Idaho Vandals Enter Big Sky Outdoor Track and Field Championship With Strong Contenders
The University of Idaho track and field program heads to Portland this week for the 2026 Big Sky Outdoor Track and Field Championship, carrying momentum from a season marked by record-breaking performances and multiple weekly honors across the roster.
Competition opens Wednesday with the multievents, running through Thursday before the main slate of field and track events begins Friday and concludes Saturday. All four days of action are available on ESPN+, with live results accessible through AthleticLive.
Director of Track and Field Tracy Hellman expressed confidence in the program heading into the meet. “Both teams are very excited to compete this week,” Hellman said. “The coaching staff is very optimistic about our team’s success. The Big Sky is a very competitive conference, so this weekend will be a great challenge, but we are ready to give our best effort of the year.”
Tait Headlines the Multievents
The Vandals open their championship bid in the heptathlon Wednesday and Thursday, led by Hanna Tait — the reigning Big Sky indoor pentathlon champion and 2024 outdoor heptathlon title holder. Tait, a native of Grafton, New South Wales, Australia, claimed the indoor crown in February with 4,088 points, the third-highest total in Big Sky history and second-highest ever recorded by a Vandal. She enters the outdoor heptathlon ranked first in the conference after posting 5,511 points at April’s Bryan Clay Multis, and holds top-20 conference marks in five individual disciplines, including second in the long jump. Grad student Belén García Arias will compete alongside her.
Tait will also headline Idaho’s long jump entries later in the meet. She is one of three Vandals who have cleared the six-meter mark this season, joined by Sydnie Zywina and Jada Miller — giving Idaho three of the top-five distances posted in the conference. Mara Fuerniss rounds out a four-athlete entry that gives the Black and Gold genuine podium potential in the event.
Field Events Feature Multiple Contenders
Senior Blake Sturgis enters the men’s javelin as the season-long leader on the Big Sky performance list, having earned three Athlete of the Week recognitions during the outdoor campaign. At last week’s Whitworth Last Chance meet, Sturgis set the facility record with a throw of 73.21 meters — moving him to second in Vandal program history. The Spokane native is peaking at precisely the right moment.
In the women’s high jump, freshmen and upperclassmen alike are positioned to score. Francesca Cuccu soared to a personal-best 1.73 meters at the Pacific Coast Invite in April, placing her second on the conference performance list in her first collegiate season competing in the event. Cami Cvitkovich, who earned her first career Big Sky medal at the indoor championship in February, arrives with a season-best mark of 1.71 meters. Both sit inside the Big Sky’s top five.
Idaho’s women’s javelin contingent is equally strong. Baylee Wroble and Lindi Kessinger have each surpassed 45 meters this season, placing them among only nine Vandals to reach that threshold this century. Freshmen Adisyn Andrews — who improved her personal best by nearly 12 feet this year — and MaKenzie Carpenter round out the squad under the guidance of Vandal legend Julie Taylor.
In the hammer throw, Idaho carries three men — Caden Hottman, Mason Andulajevic, and Bradley Hottman — each ranked within the Big Sky’s top seven. As a team, the Vandals sit 21st nationally in the event heading into the championship.
Track Events Set for Friday and Saturday
On the track, sophomore Keenan Kuntz arrives as one of the meet’s most closely watched competitors. The reigning Big Sky indoor 60-meter record holder enters the 100-meter prelims with the second-fastest time in the conference this season — a 10.18 that also ranks second in school history. Kuntz will also contest the 200 meters, where he shares the stage with Ashley Hollenbeck Willems and Alyssa Marsh, all three carrying podium ambitions.
Jana Willems and Hollenbeck Willems each rank among the six fastest women in the Big Sky this season in the 100. In the steeplechase, Constanze Paoli is a gold medal contender after breaking the 10-minute barrier for the first time in her career in April, running a 9:58.03 at the Bryan Clay Invite. Rhyan Madden and Makenna Ritter will represent Idaho in the 400.
Both the men’s and women’s 4×100 relay teams enter the championship ranked third in the conference. The women’s relay squad has set the school record twice during the outdoor season.
What Comes Next
Following the Big Sky Championship, the Vandals will monitor results from around the country to determine whether their season-long performances have earned qualifying berths to the NCAA West First Round. Idaho fans can follow the full week of competition on ESPN+ with live results at AthleticLive. For additional coverage of University of Idaho athletics and academics, including this spring’s commencement ceremonies and the latest additions to the 2026 Vandal football roster, visit Latah County News. Statewide sports and education coverage is available at idahonews.co.