After a school record performance in the heptathlon, Eastern Washington University track and field student-athlete Maggie Nelson has been named the Big Sky Conference Women's Field Athlete of the Week as announced today by the league office (March 28). It is the first weekly honor of Nelson's career and the first by any Eagle this season.
 
In the first multi-event of the outdoor season at the Buc Scoring / Combined Events Invitational (March 24-25), Nelson cruised to victory in the heptathlon. The senior totaled 5,130 points to set a new Eastern Washington school record, becoming the first Eagle to ever score more than 5,000 points in the event. The previous record of 4,857 points was set by Kendra Hamm in 2017. She also tossed a new personal best in the javelin with a mark of 158-8 which is seventh all-time in EWU history.
 
The point total is currently first on the Big Sky performance list, eighth in the West Region, and 14^th in the nation. Her javelin mark is currently first in the Big Sky by over six feet and ranks 22^nd in the West Region.  
 
Not only did Nelson set an overall personal best in the heptathlon, she also set or tied personal bests in the 100-meter hurdles (15.84), high jump (5-4 ¼), 200-meter dash (27.14) and the javelin throw (158-8). She placed first in four out of seven events, in addition to a second-place finish to wrap things up in the 800, and did not finish lower than fourth-place in any event.
 
In the Big Sky, she is also ranked seventh in the high jump and fifth in the long jump (18-3 ¼).
 
Nelson's previous personal best in the event was 4,498 points which ranked eighth and was set in 2019. The Spangle, Wash., native also owns Eastern's indoor pentathlon school record, which she broke twice during the indoor season. She set the record of 3,702 points during the 2022 Big Sky Conference Indoor Championships where she placed third, becoming the first-ever All-Conference performer in the pentathlon for Eastern Washington.
 
She graduated from Liberty High School in 2016 and spent two seasons at Spokane Falls Community College before joining the Eagles. After the COVID-19 cancelation during the 2020 outdoor season and redshirting last year, this is Nelson's first outdoor season since 2018-19.
 
Nelson and the rest of the Eagles are preparing to head to the newly-renovated Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., for the Hayward Premiere on April 1-2.
 
MAGGIE NELSON'S HEPTATHLON PERFORMANCE:
 
*100-meter Hurdles: 3^rd, 15.84, 844 pts
*High Jump: T-1^st, 5-4 ¼, 771 pts
Shot Put: 1^st, 40-1 ½, 676 pts
*200-meter Dash: 4^th, 27.14, 700 pts
Long Jump: 1^st, 18-4 ¼, 720 pts
*Javelin Throw: 1^st, 158-8, 829 pts
800-meter Run: 2^nd, 2:29.44, 700 pts
 
Total Points: 5,130
*= Personal Best