PORTLAND, Ore. - The College of Idaho track and field teams opened spring break with an impressive performance at the L&C Electric Forest Open on March 21, totaling one NAIA "B" qualifying mark, 31 Cascade Collegiate Conference qualifiers, 12 new entries into the program's all-time top 10 list, and 61 personal records.
The highlight of the meet came from Helene Rae, who captured the shot put title with a throw of 14.01 meters, earning an NAIA "B" standard and moving to No. 2 all-time in program history. Rae's mark currently leads the Cascade Collegiate Conference. She also added a CCC qualifying mark in the discus, leading a strong day for the Yotes' throws group.
On the men's side, Cash Mckie sprinted to a win in the 200 meters (22.44) and added a CCC qualifying mark in the 100, while Kenyon Carter recorded three top-five finishes, including a runner-up performance in the 110-meter hurdles (15.08) that improved his own No. 3 all-time mark at C of I and now ranks first in the CCC. In the distance events, Collin De Julio led a deep 5,000-meter group with a second-place finish (14:36.09), moving to No. 5 all-time, as Cass Violett, Oclan Ryan, and Isaac Anttonen all posted CCC qualifying marks and top-10 program times.
The Yotes continued to shine in the field, where Keenan Blair swept the shot put and discus titles. His marks of 15.89 meters in the shot put and 47.59 meters in the discus both lead the CCC, with the discus throw ranking No. 6 all-time at C of I. Trevor Treat added a win in the long jump, while Aiden Everard and Tristin Veach went 1-2 in the pole vault. Logan Prince secured a victory in the high jump, and Xavier Harms improved his own top-10 mark with a runner-up finish in the triple jump.
On the women's side, the distance crew delivered a strong showing in the 5,000 meters, led by Julia Gilbert (2nd) and Kylee Quinton (3rd), with Ainsley Bowen also placing fifth as all three hit CCC qualifying standards. The Yotes dominated the 3,000-meter steeplechase, sweeping the top three spots behind Rozzlyn Cazier, whose winning time of 11:26.35 ranks No. 9 all-time and currently leads the CCC, followed by Paiten Braseth and Josie Patton.
Additional event winners included Laynie Davis in the discus and Jada Miller in the long jump, while Kaylee Wuest recorded a runner-up finish in the discus to improve her own place in the program's top 10. Kiely Munson added a CCC qualifying mark in the 800 meters, and Brooke Lowery posted a pair of top-three finishes in the hurdles, including a qualifying time in the 400 hurdles.
The multi-event athletes will compete at Pacific University on Monday and Tuesday before the majority of the Yotes return to action next weekend, looking to build on a weekend that saw strong marks across the board in Portland.
