CALDWELL, Idaho – The College of Idaho track and field team used their final day of practice for the 2020 outdoor season to conduct an impromptu intrasquad meet at Vallivue High School.
The 45 men and 46 women competed in non-traditional events – including a one-hour men's decathlon and women's heptathlon – which featured sprinters, throwers and distance runners.
The day was a celebration for the 13 senior student-athletes on the squad – allowing the men and women one final chance to compete wearing the purple and gold uniform.
The squad was to have opened the season today at the Eastern Oregon Team Challenge in La Grande, but the meet was postponed on Tuesday due to a winter storm that hit the Grand Ronde Valley this morning. By Thursday, the Cascade Conference put a moratorium on competition until the end of the month as a precautionary measure against the potential of a COVID-19 outbreak and Friday, the C of I canceled all practices and competition for the remainder of the spring – starting tomorrow.
Among the seniors competing were 10-time All-America distance runner
Molly Vitale-Sullivan, who raced a final time in the 800-meters, the 4x400-meter relay and a final 1,500-meters; recent indoor 800-meter All-American
Josh Frey used a big push to help his squad win the 4x400-meter relay, while All-America distance runner
Marcos Cervantes capping the meet with a solo effort in a 5,000-meter run.
Athletes competed in the discus and shot put, high jump and long jump, the low hurdles, 200, 400 and 800-meters, along with a mixed 4x400-meter relay.
The completion of Cervantes 5,000-meter run capped the 2019-20 C of I athletic season, with the 6-time CCC All-Academic Team and 2-time NAIA Scholar-Athlete making a prophetic comment, "Coach, I'm done."
