SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Eight Vandals represented Idaho Track and Field at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds this past week in Sacramento.
The first day of action saw both Nathyn Maller and Noah Culbertson compete in throw events. Maller competed for the last time as a Vandal in the javelin throw. In his second appearance at the NCAA West Prelims, Maller threw for a distance of 56.78m. He finished 46th overall, beating his placement seed by one spot.
The sophomore shot putter, Culbertson, made his debut at the NCAA West Prelims with a mark of 16.91m. He finished 41st overall, finishing three spots higher than his placement seed.
The Vandals rounded out the first day with Jurrian Hering and Deyondre Davis in the hurdle events and Lorenz Herrmann in the 800m. Hering started the running events in the 110m hurdles with a time of 14.19. Hering placed 37th overall in the first round, beating his placement seed of No. 44.
In his third appearance at the NCAA West Prelims, Davis ran a season-best time of 51.74 in the 400m hurdles. The junior finished one spot and .04 seconds shy of advancing to the next round.
Herrmann concluded the night with a third overall finish in the 800m with a time of 1:47.57, automatically qualifying for the quarterfinals two days later. In the quarterfinals, Herrmann placed 14th overall with a time of 1:48.18, finishing two spots shy of a national championship qualification.
On the women's side, Kelsey Swenson and Katja Pattis represented in the distance events. Swenson was the lone competitor on Thursday night in the 10,000m run. Swenson placed 39th overall with a time of 34:19.67. She went on to compete in her final race as a Vandal in the 5,000m on Saturday night where she beat her placement rank of 38th with a time of 16:19.45 (33rd overall).
Pattis rounded out her sophomore season and a second appearance at the NCAA West Prelims with a 17th overall finish in the 3,000m steeplechase. Pattis ran a career second-best time of 10:08.87.
The Vandals will return in the fall for the beginning of the cross country season.
