FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - For the second straight year, a Vandal woman will compete in the steeplechase at Hayward Field, as Constanze Paoli punched her ticket to the national championship meet by winning her heat at the NCAA West First Round on Saturday. 

"What a race for Conny today at the NCAA West Regionals!" Director of Track and Field Tracy Hellman said Saturday. "Anytime you can win, especially at this level, that is a tremendous accomplishment! Conny has had a goal all season of making the NCAA finals in Eugene, so it's very rewarding to see her accomplish this goal. Her race today was very tactical, so she has learned how to win in different race scenarios. The coaching staff is super proud of her, and it's awesome to have 2 athletes going on to the NCAA final, as Blake [Sturgis] will join her in Eugene. Again, just a great effort today by Conny and on to Eugene!"

After qualifying for regionals last year, Paoli returned to one of college track's biggest stages in 2026 as a freshly crowned Big Sky champion, an event at which she smashed her personal best and the 23-year-old UI record. The junior's momentum carried from Portland to Fayetteville, as she nearly broke 10 minutes, allowing her to win her heat by almost five seconds to clinch a spot at June's national championship meet. Paoli's 10:02.74 placed her third among all athletes at the West Regional, meaning she will be in the thick of the competition against the nation's best. 

Paoli's heat win makes her the second Vandal woman in as many years to move onto Eugene in the steeplechase, after Katja Pattis did it in 2025, and is in good position to join the Italian as an All-American, as she will enter the meet holding the 10th fastest time in the nation this season. 

On Wednesday, Blake Sturgis locked down his ticket to Hayward Field in the javelin. Battling through a torrential downpour, the Spokane native rose to the occasion, tossing a 72.12m (236'7") throw on his final attempt to move inside the top 12 qualifying spots. The trip to Eugene punctuates a stellar season from the senior, where he earned a podium finish at the Big Sky Championship, three Big Sky Athlete of the Week nods, and a facility record at the Whitworth Pine Bowl. 

UP NEXT
Idaho will have two athletes compete in Eugene in two weeks, with Sturgis set to throw in the men's javelin final at 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday, June 10, while Paoli is set to compete in the 3000m steeplechase on Saturday, June 14, with the gun set to fire at 5:24 p.m.