Idaho track and field concluded the 2026 Big Sky Outdoor Championship on May 16, with the women’s team securing fourth place, matching their highest finish since 2014. The achievement was highlighted by Sydnie Zywina, who became the first Vandal to win both the long jump and triple jump in the same year, as well as strong performances from Ashley Hollenbeck Willems in multiple sprint events.
The result is significant for Idaho’s program, reflecting progress compared to previous years. “What a weekend for Idaho track and field!” said Tracy Hellman, UI’s Director of Track and Field. “I was super proud of all our athletes and our teams’ performances! I was really excited to see improvement in our programs from last year to this year. We are still a new program [with our] coaches and athletes, and we will continue to improve. One thing that I felt was instrumental to our success was our depth across a variety of events – that is what track is all about! Highlighting today was certainly Sydnie – anytime you can win both triple and long jump, that is something that not many athletes can do! It was great to see our 4×4’s finish out the meet with great performances! 2026 was a great stepping stone for our program, and I’m excited to see what the future of Vandal track and field holds! As we always say in our program, it’s a GREAT day to be a Vandal!!”
Zywina followed her long jump title by winning the triple jump with a leap of 12.47 meters (40’11”). In her final college meet, she became only the second woman in Big Sky history to achieve victories in both events at an outdoor championship.
Hollenbeck Willems closed her collegiate career earning three all-conference honors: individual bronze medals in both the 100- and 200-meter races on Saturday afternoon after taking silver as part of Idaho’s 4×100 relay team earlier that day. She also finished fourth in the individual 100-meter final while teammate Madden scored points for Idaho by running a time of 55.99 seconds in the women’s 400 meters.
On the men’s side, Idaho’s sprints squad saw its indoor record holder medal twice—earning silver in a close-fought men’s 100-meter dash before taking bronze over two hundred meters. In field events, UI throwers contributed significantly: one athlete placed second with a personal-best performance in men’s discus while others scored points across shot put events; sophomore competitors added further points through top-eight finishes.
With four individual titles at this year’s conference outdoor meet—their most since their previous high-water mark twelve years ago—Idaho’s women capped off competition after narrowly edging Montana following strong relay results late Saturday.
Looking ahead, members of Idaho’s team will await national qualifying results for potential participation at this month’s NCAA West First Round.
