MOSCOW, Idaho – Idaho Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Tracy Hellman and his staff have announced 24 new signees to join the team for the 2026-27 season.

MEET THE CLASS

SPRINTS 
The Idaho sprints signees come with the explosive addition of top-tier speeds, locking down proven champions from across the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Boasting a combined six state championship titles, three Canadian national titles, and blistering personal bests, this incoming class delivers deep postseason experience to Moscow.

Auralleus Hicks (Beaverton, OR) arrives as one of the most electric prep sprinters in Northwest history. Hicks torched the track at the OSAA 6A State Championships, clocking a meet-record 10.25 in the 100m, and is coming off a summer where he represented the United States at the World Athletics U20 World Championships, taking home gold as a member of the US' 4x100 relay team.  Hicks partners his record with a 21.13 personal best in the 200m.

Aysia Garcia (Zillah, WA) brings serious hardware across state lines, closing out her high school career as a three-time Washington state champion (2024, 2026) and owning three school records across the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay.

Frankie Robinson (Tacoma, WA) adds a dynamic two-way threat level to the women's roster, boasting a sharp 13.99 in the 100m hurdles alongside a 12.02 mark in the flat 100m.

Jordan Stubblefield (Auburn, WA) brings high-end sprint range, carrying personal bests of 10.82 (100m), 21.70 (200m), and 48.90 (400m).

Caleb Heywood (Moscow, ID) stays right at home after capturing the Idaho Class 5A 200m state title (21.47). The local standout enters the collegiate ranks with personal bests of 10.65 in the 100m and 21.33 in the 200m.

Jackson "JJ" Wallace (Hailey, ID) etched his name in Wood River High history as the school's first individual state champion since 2013, claiming the Idaho Class 5A 400m crown. He holds personal bests of 21.96 in the 200m and 48.62 in the 400m.

Melina Doiron (Sudbury, Ontario) gives the Vandals premier international pedigree from north of the border. A two-time 4x200m national champion, a 4x400m national champion, and a two-time OFSAA medalist, Doiron brings world-class wheels with personal bests of 11.67 (100m) and 24.04 (200m).

DISTANCE
On the track, Idaho's distance squad has seen a member qualify for the 3000m steeplechase national finals in back-to-back seasons, while the cross country team is coming off a 2025 campaign that saw a UI athlete win Big Sky Athlete of the Week honors on two occasions. The newest Vandals look to build on the program's positive momentum from the 2025-26 competition season.

Mitchell Rietze (Coeur d'Alene, ID) competed at the IHSAA state meet across distance and middle-distance events, holding bests of 1:54.29 in the 800m, 4:01.37 in the 1500m, 4:14.69 in the 1600m, 4:18.61 in the mile, 8:34.28 in the 3000m, 9:31.12 in the 3200m, 14:47.40 in the 5K cross country race, and a 6-foot mark in the high jump. He holds school records in the 800m, 4x400m relay, 4x800m relay, and Distance Medley Relay, while ranking No. 4 in the 5K, No. 6 in the 400m and 1600m, and No. 7 in the high jump.

Kadance Holso (Rapid City, SD), a freshman, qualified for the South Dakota Class AA State Championships across the middle and long-distance events, with personal bests of 2:19.42 in the 800m, 5:12.77 in the 1600m, 11:09.94 in the 3200m, and 1:05.91 in the 400m.

Miles Lechtenberg (Sioux Falls, SD) joins the Vandals as a true freshman. He was the SDHSAA Class AA state cross country runner-up in 2025, won the Augustana Twilight XC meet, and is a two-time Nike Cross Nationals qualifier and Heartland Regional medalist, with bests of 14:32.3 in the 5K and 11:01.78 in the 3000m.

Emerson Hamma (Great Falls, MT) holds the Charles M. Russell High School record in the 3200m at 9:19.88 and ran 16:12.4 for a cross country 5K. He earned Class AA All-State honors with a fourth-place finish in the 1600m and fifth in the 3200m at the state meet, and was named the Great Falls Tribune's Boys' Athlete of the Fall.

Micah Redding (Colfax, CA) arrives after a four-year varsity career at Colfax and Placer High Schools in California, where she qualified for the CIF State Cross Country Championships each year and was a PVL League champion and Sac-Joaquin Section Division 4 top finisher. Her bests include 18:51.8 for the 5K, 17:56.0 for three miles, and 12:06.7 for two miles.

Koda Vandahlen (Meridian, ID) joins the Vandals with a mile best of 4:17 set at the 2026 Oregon Relays, a 9:24.76 in the 3200m set at the District 3 6A Championships, and an 800m best of 1:55.04.

JUMPS AND MULTIS
Coach Brad Gamble's crew took three Big Sky Championships at May's conference meet, with Sydnie Zywina becoming the first Vandal to ever win the long and triple jump conference title at the same meet and Hanna Tait winning both the women's indoor pentathlon title and the outdoor heptathlon crown. The additions for the 2026-27 season bring a mix of prep stars and experienced transfers, giving Idaho depth across many disciplines. 

Eden Francis (Boise, ID) arrives as a true freshman and the 2025 Idaho 6A state champion in the long jump (17'11"), plus a top-five finisher in the 100m hurdles and javelin at the IHSAA state meet. A multi-sport varsity athlete in track, volleyball, and basketball, Francis carries personal bests of 18'6" in the long jump, 14.89 in the 100m hurdles, and 130'6" in the javelin.

Victor Byaundaombe took the 2026 Missouri Valley Conference outdoor long jump championship at the end of his sophomore season, after a standout freshman campaign at Illinois State. The Boise native's first season with the Redbirds saw him qualify for the NCAA West First Round in the triple jump in 2025 after winning the conference title in the event. 

A native of Meridian, Idaho, Eli Lawrence arrives as a senior transfer from Washington State. Lawrence had a standout first two seasons in Crimson and Grey, winning the 2025 MPSF Indoor triple jump title and qualifying for the NCAA West First Round in the event. While competing as an unattached athlete during the 2026 indoor season, he set personal bests in both the long and triple. 

Arthur Stringer (Menifee, CA) joins the Vandals after breaking the Saddle-Up Invitational meet record in the triple jump at 48'0", a mark that ranked No. 1 in California. He was also ranked seventh in the state in the long jump, with bests of 48'0" in the triple jump and 22'5" in the long jump.

Tamret Savik (Bigfork, MT) arrives ranked in the top three in the state in the triple jump and No. 104 nationally in the event class. Savik holds personal bests of 48'4.75" in the triple jump, 6'6" in the high jump, 21'10.75" in the long jump, and 25.59 in the 200m.

Kaleo Wellman joins the Vandals class after three seasons at NAIA Bushnell. The Lebanon, Oregon native represented the Beacons at both the indoor and outdoor NAIA National Championships in 2026, resetting his own long jump school record, and finished second at the Cascade Conference outdoor meet in the long jump.

THROWS
In her first season back in Moscow, throws coach Julie Taylor's squad saw Blake Sturgis earn All-American honors. Idaho's throwers enter the 2027 track season with multiple returners who scored points for the Vandals at the 2026 Big Sky Outdoor Championships, while their offseason additions bring a wide range of experience.

Asha Abubakari arrives as a junior transfer from Sacramento State, where she placed seventh in the discus at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships and also competed in the shot put. She ranks fourth in Sacramento State history with a discus throw of 162'4", was runner-up at the Fresno State Invitational, and placed third at both the Stanford Invitational and the Causeway Classic Dual. Abubakari set her shot put personal best of 43'10" at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships and her top hammer throw, 147'5", at the Stanford Invitational.

Sage Elven (Cottonwood, ID) is a four-time Idaho 2A state champion in the discus and the reigning 2026 Idaho 2A state champion in the shot put. Elven also won the District 1/2 2A title, went undefeated in individual discus competition, and ranks tied for 11th all-time in Idaho state history in the discus, with personal bests of 146'8" in the discus (144'3" season best), 42'6.5" in the shot put, and a mark in the javelin.

Ethan Aman joins the Black and Gold as a junior transfer from Clackamas Community College, where he won the 2026 NWAC Outdoor and NWAC South Region shot put titles. He owns personal bests of 17.44m (57'2.75") in the shot put, 54.96m (180'4") in the hammer, and 41.34m (135'7") in the discus.

Miguel Cruz (Kennewick, WA) joins the Vandals as a true freshman, with a personal-best shot put mark of 62'2.5" set in 2025.

Daisy Lemley arrives as a junior transfer from Spokane Community College, with college-best marks of 11.77m (38'7.5") in the shot put and 47.79m (156'9") in the discus.

UP NEXT 
The Vandals begin their five-meet 2026 regular season on September 4 at the Gonzaga-hosted Clash of the Inland Northwest.

FOLLOW THE VANDALS 
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