MOSCOW, Idaho – The Idaho track and field teams return to action on Thursday for the Idaho Open. Action begins at 9 a.m. in the Kibbie Dome. The action will be streamed on WatchBigSky.

"I thought we had a great home opener and I think the team is in a good place as we move forward. I'm excited to see us progress," said director of track and field/cross country, Tim Cawley. "We should have some good competition at this meet to push our team."

Having one meet under their belt, the Vandals enter Thursday with some impressive times and marks, and many top-10 rankings in the Big Sky Conference.

Rechelle Meade sits first in the BSC and 18th in the nation in the women's long jump. The senior won Big Sky Field Athlete of the Week after leaping 6.12m (20.01.00) to finish first at the Vandal Open.

Zack Short also won Big Sky Field Athlete of the Week for his performance at the Vandal Open. He easily won the shot put with a conference leading 19.15m (62.10.00), which is 14th in the country.

The other Vandal to enter Thursday's meet with the best mark in the Big Sky Conference is Malaina Thacker, who won the 800-meter dash at the Vandal Open in 2:15.06. Teammate Anna Pecha is second in the league in the event, while Krista Story is fifth, and Makenna Schuler is 10th. On the men's side in the 800, Dean Ellenwood (third), Josiah Anderson (ninth), and Caleb Seely (10th) are all top-10 in the conference.

Ben Doucette sits ninth on the BSC performance list in the 60-meters and third in the 60-meter hurdles, while Kaizer Gillispie is fourth in the 200-meters.

In the 400-meter dash, Spencer Barrera has the second-best time in the Big Sky Conference (48.64), while on the women's side, Lauren Paven has the third best time (57.14).

The Vandal men's 4x400 relay team is second in the league, while the women's team sits sixth on the conference performance list.

In the high jump, Vandals are in the top five in both men's and women's competition. Britt Ipsen is third after his performance at the Vandal Open, while Julia Hayes is fourth after her first career meet.

Zach Nunis has the second best leap in the BSC in the long jump (7.42m/24.04.25). That mark is also 28th in the nation. Tayler LyDay (second), Jordyn Rauer (fourth), and Karina Moreland (sixth) are all top-10 in the triple jump.

In the shot put, Grady Leonard joins Short in the BSC top-five, holding the third spot on the performance list. He is also eighth in the weight throw, while Cullen Williams is fifth.

"Our team is going to keep moving forward and getting better, starting with this meet," said Cawley. "If we keep trusting ourselves and build on the progress we've already seen, we'll move closer to where we want to be as we get closer to the championship season."
 
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.