YOTE NOTES - EDITION 3

COMING UP: Idle until Boise State Team Challenge, Feb. 10-11, Nampa, Idaho

LAST WEEK: at Jackson’s Invitational, Nampa, Idaho

HOLT BREAKS RECORD IN INDOOR DEBUT: The first full weekend of the indoor track season saw The C of I record five NAIA “A” qualifying marks  - including a record-setting performance by Hillary Holt (Boise, Idaho / Mountain View HS) in the 800-meters at the Jackson’s Invitational in Nampa.  The sophomore All-American broke former school record of Ashley Miller by nearly three seconds, running a time of 2:15.55 against a field of quality NCAA Division I runners – easily hitting the automatic NAIA mark.  Holt will look to earn a qualifying time next weekend at the BSU Team Challenge in the mile – the event she competed in at the 2011 NAIA Indoor Championships.

MORE ON THE LADY YOTES: The old 800-meter record was also broken on Saturday by senior Kayloni Perry (Nine Mile Falls, Wash. / Lakeside HS) – who ran a personal-best indoor time of 2:17.63, also an NAIA “A” mark.  Sora Klopfenstein (Meridian, Idaho / Meridian HS) hit the NAIA “A” standard in the 3,000-meters (10:29.63) – the fastest time ever by a Lady Yote in the event at the Jackson’s Track.

BASTERRECHEA CRUSHES HEPTATHLON RECORD: Coming at the heels of a great performance at the Bronco Invitational, Austin Basterrechea (Gooding, Idaho / Gooding HS) broke a pair of school records in placing fourth in the heptathlon at the Jackson’s Invite.  The sophomore recorded a personal-best in the pole vault (12-3 1/2), breaking his school mark by nearly a full foot, while his seven-event total of 4,611 crushed his own C of I record by over 250 points – good enough for the NAIA “A” standard.  He is in good shape to be in the Top-16 needed to compete at Nationals, holding a 250 point cushion on the cut line.

MORE ON THE COYOTES: Greg Montgomery (Boise, Idaho / Boise HS) picked up where he left off in cross country season, running a quality time of 4:18.71 in the mile to hit the NAIA automatic standard in the event.  Sean Saxton (Meridian, Idaho / Rocky Mountain HS) narrowly missed out on an NAIA “B” mark in the 800-meters (1:56.88), as his time missed the 200-meter banked-track standard by one-tenth of a second.

WEEK OFF: The Yotes will use this week as a training week – preparing for the final regular-season meet of the indoor season, the Boise State Team Challenge in Nampa.

NATIONAL TOP TIMES: All five C of I national qualifiers are currently ranked among the NAIA Top-20 in their respective events.  Leading the group is Hillary Holt, who is No. 3 nationally in the 800, with Kayloni Perry No. 6 in the 800.  Austin Basterrechea is No. 7 in the heptathlon; Sora Klopfenstein is No. 13 in the 3,000, with Greg Montgomery No. 15 in the mile run.

NATIONAL QUALIFIERS: NAIA “A” – Greg Montgomery (Mile), Austin Basterrechea (Heptathlon), Hillary Holt (800), Kayloni Perry (800), Sora Klopfenstein (3,000).  NAIA “B” – None.

ABOUT THE COACH: Pat McCurry enters his eighth year at the helm of the track & field and cross country programs at The C of I. In eight years (after the Coyote running programs were dormant for nearly 30 years), McCurry has built the Coyote men and women into perennial NAIA Top-25 programs - with the men’s cross country team earning six berths to the NAIA Championships, with the Lady Yotes advancing to four-straight NAIA meets, winning the 2008, 2009, and 2011 CCC titles, with his 2011 squad placing seventh at Nationals.  For his efforts, McCurry was named 2008, 2009, and 2011 CCC women's cross country Coach of the Year. Student-athletes have claimed 18 individual CCC titles on the track, 11 NAIA All-American awards in cross country and track & field, seven All-NAIA Region I awards in cross country, 38 All-CCC awards in cross country - along with 67 NAIA All-America Scholar-Athlete awards.   Prior to his arrival at The C of I, McCurry was an assistant coach at his alma mater, Eastern Oregon University, helping EOU to a national runner-up finish at the 2002 NAIA Men’s Cross Country Championships and the 2003 CCC title in men’s track & field. As an athlete at EOU from 1997-1999, McCurry claimed two consecutive CCC titles at 5000-meters and finished eighth at the NAIA Championships at 10,000-meters. His best athletic years came after college while running for Nike Portland, and later the Eastside Track Club - where at the 2003 University of Oregon Preview Meet, the Coyote skipper took home the title in the 3000-meters and has a personal best of 8:13 at that distance. He also holds the Willamette Invitational meet record and Charles Bowles track record at 10,000-meters from his 2004 performance there. McCurry has also claimed the title at many Treasure Valley area races, including the infamous Race to Robie Creek in 2005, 2009. and 2010, along with the City of Trees marathon.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more on The C of I track and field program, head to the official homepage of the Coyotes, http://www.collegeofidaho.edu/trackandfield.