Link to Information, Schedule and Results
 
For the first time since 2014, a female athlete will be competing for Eastern Washington University at the finals of the NCAA Track and Field Championships.
 
Senior Morgan Fossen capped a season of improvement by clearing 13-8 1/4 in the pole vault at the West Regional in College Station, Texas, which was good enough to advance her to the finals in Eugene, Ore. A 2016 graduate of North Medford (Ore.) High School, she will be among the field of 24 competing on Thursday, June 10, at 4 p.m. Pacific time.
 
Fossen successfully cleared the bar on three previous attempts before clearing 13-8 1/4 on her second try and advancing based on tiebreakers. Five other non-qualifiers also had marks of 13-8 1/4, but three of them cleared it on their third try and two others had more misses in the competition. Fossen missed all three of her attempts at 14-0, which would have equaled the school record.
 
"I am super excited that Morgan is continuing on," said EWU pole vault coach Eric Allison. "This meet is the best I have ever seen her handle moving up sticks."
 
A transfer from Lane Community College in Eugene, Fossen had an outdoor best at EWU of 11-10 3/4 entering the season. But she cleared 13-8 1/2 to rank second in school history earlier this year, then finished as the Big Sky Conference runner-up with an effort of 12-9.
 
She becomes Eastern's first participant at the NCAA Championships since 2014, and just the second pole vaulter to qualify. Keisa Monterola qualified 2012 but was unable to compete for personal reasons.
 
Big Sky champion Katrina Terry also competed in the West Regional hosted by Texas A&M, and she was 26th with a vault of 12-10 1/4. Freshman Savannah Schultz was 35th, also with a mark of 12-10 1/4 in the field of 47.
 
"As they have done all season, our pole vaulters Morgan Fossen, Katrina Terry, and Savannah Schultz put on a show," said Eastern women's head coach Marcia Mecklenburg. "They all vaulted well. This week it was Morgan's turn to come out on top and she did it with a top twelve vault that qualified her for the NCAA Finals."
 
"I felt Morgan, Katrina, and Savannah all did well," added Allison.
 
Other females competing Thursday included javelin thrower Emmanuella Engle, who was 36th with a throw of 146-10. Hammer thrower Vernice Keyes had a throw of 182-11 on Thursday, but technical issues in that event have delayed the conclusion until Friday (May 28).
 
"Emmy Engle couldn't have been more consistent in the javelin with all three throws within an inch of each other," said Mecklenburg. "She did an amazing job in the javelin for us this year and it was great to see her complete her senior season at the NCAA preliminary rounds."
 
"I was so pleased that Vernice Keyes qualified for this meet," added Mecklenburg. "She has some big throws that are waiting for get unleashed so I am very excited about her future. There were some measuring issues in the hammer that the NCAA is still trying to iron out, so the women's hammer results will not be official until Friday."

Also on Friday, senior Parker Bowden will be among the 24 competitors running at 4:45 p.m. Pacific time in the 110-meter high hurdles, with the top 12 advancing to Eugene. The senior out of Spokane's Central Valley High School finished second in his heat in Wednesday's preliminaries with a time of 13.85 to automatically advance to the quarterfinals.
 
Also competing for the men on Friday is Justin Roosma in the steeplechase (8:54.69, 35th). His race is at 4:10 p.m., just before Bowden.
 
Eastern had nine athletes advance to the preliminary round by ranking in the top 48 in the West Region based on marks posted during the outdoor season in 2021. The top 12 in the region advance to the NCAA Championships, which will take place June 9-12 in Eugene, Ore. Eugene will also be the site of the this year's US Olympic Trials on June 18-27.
 
 
Women's Entrants at the NCAA West Regional (outdoor eligibility listed)
 
Morgan Fossen - Sr. - Medford, Ore. / North Medford HS '16 / Lane CC
Vernice Keyes - So. - Lynnwood, Wash. / Edmonds-Woodway HS '17
Savannah Schultz - Fr. - Portland, Ore. / Centennial HS '19
Katrina Terry - Jr. - Billings, Mont. / Billings West HS '17
Emmanuella Engle - Sr. - Okanogan, Wash. / Okanogan HS '16 / University of Washington
 
 
Men's Entrants at the NCAA West Regional (outdoor eligibility listed)
 
Parker Bowden - Sr. - Spokane, Wash. / Central Valley HS '15 / CC of Spokane
Colton Kautz - Jr. - Everson, Wash. / Nooksack Valley HS '17
Gavin Lee - Jr. - Vancouver, Wash. / Heritage HS '17
Justin Roosma - So. - Walla Walla, Wash. / W. Walla Valley HS '19 / Pacific Union Col.
 
 
Results/Schedule of Events (Times Pacific)
 
Wednesday, May 26
110 Hurdle Prelims (first round) - Parker Bowden . . . 13.85 (second in his heat and 21st-fastest among the field of 45)
Men's Hammer - Colton Kautz – 206-0 (20th among the field of 46)
Men's Javelin - Gavin Lee -- 194-4 (34th among the field of 46)
 
Thursday, May 27
Women's Hammer - Vernice Keyes . . . 182-11 (event to conclude Friday)
Women's Javelin - Emmanuella Engle . . . 146-10 (36th among the field of 47)
Women's Pole Vault - Morgan Fossen . . . 13-8 1/4 (12th among the field of 47)
Women's Pole Vault - Katrina Terry . . . 12-10 1/4 (26th among the field of 47)
Women's Pole Vault - Savannah Schultz . . . 12-10 1/4 (35th among the field of 47)
 
Friday, May 28
Conclusion - Women's Hammer - Vernice Keyes
4:10 pm - Men's 3,000 Steeplechase - Justin Roosma
4:45 pm - 110 Hurdle Prelims (quarterfinals) - Parker Bowden
 
 
Men's Competitors
 
* Senior Parker Bowden had a time of 13.85 in the first round in Texas to finish second in his heat behind the winning time of 13.58, and just ahead of the third-place time of 13.87. The top three in each heat advanced, including the next six fastest times to create a field of 24 for the quarterfinals. Bowden, a graduate of Spokane's Central Valley High School, won EWU's first-ever Big Sky title in the high hurdles with a 13.58 time on May 15 in Ogden, Utah., to earn the meet's male Top Performer honor. His effort broke the meet record of 13.68, and was just .16 from the Big Sky all-time mark of 13.42. 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. Before the Big Sky Championships, he previously had a top time this season of 13.87 to rank 40th nationally and shatter the previous school record of 14.23. Entering this season, his own best was 14.25 (14.34 non wind-aided).
 
* Sophomore Justin Roosma earned All-Big Sky honors in the steeplechase with a third-place finish on May 14, 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.
 
* Gavin Lee had a throw of over 200 feet for the second-straight meet (206-0) at the NCAA West Regional on May 26, but it was shy of the 213-8 he would have needed to advance to the NCAA Championships. Lee uncorked a personal best of 218-3 to capture second place at the Big Sky Championships on May 14, after coming into the meet with a best 199-4. The junior's mark is the eighth-best in school history.
 
* Junior Colton Kautz closed his season with an effort of 194-4 in the hammer throw in Texas on May 26, but would have needed a monster personal record of 213-7 to advance to the NCAA Championships. He had a 204-8 effort in the hammer throw to claim fourth with the third-best mark in school history at the Big Sky Championships. He came 16 inches from earning All-Big Sky honors with a top three finish.
 
 
Women's Competitors
 
* It will be a homecoming for Morgan Fossen when she competes on behalf of Eastern at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore., on June 10. The EWU senior cleared 12-8 1/4 to punch her ticket to the meet by garnering the 12th and final position by virtue of tiebreaker advantages over five other competitors who cleared that height. Fossen graduated in 2016 from North Medford High School before attending Lane Community College in Eugene. She was the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) champion in the pole vault as a freshman and was the runner-up as a sophomore. She had a personal best of 12-6 as a sophomore, then transferred to Eastern where she had a best of 11-10 3/ at the 2019 Big Sky Conference Outdoor Championships. She advanced to the 2020 Big Sky Indoor Championships but no-heighted, and then the Covid-19 pandemic wiped out her 2020 outdoor and 2021 indoor seasons. However, she had her career-best vault of 13-8 1/2 on April 2 at a meet at Whitworth to rank second in EWU history. The school record is 14-0 by former Eagle Keisa Monterola in 2012. Monterola qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2012, but was unable to compete for personal reasons. Earlier that season, Monterola earned All-America honors by placing fifth in the nation, and her vault of 14-4 that season is a Big Sky all-time best. The last female competitors at the NCAA Championships for EWU came in 2014 when both Emma Murillo (javelin) and Catie Arrigoni (steeplechase) qualified. Fossen's sister, Megan Fossen, is on the Eastern women's basketball team.
 
* Big Sky Conference champion Katrina Terry also competed in the West Regional, and she was 26th with a vault of 12-10 1/4. Freshman Savannah Schultz was 35th with a mark of 12-10 1/4 in the field of 48. Prior to the NCAA preliminary round, Eastern continued its dominance in the women's pole vault at the Big Sky Championships with a 1-2-7-8 finish on May 15 to score 20 points, led by Terry's winning effort of 13-1. Fossen finished in a tie for second (12-9) and Schultz was seventh (12-5 1/4). EWU's group of women's pole vaulters has ranked as high as seventh in NCAA Division I this season (currently 10th), and had a 1-2-3 sweep outdoors at the league meet in 2019. Both Schultz and Terry had previously earned All-Big Sky honors, with Schultz finishing second indoors in 2020 and Terry placing third outdoors in 2019. Eastern has now won six outdoor pole vault titles – all in the last nine meets since 2012 – with Samantha Raines the most recent in 2019 before Terry's winning vault this year.
 
* Senior graduate transfer Emmanuella Engle closed her short EWU career by throwing 146-10 and placing 36th at the West Regional. She was consistent in Texas, with identical marks of 146-9 on her other two throws. Engle placed sixth in the javelin with a throw of 156-0 at the Big Sky Championships on May 15. She had entered the championships with the fifth-best throw in the javelin, an effort of 158-3 on May 1 which moved her to No. 8 on EWU's all-time leaders list. The transfer from the University of Washington had a previous best of 156-11 in her EWU debut on March 13, and as a Husky her top performance was 150-4 in 2019, which also ranked eighth on the UW's all-time list.
 
* Sophomore hammer thrower Vernice Keyes had a throw of 182-11 on May 27 at the West Regional, but a technical issue resulted in the conclusion of the event to be moved to Friday (May 28). She was the runner-up at the Big Sky Championships 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.
 
 
On the Horizon
 
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 Athletes Ranked in the Top 48 in the NCAA West Region
 
Men (Outdoor eligibility listed) – (4)
#12 (#20 nationally) - 110 Hurdles - 13.62 (altitude adjusted from 13.58) - Parker Bowden - Sr. - Spokane, Wash. / Central Valley HS '15 / CC of Spokane
#25 (#62) - Javelin - 218-4 - Gavin Lee - Jr. - Vancouver, Wash. / Heritage HS '17
#35 (#69) - Hammer - 204-8 - Colton Kautz - Jr. - Everson, Wash. / Nooksack Valley HS '17
#35 (#84) - Steeplechase - 8:54.69 - Justin Roosma - So. - Walla Walla, Wash. / W. Walla Valley HS '19 / Pacific Union Col.
 
Women (Outdoor eligibility listed) – (5)
#17 (#35) - Pole Vault - 13-8 1/2 - Morgan Fossen - Sr. - Medford, Ore. / North Medford HS '16 / Lane CC
#23 (#43) - Pole Vault - 13-7 3/4 - Savannah Schultz - Fr. - Portland, Ore. / Centennial HS '19
#31 (#70) - Hammer - 198-2 - Vernice Keyes - So. - Lynnwood, Wash. / Edmonds-Woodway HS '17
#34 (#72) - Javelin - 158-3 - Emmanuella Engle - Sr. - Okanogan, Wash. / Okanogan HS '16 / University of Washington
#42 (#77) - Pole Vault - 13-3 1/2 - Katrina Terry - Jr. - Billings, Mont. / Billings West HS '17
 
 
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 | 13.58 (#2 in Big Sky History; Meet Record)
- Justin Roosma, School Record – 3,000 Steeplechase | 8:54.69
- Daniel Gaik, No. 2 – 400 Meters | 47.00
- Zach Klobutcher, No. 2 – Pole Vault | 16-9 1/4
- Justin Roosma, No. 3 – 1,500 Meters | 3:48.43
- Joe Gauthier, No. 3 – 100 Meters | 10.50
- Colton Kautz, No. 3 – Hammer Throw | 204-8
- Jonah Mathews, No. 4 – 100 Meters | 10.52
- Justin Roosma, No. 5 – 800 Meters | 1:50.31
- 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
- Joe Gauthier, No. 8 – 200 Meters | 21.34
- Gavin Lee, No. 8 – Javelin | 218-3
- Bobby Say, No. 9 – Triple Jump | 49-4 1/4
- 4 x100-Meter Relay, No. 3 | 40.75 (Joe Gauthier, Daniel Gaik, Dawson Lack, and Jonah Mathews)
 
 
EWU Scorers at 2021 Big Sky Conference Championships (top 8 finish)
 
Men (Outdoor eligibility listed) - Total of 17
CHAMPION - 4x100 Relay – 40.75 - Joe Gauthier, Daniel Gaik, Dawson Lack, Jonah Mathews
CHAMPION - 110 Hurdles - 13.58 - Parker Bowden - Sr. - Spokane, Wash. / Central Valley HS '15 / CC of Spokane
CHAMPION - 100 - 10.50 - Joe Gauthier - Jr. - West Richland, Wash. / Hanford HS '17
2nd - 100 - 10.52 - Jonah Mathews - Sr. - Tacoma, Wash. / Fife HS '15
2nd - Javelin – 218-3 - Gavin Lee - Jr. - Vancouver, Wash. / Heritage HS '17
3rd - 400 – 47.00 - Daniel Gaik - Fr. - Kent, Wash. / Kentwood HS '20
3rd - Steeplechase – 9:07.78 - Justin Roosma - So. - Walla Walla, Wash. / W. Walla Valley HS '19 / Pacific Union Col.
3rd - 4x400 Relay - 3:15.12 - Trey McAdams, Jayce Freeman, Liam Bracken, Daniel Gaik
4th - 200 - 21.34 - Joe Gauthier - Jr. - West Richland, Wash. / Hanford HS '17
4th – Triple Jump - 48-10 3/4 - Bobby Say - So. - Maple Valley, Wash. / Tahoma HS '18
4th - Hammer - 204-8 - Colton Kautz - Jr. - Everson, Wash. / Nooksack Valley HS '17
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
6th - 100 - 10.73 - Dimeji Adekanbi - Jr. - Seattle, Wash. / Nathan Hale HS '16 / Everett CC
7th - 400 – 48.49 - Liam Bracken - So. - Republic, Wash. / Republic HS '18
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
 
Women (Outdoor eligibility listed) - Total of 11
CHAMPION - Pole Vault – 13-1 - Katrina Terry - Jr. - Billings, Mont. / Billings West HS '17
2nd (tie) - Pole Vault - 12-9 - Morgan Fossen - Sr. - Medford, Ore. / North Medford HS '16 / Lane CC
2nd - Hammer - 181-4 - Vernice Keyes - So. - Lynnwood, Wash. / Edmonds-Woodway HS '17
6th - 400 Hurdles - 1:03.54 - Alyssa Hoffman - So. - Renton, Wash. / Kennedy Catholic HS '18
6th - Javelin - 156-0 - Emmanuella Engle - Sr. - Okanogan, Wash. / Okanogan HS '16 / University of Washington
6th - High Jump - 5-6 - Alyssa Oates - So. - Wilbur, Wash. / Wilbur-Creston HS '18
7th - Pole Vault - 12-5 1/4 - Savannah Schultz - Fr. - Portland, Ore. / Centennial HS '19
7th - Shot Put - 44-9 1/2 - Kaitlyn Paller - Jr. - Shelton, Wash. / Shelton HS '17 / Olympic CC
8th - Pole Vault - 11-11 1/4 - Rosalie Folger-Vent - Fr. - Portland, Ore. / Madison HS '19
8th - Shot Put - 44-4 1/4 - Carissa Stovall - Throws - Fr. - Yelm, Wash. / Yelm HS '19 
8th - 4x100 Relay – 47.99 - Samiah Kuntz, Faith Kennedy, Alyssa Hoffman, Katie Petsch
8th - 4x400 Relay – 3:59.96 - Emily Madura, Felicity Hempstead, Haven Nutting, Faith Kennedy
 
 
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
 
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