again, rankings are rankings.  I see them just bought into the process as well.  They're doing everything they can to do the best they can.  They run together as a team.  It shows right now, in the rankings, that things are coming together well."
 
Competition will be tough this weekend, with many of the top teams in the West competing.  In total, five Big Sky teams will be present, giving the Vandals a great test ahead of the Championships in two weeks.
 
"What we're looking for this weekend is to not worry so much about everyone else, but to just run together and do what we know we can do: go out and compete and see what happens at the end of the day," said Cawley.  "We'll learn from whatever happens and grow from there to fine tune some things for the Championship.  Travis Floeck has done an amazing job of getting these student-athletes in a great place.  They're a good group that really, truly buys into that team aspect.  That's all I'm looking for, for them to go and execute to the best of their abilities and we'll see what happens."
 
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.