Denim Millward
Sports Editor
For senior heptathlete Logan Henderson, there’s no place like home.
In front of a supportive home crowd at Holt Arena, Henderson qualified for the Big Sky Indoor Championships Saturday, Jan. 31 by winning the heptathlon with a score of 5,331 points.
The score has Henderson currently ranked 11 in the nation.
“I’m consistently working to improve and get better,” Henderson told ISU Sports Information following the event. “Today my strongest event was the 1,000-meter which is where I tend to gain a lot of my points.”
Henderson rode first place finishes in the 60m hurdles, winning the event with a time of 8.49 seconds, as well as the 1,000-meter race, with a time of 2 minutes and 34.61 seconds to seal the heptathlon victory.
Henderson’s teammate, senior Billy Phillips, took third in the heptathlon with a total score of 4,938 points.
Junior pole vault specialist Kyle Searle came in behind Phillips with a score of 4,591 points.
Junior jumps ace Deante Gaines won both the high jump and triple jump events with marks of 1.98 meters and 14.06 meters, respectively.
On the women’s side of the event, junior distance runner Korbin Traughber picked up another first-place victory for Idaho State, placing first in the 800-meter open with a time of 2 minutes and 20.37 seconds.
Freshman distance runner Presli Hutchinson and senior distance runner Katie Nicholls also stood atop their proverbial podiums. Hutchinson, at 5 minutes and 17.79 seconds, took first in the mile, while Nicholls outdistanced the rest of the field in the 800-meter invitational, posting a first-place time of 2 minutes and 14.36 seconds.
Though the event wrapped up on Saturday, there was plenty of action that took place on Friday, the opening day of the games, as well.
Senior Shayla Neibaur finished first in the pentathlon posting a score of 3,392 points, a Big Sky qualifying standard.
Makenzie Gunter came in a close second to Neibaur, registering a score of 3,350 points, a Big Sky qualifying score itself. One of the most impressive feats for Gunter was her performance in the shot put, where she set a personal best with a distance of 35 feet and 3.75 inches.
Hutchinson had a first-place performance on day one as well as day two. Friday, Hutchinson took first in the 5,000-meter race with a time of 17 minutes and 41.34 seconds, a Big Sky qualifying mark.
Senior jumps specialist Brittany Hottel set her own Big Sky qualifying mark in the high jump with a leap of 1.70 meters, which was good for second place.
Junior vaulter Preston Perkins took second in the pole vault with a Big Sky qualifying mark of 4.85 meters.
Just two more events remain prior to the Big Sky Indoor Championship: The BSU Open in Boise, Idaho Feb. 6 and 7, and the BSU Team Challenge Feb. 14, also in Boise.
The Big Sky Indoor Championship will be held Feb. 26 through 28 in Flagstaff, Arizona.
