The Weber State track and field team kicked off its indoor season at the Snake River Open in Pocatello, Idaho on Friday. During the two-day meet, the Wildcats saw four athletes qualify for the Big Sky Conference Championships.

Going into the match, the men’s track and field team was picked to finish fifth in the Big Sky preseason poll released earlier in the week. The men’s team was picked to finish behind Northern Arizona, Sacramento State, Montana and Montana State. The women’s team was picked to finish better than the men’s team in the poll, as they were predicted to tie for second with Sacramento State and just behind Northern Arizona.

Sophomore Paige Cooper qualified for the championships by winning the high jump event with a mark of 5-07, while senior Jazmin Porter qualified in the weight throw with a distance of 59-05 1/2.

The meet saw freshman Emily Morgan win her first collegiate race with a time of 7.75 seconds in the women’s 60-meter dash. Morgan’s time was the eighth fastest time in school history. Caitlin Jacobson and Alyssa Heimuli both put up good performances in the 800-meter—finishing second and third respectively. 

In the men’s competition, senior Dustin Durfee and sophomore Anthony Gregory were the other two Wildcats to qualify at the meet with Durfee qualifying in the 400-meter and Gregory qualifying in the high jump. Durfee won the 400-meter with a time of 48.83 and was followed closely by fellow Wildcat senior Issac Akers who took second place with a time of 50.16. Gregory finished first in the high jump event with a mark of 6-11.

The Wildcats’ next meet will be this weekend when they host the WSU Developmental Indoor Meet.