Link to Information and Results
 
Highlighted by the third-fastest time in the 110-meter hurdles in Big Sky Conference history by senior Parker Bowden in the preliminaries, Eastern Washington University also recorded a trio of top three finishes on the first day of the Big Sky Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
 
Through seven of 21 events for the men, Eastern is in fourth place with 26 points. The women are eighth with 11 points after seven of 21 events. Host Weber State leads the men's competition with 77 points, and Northern Arizona leads the women's scoring with 47, but three other teams are within seven points of the lead.
 
Junior Gavin Lee made a nearly 19-foot improvement in the javelin and finished second to earn All-Big Sky honors with a top three finish. He was joined as a runner-up by sophomore Vernice Keyes in the hammer throw with a toss of 181-4. Sophomore Justin Roosma was Eastern's third all-conference performer with a third-place finish in the steeplechase with a time of 9:07.78.
 
But Bowden provided the "thunder" for EWU, and a fast start helped him better his own school record with a 13.74 time in the high hurdles. His time was the third-fastest in league history, ranking only behind marks of 13.71 and 13.42, and he came just .06 from the championship record of 13.68.
 
His time moved him up to 26th in NCAA Division I. He previously had a top time this season of 13.87 to rank 40th nationally and shatter the previous school record of 14.23.
 
"Parker Bowden ran like thunder today," said Eastern head coach Stan Kerr. "He took another significant step towards putting himself in a position to make it to the NCAA Championships in June."
 
The graduate of Spokane's Central Valley High School will be trying Saturday at 2:05 p.m. Pacific time for EWU's first Big Sky title in the men's 110-meter high hurdles. Twice previously he's earned All-Big Sky Conference honors with a top three finish at conference championship meets, but both of those came indoors. He was fifth in the hurdles the first and last time he competed at the Big Sky outdoor meet in 2018.
 
Including Bowden's school record, a total of four men and three women improved or earn spots on EWU's top 10 all-time lists. Thus far, six men's athletes and two females have scored points for the Eagles, including a trio in the men's decathlon on Thursday. Additionally, seven men and one female advanced through Friday's preliminaries to Saturday's finals.
 
"It was a good day," said women's head coach Marcia Mecklenburg. "We got some points we weren't expecting. Hopefully that momentum will carry over to tomorrow for some more great performances."
 
"I felt like our team effort was fantastic today," added Kerr. "Being able to finally have a conference championship was fantastic. The quality and depth of the athletes on our team and in our league never ceases to amaze me."
 
The final day of the competition begins at 8:30 a.m. Pacific time, followed by running events at 1 p.m. The meet is hosted by Weber State University, and did not take place a year ago because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
 
The Eagles are seeking to improve upon their finishes in 2019 when the meet was last held. Eastern's men finished sixth while the women were seventh, but in 2018 the men were fourth and the women sixth.
 
Eastern's men have finished a high of third on four occasions (2006, 2005, 2001, 2000), all under head coach Stan Kerr. The women have finished as high as third twice (2016, 2011) under head coach Marcia Mecklenburg. Both Kerr and Mecklenburg are in their 26th year at the helm of their respective teams.
 
 
Other Men's Top Performances
 
* After entering with just the ninth-best throw of 199-4 entering the competition, Gavin Lee uncorked a personal best of 218-3 to capture second place and score eight team points. The junior had his throw on his first attempt, and held the lead briefly until the second round with Cantor Coverdell had a throw of 221-4 which held up as the winning effort. Lee's throw is the eighth-best in school history.
 
* Sophomore Justin Roosma earned All-Big Sky honors in the steeplechase with a third-place finish, finishing with a time of 9:07.78 in the altitude of Ogden, Utah. He broke the school record in the steeplechase on April 30 with a time of 8:54.69 to rank fourth in the league entering the competition. His performance at the championships was the third top-three finish in that event in school history and the first in 16 years, with previous record holder Branden Fuller finishing as runner-up twice in 2004 and 2005.
 
* Sophomore Bobby Say came just a half-inch from earning All-Big Sky Conference honors by finishing fourth with a career-best leap of 24-1 1/2. He'll enter Saturday's triple jump competition ranked fifth in the league with a 49-4 1/4 leap which ranks ninth in school history. Say was third in the triple jump at the 2019 indoor championships.
 
* The Eagles advanced three athletes to the finals of the 100 meters – senior Jonah Mathews (10.56), junior Joe Gauthier (10.67) and junior Dimeji Adekanbi (personal-best 10.66 to rank eighth in EWU history). Gauthier later advanced in the 200 with at time of 21.37 to rank ninth all-time at EWU. Mathews missed qualifying in that event by just three one-hundredths of a second. Gauthier has previously earned All-Big Sky honors in the 100 outdoors (2019, third) and 60 meters indoors (2019, third).
 
* On Saturday, Mathews and Gauthier will be running as part of Eastern's veteran 4x100 relay team which leads the league with a 41.07 time to rank No. 7 in school history. Gauthier (junior) and Mathews (senior) have both run individual times of 10.52 this season in the 100 to rank second in the league and No. 4 all-time in EWU history. Both of them, plus junior Dawson Lack, were also members of the 2018 squad which won Eastern's only league title in that event and set a school record that season with a 40.39 time. True freshman Daniel Gaik was the fourth member of this year's relay team, but the Eagles also have flexibility to add Adekanbi.
 
 
Other Women's Top Finishers
 
* Sophomore hammer thrower Vernice Keyes was the runner-up with a throw of 181-4, with the winner recording a mark of 199-0. She had entered the championships with a mark of 198-2 on April 30 to rank No. 2 in the league. Keyes, who earned All-Big Sky honors in 2020 with a third-place finish indoors in the weight throw, is ranked only behind marks of 199-8 (Nicole Luckenbach, 2010) and 203-1 (Kaytlyn Coleman, 2016) in school history in the hammer. Before her throw of 198-2, the previous career best for Keyes was 186-6 on April 17 at a meet at Whitworth, and coming into the season her high was 158-3 as a freshman in 2018. The Eagles have won four previous league titles in the hammer, with the most recent being Coleman in 2016.
 
* Sophomore Alyssa Oates had a personal record with a 5-6 high jump to finish sixth and score three points for the Eagles. Her leap ranks her eighth in school history as her previous best was 5-5 3/4 as a freshman. She had a best this season of just 5-3 1/4 to rank last among the field of 15 competitors.
 
* Sophomore Alyssa Hoffman had top 10 times in school history in both hurdles events, including the 400 hurdles in which she qualified for Saturday's finals. Her time of 1:02.00 ranks eighth in school history. Although she didn't advance to the finals, had the fourth-fastest time in EWU history in the 100 hurdles with a time of 14.46. She finished 12th in the preliminaries, .13 out of eighth which would have advanced her to Saturday's finals.
 
 
Additional Comments from Head Coach Marcia Mecklenburg
 
"Vernice put us on the board. I know she was disappointed because she wanted the win, but she had to come from behind to place second and that can be hard to do. It is tough to medal in the Big Sky and now she has two."
 
"The Alyssa's came through big for Eastern today. Alyssa Oates had a big personal record in the high Jump and placed sixth, which was way better than what she came in ranked. Alyssa Hoffman ran an amazing 400 hurdles race, making it to the finals and ranking fifth."
 
 
Additional Comments from Head Coach Stan Kerr
 
 "Gavin Lee made a huge breakthrough in the javelin and is now headed to the regional round of the NCAA Championships and gets him onto our top 10 list."
 
"Justin Roosma ran a great steeplechase race today and earned all-conference honors with his performance."
 
"Bobby Say missed all-conference honors in the long jump by a mere half-inch. We're anxious to see what he'll do Saturday in the triple jump."
 
"The sprint crew took care of business today. We move Joe, Dimeji and Jonah into tomorrow's 100 meters final. Joe also had a knockout performance in the 200 meters with a lifetime-best performance and will go into tomorrow's final as the No. 4 seed."
 
 
 
EWU Scorers (top 8 finish)
 
Men (Outdoor eligibility listed) - Total of 6 thus far
2nd - Javelin – 218-3 - Gavin Lee - Jr. - Vancouver, Wash. / Heritage HS '17
3rd - Steeplechase – 9:07.78 - Justin Roosma - So. - Walla Walla, Wash. / W. Walla Valley HS '19 / Pacific Union Col.
4th - Long Jump - 24-1 1/2 - Bobby Say - So. - Maple Valley, Wash. / Tahoma HS '18
*5th - Decathlon - 6,142 - Quintin Porterfield - Jr. - East Wenatchee, Wash. / Eastmont HS '17 / Wenatchee Valley CC
*7th - Decathlon - 5,761 - Parker Wubbena - So. - Vancouver, Wash. / Mountain View HS '17
*8th - Decathlon - 5,755 - Chris Homen - Fr. - Spokane, Wash. / Ferris HS '19
*Thursday.
 
Women (Outdoor eligibility listed) - Total of 2 thus far
2nd - Hammer - 181-4 - Vernice Keyes - So. - Lynnwood, Wash. / Edmonds-Woodway HS '17
6th - High Jump - 5-6 - Alyssa Oates - So. - Wilbur, Wash. / Wilbur-Creston HS '18
 
 
EWU Advancers to Finals (top 8 in preliminaries)
 
Men (Outdoor eligibility listed) - Total of 7
#1 - 110 Hurdles - 13.74 - Parker Bowden - Sr. - Spokane, Wash. / Central Valley HS '15 / CC of Spokane
#2 - 100 - 10.56 - Jonah Mathews - Sr. - Tacoma, Wash. / Fife HS '15
#3 - 100 - 10.67 - Joe Gauthier - Jr. - West Richland, Wash. / Hanford HS '17
#4 - 200 - 21.37 - Joe Gauthier - Jr. - West Richland, Wash. / Hanford HS '17
#6 - 100 - 10.66 - Dimeji Adekanbi - Jr. - Seattle, Wash. / Nathan Hale HS '16 / Everett CC
#5 - 400 - 48.13 - Daniel Gaik - Fr. - Kent, Wash. / Kentwood HS '20
#6 - 400 – 48.28 - Liam Bracken - So. - Republic, Wash. / Republic HS '18
 
Women (Outdoor eligibility listed) - Total of 1
#5 - 400 Hurdles - 1:02.00 - Alyssa Hoffman - So. - Renton, Wash. / Kennedy Catholic HS '18
 
 
On the Horizon
 
The NCAA West Regionals will take place on May 27-29 at College Station, Texas, and hosted by Texas A&M. The maximum field size in each event will by 48, based on marks posted during the outdoor season in 2021. Competition each day begins as early as 11 a.m. Pacific time for field events, and 4:30 p.m. for running events. The top finishers qualify for the NCAA Championships on June 9-12 in Eugene, Ore., and hosted by the University of Oregon. Eugene will also host the U.S. Olympic Trials on June 18-27.
 
 
EWU Top-10 Lists
 
Spring 21 Updates Include:
 
Women
- Morgan Fossen, No. 2 – Pole Vault | 13-8 1/2
- Savannah Schultz, No. 3 – Pole Vault | 13-7 3/4
- Vernice Keyes, No. 3 – Hammer | 198-2
- Alyssa Hoffman, No. 4 – 100-Meter Hurdles | 14.46
- Madelyn Knight, No. 5 – 100-Meter Hurdles | 14.60
- Madelyn Knight, No. 4 – Heptathlon | 4,749 points
- Katrina Terry, No. 7 – Pole Vault | 13-3 1/2
- Emmanuella Engle, No. 8 – Javelin | 158-3
- Alyssa Oates, No. 8 - High Jump | 5-6
- Alyssa Hoffman, No. 8 – 400-Meter Hurdles | 1:02.00
 
Men
- Parker Bowden, School Record – 110 hurdles | 13.74 (#3 in Big Sky History)
- Justin Roosma, School Record – 3,000 Steeplechase | 8:54.69
- Zach Klobutcher, No. 2 – Pole Vault | 16-9 1/4
- Justin Roosma, No. 3 – 1,500 Meters | 3:48.43
- Jonah Mathews, No. 4 – 100 Meters | 10.52
- Joe Gauthier, No. 4 – 100 Meters | 10.52
- Justin Roosma, No. 5 – 800 Meters | 1:50.31
- Colton Kautz, No. 6 – Hammer Throw | 202-1
- Jonah Mathews, No. 6 – 200 Meters | 21.29
- Carter Ledwith, No. 7 – 10,000 Meters | 30:12.69
- Dimeji Adekanbi, No. 8 – 100 Meters | 10.66
- Gavin Lee, No. 8 – Javelin | 218-3
- Joe Gauthier, No. 9 – 200 Meters | 21.37
- Bobby Say, No. 9 – Triple Jump | 49-4 1/4
- 4 x100-Meter Relay, No. 7 | 41.07 (Joe Gauthier, Daniel Gaik, Dawson Lack, and Jonah Mathews)
 
 
 
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) 
 
 
 
2020-21 Remaining EWU Outdoor Track & Field Schedule
 
Wed/Th - May 12-13, 2021 - Big Sky Combined Events - Ogden, Utah - Both Days: Decathlon - 9 am; Heptathlon - 9:30 am
Fri/Sat - May 14-15, 2021 - Big Sky Outdoor Championships - Ogden, Utah – Friday: Field - 10 am; Running - 12:30 pm . . . Saturday: Field - 8:30 am; Running - 1 pm
We/Th/Fr/Sat - May 26-29, 2021 - NCAA West Regional Championships - College Station, Texas
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