MOSCOW, Idaho – The Vandal track and field team had a successful weekend in California and Washington at the Mt. SAC Relays, the Beach Invitational, and the Whitworth Twilight. Four Vandals recorded marks that rank in Idaho's all-time top 10 while 31 earned personal bests.
Between the three meets, Idaho had 26 top-10 finishers among an elite field of the nation's best competitors. "We had a great weekend with a lot of PRs," reflected Tim Cawley, Director of Track and Field. "It was an opportunity to face some national-caliber competition and I thought we handled it well and rose to the occasion."
The weekend was highlighted by Kelsey Swenson, Olivia Martin, and Katja Pattis recording times at the Mt. SAC Relays that rank No. 2 all-time at Idaho in their respective events. Swenson competed in the 5000m elite heat among professional athletes. She placed sixth overall but was the top collegiate runner with a personal best time of 16:08.63. She beat her previous PB by more than 30 seconds. Pattis earned the second overall and top collegiate time in the 3000m steeplechase elite heat with a mark of 10:05.31. She previously held the No. 8 spot all-time at 10:22.67 before this weekend. Martin climbed up in the top-10 ranking for the 400m dash with a time of 55.13, shedding 0.74 seconds off her previous personal best.
Pattis and Swenson's marks rank in the top 100 in the NCAA-D1 after this weekend. Pattis reigns in at No. 22 and Swenson sits at No. 71.
Mt. SAC Relays
The Vandals finished in the top 10 in 19 events in Walnut, California this weekend. In addition to Swenson and Pattis, Lorenz Herrmann and Tim Stevens finished in the top ranks in the elite heats. Herrmann earned a fourth-place finish in the 800m with a time of 1:48.26. The time ranks No. 32 in the NCAA-D1 and No. 1 in the Big Sky. Stevens placed sixth in the 1500m with a time of 3:49.03.
Gage Zanette earned the highest finish for the Vandals in a running event on the collegiate level. He placed third in the 1500m with a personal best time of 3:47.44.
The field squad had a strong showing contributing to seven of the top-10 finishes. Annika Jozin placed second in her high jump heat with a height of 1.65m. On the men's side, Joseph Ruddell earned fifth with a height of 2.05m. Justyn Rogers earned sixth place in the long jump with a distance of 7.38m.
Noah Culbertson earned two top-10 finishes, picking up fourth in the shot put and eighth in the discus throw. In the shot put, he threw for a distance of 16.69m followed by a distance of 44.92m in the discus throw. Mia Sylvester also dominated in the discus throw, placing eighth overall with a distance of 44.72m.
Beach Invitational
After finishing up at the Mt. SAC Relays, the field athletes headed over to the Beach Invitational hosted by Long Beach State.
Ruddell once again found himself in the top 10 in the high jump with a height clearance of 2.06m. Rogers improved his long jump distance to 7.40m, earning eighth. The mark ranks at No. 3 in the Big Sky and No. 84 in the NCAA-D1. After fouling at Mt. SAC, Simone Fedel earned seventh in the triple jump with a personal best distance of 15.18m. The mark ranks No. 2 in the Big Sky and No. 66 in the NCAA. Culbertson threw a personal best distance of 17.71m in the shot put, placing eighth.
Whitworth Twilight
Amidst the action in California, a handful of athletes stayed close to home and competed in the Whitworth Twilight in Spokane on Thursday.
Kate Bouse earned a first-place finish in the 1500m with a time of 4:45.38 followed by Sarah Pecha in sixth place with a personal best time of 4:52.86.
Tyler Graff earned a second-place finish in the 3000m steeplechase with a personal best time of 9:58.32.
The Vandals will take the weekend off as they prepare for their final meets next weekend and the Big Sky Outdoor Championships in May.
