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The Eastern Washington University track and field team kicks off the Big Sky Conference Outdoor Championships this Wednesday (May 8) in Missoula, Mont.

Hosted by the University of Montana, the championships last four days and ends on Saturday (May 11). Wednesday and Thursday competition starts at 9 a.m. Pacific Time with the decathlon followed by the heptathlon at 9:30 a.m.

On Friday, field events start at 8 a.m. with prelims in the running events at 11:30 a.m. Saturday wraps up competition with field events at 8 a.m. and final running events at 12:30 p.m.

Eastern will have nine athletes --five women and four men -- competing this week who have previously won All-Big Sky honors (top 3 finishes).

At last year's outdoor conference championship, Eastern placed sixth on the women's side and the men placed fourth.

"The Big Sky Championships is the meet we have been preparing for all spring, so this is an exciting week for track and field," said head women's coach Marcia Mecklenburg.

"Championships are the best," said men's head coach Stan Kerr. "Championship week has all of us stoked for what lies ahead. With every Big Sky men's and women's teams competing for podium spots, every event is filled with the top athletes the conference has to offer. It's truly a meet where you can expect the unexpected." 

Junior Keshun McGee returns to defend his long jump title after taking first last year with a jump of 24-10 1/2. His personal best so far this season is a school-record 25-2 at the Beach Invitational on April 19, currently tying him for second in the Big Sky. He also won both the long jump and triple jump at this year's indoor championships.

On the men's side . . .                                                         
Junior Keshun McGee also placed second in the triple jump last year with a jump of 51-6 1/4. He ranks first in the triple jump with a season-best mark of 50-10. McGee has already won four Big Sky men's titles (indoors and outdoors), and one more would give him a school-record five in his career. He is currently tied with Johnnie Williams, Brad Wall, David Paul and Kurt Kraemer. The only EWU athletes with more than four are females Joyce Rainwater (8) and Seville Broussard (5).

Junior Larry Still is looking to reclaim the pole vault title after a year off due to injury. In 2016 he won indoor and outdoor championships. In 2018 he won the indoor championship in the pole vault as well. He is going into the championships ranked first with a vault of 17-6 1/2 on April 11 at the Pelluer Open. Still could be EWU's sixth male athlete in history to win at least four Big Sky championships. The Eagles joined the Big Sky in the 1987-88 season.

Sophomore Joe Gauthier is currently ranked third in the conference with a time of 10.61 in the 100 meters. At last year's championships he placed fifth with a time of 10.61, and he also place third at this year's indoor championships in the 60 meters.

Senior Killion McGinnis is going into this year championship ranked tied for fourth in the high jump with a 6-7 jump.

Sophomore Colton Kautz is ranked sixth going into the championships in the discus with a throw of 168-0. Last year he placed 11th with a throw of 158-11.

Sophomore Gavin Lee is ranked fourth in the conference in the javelin with a throw of 198-11 at the WAR 12 meet in Spokane. Last year he place sixth with a throw of 188-1.

On the women's side . . .
Senior Elizabeth Prouty finished tied for third in the pole vault at last year's conference meet with a vault of 12-8 1/4. This year she is ranked first going into the championships with a vault of 13-3 1/2 at the OSU High Performance Meet on April 26.
 
Junior Samantha Raines is right behind Prouty in the pole vault rankings in third with a vault of 13-1 3/4. Last year she finished sixth at the championships, and earlier this season was the league runner up at the indoor championships.

Senior Paris Flenoy placed third in the shot put at last year's championships with a throw of 47-7 3/4. This year she is ranked third going into the championships with a throw of 48-10 3/4, at the Beach Invitational on April 19.
 
Junior Madison Doepker is ranked second in the hammer in the conference with a throw of 194-6. In the javelin she is ranked sixth with a throw of 150-0. Last year she placed 13th in the hammer with a throw of 162-4. She was third in the javelin with a throw of 147-11.

More comments from men's head coach Stan Kerr . . .
"Our veterans Larry Still, Keshun McGee, Joe Gauthier, Isaac Barville, Tremaine McAdams, Gavin Lee and newcomers Garrett Peoples and Liam Braeken look strong in their respective events.  In particular, Larry and Keshun are going for repeat titles and performances that will re-write the record book."  

"We're very proud of the entire crew headed to Missoula for the championships. It's time to expect the unexpected." 
 
 
More comments from women's head coach Marcia Mecklenburg… 
 
"The meet starts today with the multi-event athletes competing. Two of our heptathletes, Maggie Nelson and Dominique Butler, are two veterans who are tough competitors and both should be in the hunt for top eight finishes. They will both double back to compete in their strong events, the javelin and triple jump, respectively, with the goal of placing in the top eight in those events, also."  

"We have some outstanding individuals competing across all event areas. As is the tradition for EWU, the pole vault will be a good event to watch. We have a Big Sky Conference champion, a Big Sky runner-up, and three other vaulters that could fit into the scoring mix, all competing."

"The hammer is another event where we have some depth so it should be an exciting event to watch." 

"We always try and go into the championships with the goal of finishing higher than what we went in ranked, and that is the plan again for this meet. It is going to be a great four days." 

Men's Top Season Performances
List of the marks and rankings of Eagle athletes with a top-10 Big Sky performance this season:
100m | Joe Gauthier, SO. – 3rd, 10.61
1500m | Isaac Barville, SO. – 9th, 3:49.95
4x100 | T7th, 41.75
4x400 | 10th, 3:23.14
HJ | Killion McGinnis, SR. – T4th, 6-7
PV | Larry Still, SR. – 1st, 17-6 1/2; Bailey Aiello, JR. – 5th, 15-5 3/4
LJ | Keshun McGee, JR. – T2nd, 25-2; Quintin Porterfield, SO. – 8th, 23-1 1/4 
TJ | Keshun McGee, JR. – 1st, 50-10; Bobby Say, FR. – 10th, 46-6 1/4
Discus | Colton Kautz, SO. – 6th, 168-0
Javelin | Gavin Lee, SO. – 4th, 198-11
Decathlon | Aaron Pullin, JR. – 5th, 5,754; Race Treat, SO. – 6th, 5,469; Parker Linhart-Wubbena, FR. – 7th, 5,443; Quintin Porterfield, SO. – 8th, 5,362; Elijah Hammer, FR. – 9th, 4,963

Women's Top Season Performances
400h | Ami Njadoe, FR. – 7th, 1:02.07
4x100 | 8th, 47.91
4x400 | 10th, 4:07.49
PV | Elizabeth Prouty, SR. – T1st, 13-3 1/2; Samantha Raines, JR. – 3rd, 12-10; Hally Ruff, FR. – T5th, 12-1 1/2; Katrina Terry, SO. – T8th, 11-10
LJ | Meagan McCurdy, JR. – 8th, 18-11 3/4
TJ | Dominique Butler, SR. – 6th, 39-3 3/4
SP |Paris Flenoy, SR. – 3rd, 48-10 3/4; Hadassah Ward, FR. – 5th, 46-3 1/2
Discus | Madison Doepker, JR. – 10th, 148-6
Hammer | Madison Doepker, JR. – 2nd, 194-6;Justean Landis, JR. – 4th, 177-8; Paris Flenoy, SR. – 8th, 168-8; Hadassah Ward, FR. – 9th, 166-11
Javelin | Maggie Nelson, JR. – 5th, 150-7; Madison Doepker, JR. – 6th, 150-0
Heptathlon |Maggie Nelson, JR. – 8th, 4,498; Dominique Butler, SR, - 9th, 4,462
 
Returning All-Big Sky Athletes (Top 3 finishers at the Big Sky Championships) *(Redshirted 2019 outdoor season)
Elizabeth Prouty – (2019 Indoors: 3rd in the pole vault, 2018 Indoors: 1st in the pole vault; 2018 Outdoors: 3rd in the pole vault)
Larry Still – (2018 Indoor: 1st in the pole vault, 2016 indoors: first in the pole vault; 2016 Outdoor: first in the pole vault)
Keshun McGee – (2018 Outdoors: 1st in the long jump, 2nd in the triple jump; 2019 Indoor: 1st in the long jump and triple jump, 2017 Indoors: 1st in long jump, 2nd in triple jump,)
Dominique Butler - (2019 Indoor: 3rd in the triple jump, 2016 Indoors: 2nd in triple jump)
Paris Flenoy – (2018 Outdoors: 3rd in the shot put; 2019 Indoor: 3rd in the shot put)
Madison Doepker – (2018 Outdoors: 3rd in the javelin)
Joe Gauthier – (2019 Indoor: 3rd in the 60-meters) 
Bailey Aiello – (2019 Indoor: 3rd in the pole vault)
Samantha Raines – (2019 Indoor: 2nd in the pole vault)
*Parker Bowden – (2018 Indoors: 2nd in the 60 meter hurdles)
*Tim Beard – (2018 Outdoors: 2nd in the pole vault)