Inside the Vandals

Inside the Vandals Tons of coverage of all things Vandal Athletics. A service of the University of Idaho School of Journalism and Mass Media. Since 2010.

Cool coverage of all Vandal Athletics, a service of the University of Idaho School of Journalism and Mass Media. We provide tons of coverage of men's and women's athletics, showcasing student journalism work along the way.

Vandal football head coach Thomas Ford, R-Jr. quarterback Joshua Wood, and R-Sr. linebacker Cruz Hepburn will be on hand...
06/03/2026

Vandal football head coach Thomas Ford, R-Jr. quarterback Joshua Wood, and R-Sr. linebacker Cruz Hepburn will be on hand for the Vandals at the 2026 Big Sky Conference Football Kickoff Weekend.

Presented by Northern Quest Resort & Casino, the weekend will begin on Saturday, July 25, and run through Monday, July 27 in Airway Heights.

Idaho’s Dennis Erickson (Football) and Jackie Ross Mattox (Track & Field) will be among the inductees to the Big Sky Hall of Fame on Saturday.

Monday will feature over four hours of live coverage from the casino beginning at 9:00 a.m. PT on ESPN+ and Scripps Sports.

Constanze Paoli of Idaho Track & Field has qualified for the NCAA nationals in Eugene in the steeplechase.Paoli won her ...
05/31/2026

Constanze Paoli of Idaho Track & Field has qualified for the NCAA nationals in Eugene in the steeplechase.

Paoli won her heat Saturday at the NCAA West Regionals in Fayetteville.

Her 10:02.74 placed her third among all athletes at the West Regional.

She will enter the national championship meet holding the 10th fastest time in the nation this season.

Paoli is set to compete in Eugene on Saturday, June 13, at 5:24 p.m. PT.

Overall, fourteen individual student-athletes and one relay team from the Big Sky Conference have qualified for the 2026 Outdoor Track & Field National Championships in Eugene.

(Idaho Athletics photo)

Idaho’s Blake Sturgis has qualified for nationals in the javelin.He was eighth at the NCAA West First Round, held Wednes...
05/28/2026

Idaho’s Blake Sturgis has qualified for nationals in the javelin.

He was eighth at the NCAA West First Round, held Wednesday at John McDonnell Field in Fayetteville, Arkansas, after launching a 72.12m (236'7") throw on his final attempt.

Sturgis will compete at the national javelin final in Eugene on June 10.

West Regional notes:

• It was a rainy day in Fayetteville.

• Idaho’s Keenan K***z competed in the 100 and 200, finishing 28th and 30th, respectively. He ran a 20.94 in the 200, breaking 21 seconds for the third time this season.

• Idaho’s Constanze Paoli will compete in the 3000m steeplechase on Saturday, May 30, at 3:40 p.m. PT.

• The Big Sky Conference is being represented at regionals this week by 84 individual athletes competing and one relay team.

(Idaho Athletics photo)

ESPN will carry three Vandal football games in 2026. In all, five regular-season Big Sky football conference games have ...
05/28/2026

ESPN will carry three Vandal football games in 2026.

In all, five regular-season Big Sky football conference games have been selected for national linear distribution by ESPN’s family of networks.

Mark your calendars:

• Friday, Aug. 28: Idaho at Cal Poly (7:00 p.m. PT // ESPN)

• Saturday, Sept. 26: Northern Arizona at Montana State (7:30 p.m. PT // ESPN2)

• Friday, Oct. 2: Montana State at Idaho (7:30 p.m. PT // ESPN)

• Saturday, Oct. 3: Eastern Washington at UC Davis (7:30 p.m. PT // ESPN2)

• Saturday, Nov. 14: Idaho State at Montana (7:30 p.m. PT // ESPN Network TBD)

It’s the first time in conference history that five regular-season football games will be telecast on ESPN.

Idaho's three regular-season games on a linear ESPN network in 2026 will be the most since 2009.

The October 2 game against Montana State will be first Friday night game at the P1FCU Kibbie Dome since November 12, 2010.

Idaho Athletics says the overall GPA was 3.49 across all sports for the spring 2026 semester. Every program turned in a ...
05/27/2026

Idaho Athletics says the overall GPA was 3.49 across all sports for the spring 2026 semester.

Every program turned in a team GPA of 3.20 or higher.

Volleyball led with a team GPA of 3.78.

This is the 24th semester in a row that the Vandals earned a mark of 3.0 or higher as a whole, Athletics said.

Vandal Athletics Hall of Famers Dennis Erickson and Jackie Ross Mattox will be inducted into the Big Sky Conference Hall...
05/21/2026

Vandal Athletics Hall of Famers Dennis Erickson and Jackie Ross Mattox will be inducted into the Big Sky Conference Hall of Fame on July 25.

“The Big Sky Hall of Fame Gala has become one of the conference's more meaningful traditions as we celebrate the event's fifth year in 2026," Commissioner Tom Wistrcill said.

The eight-member 2026 class will be officially inducted on Saturday, July 25 starting at 6:30 p.m. PT, as part of the Big Sky Football Kickoff Weekend at the Northern Quest Resort & Casino in Airway Heights.

The Vandals:

• Dennis Erickson became the head coach of the Idaho Vandals in 1982, and left as the school’s all-time wins leader. While he was at Idaho, his teams made two playoff appearances and claimed two Big Sky titles.

• Jackie Ross Mattox was a jumper for the track & field teams at Idaho from 1989-93 and was a 10-time Big Sky Conference champion. She was named Big Sky Outstanding Indoor Field Athlete in 1990, 1991 and 1992 and remains the Idaho triple jump record holder.

Blake Sturgis, Constanze Paoli, and Keenan K***z of Idaho Track & Field will compete at the 2026 NCAA Track and Field We...
05/21/2026

Blake Sturgis, Constanze Paoli, and Keenan K***z of Idaho Track & Field will compete at the 2026 NCAA Track and Field West First Round in Fayetteville, Ark.

Sturgis punched his ticket to Arkansas with a 73.21m (240' 2") javelin throw at the Whitworth Peace Meet in April.

Paoli earned her spot in the 3000m steeplechase after her Big Sky championship-winning performance, a school record 9:50.89.

K***z will compete in both of the premier sprint events: the 100m after a qualifying time of 10.18, and the 200 with a season-best of 20.58.

The NCAA regionals begin on Wednesday, May 27.

In all, 84 individual athletes and one relay team from the Big Sky Conference will be competing.

(Big Sky Conference photo)

With the touch of a finger, Vandal fans can now search for information on athletes, teams, conference champions, and mor...
05/19/2026

With the touch of a finger, Vandal fans can now search for information on athletes, teams, conference champions, and more, on a new digital touch screen display at the Vandal Athletics Hall of Fame.

Vandal Athletics has added the display to the Hall of Fame on the second floor of the P1FCU Kibbie Dome in Moscow.

The Hall of Fame Committee is currently reviewing nominees for induction into the Class of 2026, which will be honored the weekend of September 12.

(PHOTO: Kavita Battan (Cowan), Class of 2024)

The Idaho women were fourth (110) and the men were eighth (51) at the Big Sky Conference outdoor track & field champions...
05/17/2026

The Idaho women were fourth (110) and the men were eighth (51) at the Big Sky Conference outdoor track & field championships at Mt. Hood Community College.

The Vandal women tied for their highest team finish since 2014.

Sydnie Zywina became the first Vandal to win the long jump and the triple jump in the same year.

Ashley Hollenbeck Willems earned a pair of bronze medals in the 100 and 200 on Saturday afternoon, after taking second as a member of the 4x100 relay team in the morning, alongside Alyssa Marsh, Jana Willems, and Rhyan Madden.

Keenan K***z won a silver in the 100m dash and a bronze in the 200.

Gioele Tengattini took second in the men's discus.

Montana State won the women’s title for the first time since 2003 and Northern Arizona won the men’s title for the second straight year.

All 20 Big Sky Conference programs will now turn their attention to NCAA West Prelims in Fayetteville, Arkansas. That meet will run from May 27 to May 30.

(Idaho Athletics photo)

The Idaho women are in second place and the men seventh with three days of competition down and one to go at the 2026 Bi...
05/16/2026

The Idaho women are in second place and the men seventh with three days of competition down and one to go at the 2026 Big Sky Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Mt. Hood Community College.

Constanze Paoli took home the 3k steeplechase title in a school record 9:50.89, the sixth fastest time in the nation this season.

Sydnie Zywina won the long jump with her first jump, 5.98m.

Mara Fuerniss and Jada Miller also finished in the top eight for Idaho in the long jump, giving the Vandals 14 points from the event.

Idaho took four of the eight scoring positions in the women's javelin.

On the men’s side, Blake Sturgis earned all-conference honors in the javelin, finishing second.

Cash Jones took sixth in the long jump, posting a 7.14m to grab three points for the Vandals.

The fourth and final day of competition will continue at 10 a.m. PT on Saturday, and will stream on ESPN+.

(Big Sky Conference photo)

Address

Radio-TV Center, University Of
Moscow, ID
83844

Website

http://www.uidaho.edu/class/jamm, http://www.youtube.com/insidethevandals

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Inside the Vandals posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category