GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The College of Idaho track & field team capped a historic weekend at the NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships, earning multiple All-American honors and setting new program benchmarks in both distance and sprint events.
Daniel Butler led the Yotes with a standout performance, securing two All-American finishes on Saturday. Butler placed second in the men's mile with a gutsy 4:06.89. He set a new school record in the event before returning to anchor the distance medley relay (DMR) squad to an eighth-place finish. The men's DMR lineup saw a late adjustment, with Zach Curtsinger stepping in for Trevor Treat on the 400-meter leg, joining Oclan Ryan, Madden Ryan, and Butler to claim All-American status.
Kahea Figueira narrowly missed an All-American finish in the women's mile, but rebounded in the afternoon to anchor the women's DMR to a seventh-place finish, securing All-American honors alongside teammates Julia Gilbert, Charlotte Bowman, and Kylee Quinton. Their time of 11:58.61 in Thursday's prelims set the stage for a strong 11:58.30 championship performance.
The Yotes had several near misses throughout the meet. On Friday, Star Herron advanced to the women's weight throw final and finished ninth with a mark of 17.36m, while Tanner Sackman placed 16th in the men's event. Braden Heath ran a thrilling 3,000-meter prelim but was the first athlete out of the final in a tightly contested race.
Thursday saw Hayden Bostrom compete in the 5,000 meters but miss the final, while the men's 4x400-meter relay team of Chris Shakespeare, Zach Curtsinger, Dylan Wolfe, and Jonah Sowell clocked 3:19.35 but did not advance. On Friday, Charlotte Bowman competed in the 60-meter prelims, finishing just shy of her school-record mark and missing the final.
Despite some near misses, the Yotes made program history, with their sprint and 4x400m relay squads competing at the NAIA Championships for the first time. The meet showcased the depth and progression of the program, with multiple athletes setting the foundation for future success on the national stage.
