CEDAR CITY, Utah - After two straight weekends full of successful events and top times, the Thunderbird track and field teams will split between a pair of meets as they near the midway point of the indoor campaign.

Some members of the team will be heading to the UW Invitational in Seattle, Washington, while the remainder of the team will be competing at the Snake River Open/Multi in Pocatello, Idaho.

Last Weekend Recap

For the second straight weekend several Thunderbirds broke into the school record book in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Josh Collins and Kasey Knevelbaard both had big weekends once again for SUU, as Collins won the 3,000-meter and placed the third best time in SUU history and Knevelbaard won the 800-meter with the fifth best time in SUU history.  

SUU head coach Eric Houle said he credits a lot of what they are doing to the experiences they've had in their first couple years in the program.  

“Getting their feet under them takes about a year, but after that they're going to adapt and adjust and that's exactly what we've seen,” Houle said about the duo.

For the second straight weekend a freshman sprinter for SUU made a name for themselves, as Peyton Green won the 400-meter dash with a converted time of 57.00. That mark put her in a tie for eighth all time in the SUU record book. Houle said he's excited about the talent the young sprinters have, but also the mindset they bring to the table.

“That speaks to someone's ability to work hard, dream big and deal with the fear of racing,” he said.

Game Plan

Houle said those athletes traveling to Washington are seasoned competitors ready to make their mark on the national level, while those competing in Idaho are those getting ready to compete on that stage.  

“We have groups of athletes that were developing to get them ready to compete at the conference, regional and national levels, and we have athletes that are already there,” he said. “In this sport we chase performances so I have to find the best meet for where the athlete is in terms of their development. What Idaho State represents is an opportunity for people to race and continue that development process, and UW puts our athletes and university on a bigger stage competing against Pac-12 schools and opens the door for great performances.”

2017 Big Sky Leaders

Event - Current Place in Big Sky: Name (Time) *only top five included

Men's 60m - No. 2: Tre James (6.74)

Men's 200m - No. 3: Tre James (21.77)

Men's 400m - No. 1: Brandan Harley (47.97), No. 3: Inoa Wahinehookae (48.38)

Men's 800m - No. 1: Kasey Knevelbaard (1:51.76)

Men's 1 Mile - No. 1: Kasey Knevelbaard (4:04.40), No. 2: Josh Collins (4:04.82), No. 4: George Espino (4:09.72) No. 5: Liam Kennell (4:09.95)

Men's 3,000-Meters - No. 1: Josh Collins (8:10.33), No. 3: Kasey Knevelbaard (8:14.92), No. 4 Matt Wright (8:16.51)

Women's 800m - No. 5: Paige Cardiff (2:14.71)

Women's 1 Mile - No. 3: Josie Riggs (4:56.73), No. 4: Sharlie Dimick (4:57.53)

Big Sky Athletes of the Week

January 17, 2017 - Tre James (Men's Track)

Region Rankings

NCAA Mountain Region

Men's Ranking: No. 8

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Check suutbirds.com for links to live stats and live streams of the meets this weekend.