Link to Results
 
Eastern Washington displayed impressive performances in its latest competition at the Whitworth Essential meet in Spokane, Wash., on Friday (March 19).
 
"The Whitworth Essential meet was a very productive outing for our team," mentioned men's head coach Stan Kerr. "We enjoyed numerous outstanding performances that included adding a handful of new marks to our all-time outdoor Top 10 list."
 
"While I enjoyed watching all the event areas contribute to putting points on the board, it seems speed ruled the day," added Kerr. "Putting together another banner performance was Parker Bowden who bettered his school record set last week."
 
Bowden ran 13.89 in the 110-meter hurdles, setting a school record and facility record for the second-straight week. 
 
"I felt Parker's teammates picked up on his energy and responded with great performances of their own," Kerr continued. "The 4 x100 with Joe, Daniel, Dawson, and Jonah, posted a #7 all-time performance, and Joe doubled back and blazed a 10.52 to win in the 100 meters."
 
After his performance, Joe Gauthier also set a personal record in the 100 meters with his time of 10.52, to advance his rank to No. 4 on Eastern's top-10 list – right alongside Jonah Mathews. Mathews continued the action for the sprints earning a victory in the 200 meters after running 21.29. 
 
"Whitworth put on a great meet and the weather held for us," said women's head coach Marcia Mecklenburg. "It was another good opportunity for our athletes and we capitalized with some great performances.
 
"Sprinters and short hurdlers led the way for Eastern," added Mecklenburg. "It started in the 100 with Katie Petsch winning it and Samiah Kuntz placing second. Then we had a one through four sweep in the 200 with Faith Kennedy winning it followed by Katie Petsch, Emily Madura, and Samiah Kuntz, respectively."
 
Petsch who won the 100 meters, also set a personal best with the time 12.33. Following right behind Petsch was Samiah Kuntz, who finished second in the 100 meters and ran a time of 12.34. Faith Kennedy also had a personal best after running a 25.62 to win the 200 meters.
 
"The next sweep was in the 100 hurdles with Madelyn Knight coming out victorious," added Mecklenburg. "Following Knight was Madison Wilson for second, and Alyssa Hoffman finished third."
 
The third sweep of the day came from the pole vault in the field events. Mecklenburg mentioned, "The vaulters were not to be denied their sweep. This week Savannah Schultz won it, Katrina Terry placed second, and Morgan Fossen followed placing third."
 
 
Men's Top Performances
 
Jonah Mathews' victory in the 200 meters, with the time of 21.29, was a PR for Mathews and advanced him to No. 6 on EWU's top-10 list.
 
Justin Roosma won the 1500 meters in his first meet of the 2021 season with a time of 3:52.19, and placed second in the 800 meters with a time of 1:54.24. "The team enjoyed the talents of Justin who ran a solid double in the 800/1500," said Kerr.
 
Daniel Gaik ran a personal best in the 400 meters, placing second for the Eagles. Following Gaik was Tremaine McAdams who took third, and Jayce Freeman who placed fourth. 
 
Zach Klobutcher competed in his second outdoor season as an Eagle and had a great jump of 16-1 1/4 to earn his first-place finish in the pole vault. Following Klobutcher was Braydon Freitag who placed second. "It was good to see our pole vaulters go 1-2 in their event with Zach going over 16' for the first time outdoors this season," said Kerr.
 
"We had another 1-2 finish in the shot put," added Kerr. Benjamin Howard got first in the men's shot put for the second meet in a row, after throwing 48-6 3/4. Finishing second behind Howard was Caleb Johnson.
 
"Gavin Lee contributed in the javelin while Colton Kautz worked a good double effort in the discus and hammer throw," added Kerr. Lee had a season best of 183-1 to finish fourth in the men's javelin, and Kautz finished third in the discus after throwing 153-3.
 
"Bobby Say continued to show his abilities in the triple jump with another solid outing as well," said Kerr. Say jumped 47-1 1/2 in the triple jump to finish second overall.   
 
The men's 4x100 meter relay consisting of Joe Gauthier, Daniel Gaik, Dawson Lack, and Jonah Mathews finished first with a time of 41.07.
 
 
Other Women's Top Performances
 
Katie Petsch wasn't only victorious in the 100 meters with her personal record time of 12.33, but she also finished second in the 200 meters and ran an outdoor PR of 25.69.
 
Faith Kennedy won the 200 meters with a PR of 25.62, and also placed the highest for Eastern in the 400 meters with a time of 58.84.
 
Madelyn Knight ran a PR in the 100-meter hurdles and won the event with a time of 15.13. As a part of the sweep, Madison Wilson finished second with a time of 15.16, and Alyssa Hoffman finished third with a time of 15.30.
 
Savannah Schultz and Katrina Terry both jumped 12-8 3/4 in the pole vault. Due to less attempts at the height they cleared, Schultz was victorious in the event and Terry followed in second. Morgan Fossen was third with a jump of 12-2 3/4.
 
"Kaitlyn Paller led the throws with personal records in both the shot put and hammer for second and third place performances," added Mecklenburg. Paller threw 43-7 in the shot put and 163-3 in the hammer throw. 
 
 
More Comments from Women's Head Coach Marcia Mecklenburg
 
"I was very pleased with how everyone came out focused and ready to compete after a week of finals."
 
 
More Comments from Head Coach Stan Kerr
 
"It certainly felt good to compete in back-to-back weekends.  We're looking forward to next weekend as well to continue improving in our performances throughout all of the events.    
 
"With the warmer weather coming our way, there is a good balance of optimism and excitement in showcasing the many talents of this team throughout the Spring."
 
"GoEags!"
 
 
On the Horizon 
 
     Next weekend (March 26-27) the majority of the track and field team will be in Missoula, Mont., for the Al Manuel Northwest Invitational. As for the multi-event athletes, the men will be competing in their first decathlon and the women in the heptathlon, at the Whitworth Multi-Events meet next Thursday and Friday (March 25-26). 
 
 
EWU Top-10 Lists 
 
Updates include: 

• Joe Gauthier, No. 4 – 100 meters | 10.52
• Jonah Mathews, No. 6 – 200 meters | 21.29
• Men's 4x100 meter relay, No. 7 | 41.07 (Joe Gauthier, Daniel Gaik, Dawson Lack, and Jonah Mathews)

 
2020-21 Remaining EWU Outdoor Track & Field Schedule
 
Th/Fri - March 25-26, 2021 - Whitworth Multi-Events - Spokane, Wash. - 12:00 pm
Fri/Sat - March 26-27, 2021 - Al Manuel Northwest Invitational - Missoula, Mont. - 10 am
Thursday - April 1, 2021 - H.I.R. Invitational - Spokane, Wash. (Whitworth) - 2 pm
Saturday - April 10, 2021 - WAR XIV Meet - Spokane, Wash. (SFCC) - 10 am
Th/Fri - April 15-16 - Bigfoot Multi Events - Spokane, Wash. (SFCC) - 11:00 am
Saturday - April 17, 2021 - Sam Adams Classic - Spokane, Wash. (Whitworth) - 2 pm
Fri/Sat - April 23-24, 2021 - Idaho Invite - Moscow, Idaho - TBA
Fri/Sat - Apr 30-May 1, 2021 - Oregon State High Performance Meet - Corvallis, Ore. - TBA
Thursday - May 6, 2021 - Whitworth Twilight - Spokane, Wash. (Whitworth) - 2 pm
Wed/Th - May 12-13, 2021 - Big Sky Combined Events - Ogden, Utah - TBA
Fri/Sat - May 14-15, 2021 - Big Sky Outdoor Championships - Ogden, Utah - TBA
Th/Fr/Sat - May 27-29, 2021 - NCAA West Regional Championships - College Station, Texas (A&M) - TBA
We/Th/Fr/Sat - June 9-12, 2021 - NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships - Eugene, Ore. - TBA
Fr-Sun - June 18-27, 2021 - U.S. Olympic Trials - Eugene, Ore. - TBA


Returning Men's All-Big Sky Athletes
 
(Top 3 finish at the Big Sky Championships)
 
Parker Bowden – (2020 Indoors: 3rd in 60-meter hurdles/7.94; 2018 Indoors: 2nd in 60-meter hurdles/8.00)

Joe Gauthier – (2019 Outdoors: 3rd in 100/10.54; 2019 Indoors: 3rd in the 60-meters/6.83) 

Killion McGinnis – (2019 Outdoors: 3rd in high jump/6-8 1/4)
 
Bobby Say– (2019 Indoors: 3rd in triple jump/48-3 1/2)
 
* 4x100-meter relay – (2018 Outdoors: 1st place finish/40.57; Jonah Mathews, Dawson Lack, and Joe Gauthier are returning members from that team.)
 
 
Returning Women's All-Big Sky Athletes
 
(Top 3 finish at the Big Sky Championships)
 
Vernice Keyes– (2020 Indoors: 3rd in weight throw/61-8 1/2)
 
Savannah Schultz– (2020 Indoors: 2nd in pole vault/12-10 3/4)
 
Katrina Terry– (2019 Outdoors: 3rd in pole vault/12-6 3/4)