PORTLAND, Ore. - Hanna Tait kicked off the 2026 Big Sky Outdoor Championship on Wednesday with a bang, setting a facility record and building a 146-point advantage heading into the second day of competition. 

"It was a great start to the Big Sky championships with our women's multi group," Director of Track and Field Tracy Hellman said Wednesday afternoon. "Hanna had a solid day and finished day 1 with a sizable lead.  Belen had some good results, also representing the Vandals. What's exciting is that both athletes have strong day two events, so it will be exciting to see them finish.  Tomorrow is a brand new day and they have to bring their best and continue to compete and battle to the end."

The heptathlon opened with the 100m hurdles, one of Tait's stronger events. The sophomore flew to a 14.04, a Klapstein Stadium record, to take control of the standings from the first event, before finishing fifth in the high jump, posting a 1.57m mark, and third in the shot put after an 11.28m throw. Wednesday's competition closed with the 200, where Tait ran a 24.92, over two tenths faster than anyone else, to extend her points lead. 

Idaho's other heptathlete, Belén García Arias, closed her day with a top-10 finish in the 200, and is currently placed in 15th entering day two of competition, within reach of the top-eight with three events to go. 

UP NEXT
The heptathlon continues tomorrow with the long jump at 11 a.m., before moving to the javelin at 12:15 p.m., and concluding after the 800 at 1:45 p.m. All three remaining days of competition in Portland can be watched on ESPN+, with results available on AthleticLive.