FARMINGTON, Utah - Two Vandals have earned individual awards from the Big Sky Conference after their performances in the 2024 Indoor Track and Field season. Freshman Hanna Tait was named the Big Sky Women's Freshman of the Year and Mia Sylvester was dubbed the Co-Most Outstanding Female Performer (shared honor with Northern Arizona's Kyairra Reigh).

After earning a silver medal in the women's pentathlon with a Vandal freshman record of 3742 points then breaking the Idaho school record in the 200m race, Hanna Tait earned the honor of the Big Sky's Indoor Female Freshman of the Year. 

Tait entered the Big Sky Championships with the second-best pentathlon score in the conference of 3728, from her first-place finish at the 2024 Lauren McCluskey Memorial. At the Big Sky Championships, Tait finished second in the 60m hurdles (8.77) to kick off the pentathlon then taking first in the penultimate long jump (5.70m). 

On Day Two, the freshman competed in the women's 200m prelims running a personal-best 24.30 to win her heat and qualify for the finals. She also finished 26th in the women's long jump at a 4.87m mark. In the 200m finals on Saturday, she ran a new Idaho record of 24.05 taking fourth place. Tait is the second consecutive Vandal to earn the award after Mia Sylvester secured that title in 2023.

Mia Sylvester scored her second career Big Sky title and second Big Sky individual award after her performances this weekend. All year long, Sylvester never dropped below ninth place with four first-place finishes and six podium finishes. 

The sophomore from Belmopan, Belize first broke the Vandal school record in the women's weight throw at the Inland Northwest Invitational at an 18.77m mark. She bested her mark a week later at the Riverfront Invitationals throwing 20.03m before finishing the indoor season with a 21.00m throw at the Big Sky Championships and securing a gold medal. 

She is the second Vandal to ever win conference titles in weight throw and shot put and the first Idaho female to ever earn a conference title in the women's weight throw. Sylvester is the first Vandal to win the outstanding female performer award since Idaho rejoined the Big Sky Conference in 2014. Idaho's most recent recipient of the outstanding female performer was Mykael Bothum who was named the WAC's Outstanding Women's Field Athlete in 2010.

Sylvester also finished in fourth place in the shot put on Friday throwing 14.35m. 

A year ago, she was named the Big Sky Indoor Female Freshman of the Year after winning the women's shot put with a personal-best 15.75m.