FLAGSTAFF, Arizona – Mia Sylvester claimed her second Big Sky weight throw title and
Jesuye Doherty leaped to first place in the long jump for Idaho on day two of the Big Sky Indoor Track and Field Championships.
On her second throw of the day, Sylvester set the mark to beat after a massive 19.36 meter toss, a season best. The junior from Belmopan, Belize would further stretch her advantage over the field with her sixth and final throw, a mark of 19.46 meters. "Just go for it. There was no pressure. Just kill it," Sylvester said after being presented with her third Big Sky indoor gold.
Doherty set his season-long in the long jump on his fourth of six jumps, a monstrous 7.68 meter leap. The mark is the 30th best in the nation this season and the fifth longest in Idaho history.
Cash Jones and
Landon Peterson also claimed valuable team points for the Vandals in the event, placing sixth and seventh respectively.
Earlier in the day, Jones punched his ticket to the men's 60-meter dash final with a second place finish in a personal-best 6.81 seconds.
Blossom Omogor will also represent the Black and Gold in the women's 60-meter final tomorrow, after qualifying on time with a mark of 7.55 seconds, the fourth fastest in UI history. The men's final will begin at 10:35 a.m. PST, with the women's to follow.
Additionally, Omogor will compete in the women's 200 final, claiming the final spot after a rapid 24.39 second dash. The 200 final is set for 11:20 a.m. PST.
Three Vandals moved on to the finals in the 800.
Luca Wagner and
Zac Bright claimed spots in the men's event; Wagner with a personal-best 1:51.76, as Bright crossed the line at 1:51.90.
Leah Holmgren grabbed the final spot in the women's competition after posting a 2:12.97 mark. The 800's will start at 10:50 a.m. PST.
To close out the night, the record-setting women's distance medley relay team of Holmgren,
Katja Pattis,
Franziska Stoehr, and
Constanze Paoli took home the bronze with a time of 11:55.58.
"It was a great start for our teams at the Big Sky championships. Our teams competed very hard and we had some great results," Idaho Director of Track and Field Tracy Hellman said Friday night. "Leading the way was Mia in the weight throw and JJ in the long jump. Winning a conference title is never easy and they did great. (T)hat energy helped carry out teams today. Now we have to bring that momentum into the final day."
Heading into Saturday, the men's team is fourth with 24 points, only three behind third-place Sacramento State. The women's squad is sixth with 17 points.
Idaho will get an early start to a busy day three, with six athletes competing in the field events starting at 9 a.m. PST.
Fans can stay up-to-date on all things Idaho Track and Field by following the team on Instagram and X, @IdahoTrack.
