COLFAX, Wash. — The Eastern Washington cross country teams had a strong showing at the NCAA West Regional. The men's team finished 17th with 534 points, marking their best finish since 2007, when they placed 14th. The women's team also had a solid performance, finishing 21st with 584 points, their best result since 2017, when they also finished in 21st.

"The guys executed the race perfectly," said head coach Sam Read. "They got out and put themselves right into the race, which has been something we've struggled with this season. The first 10k at the regional championships is always a battle, and they did just that. They fought through that final kilometer and held off some hard-charging teams, finishing with our best result since 2007."

"The crazy thing about that stat is we have guys on the team who were born that year! Big shout out to our pack of guys—Marcus, Austin, Owen, and Charlie—who moved well throughout the race. That depth has been huge for us all year, and it came up big again today. Evan and Noah took some risks up front and delivered solid finishes!"

Evan Peters was the top finisher for the Eagles, placing 90th with a time of 31:10.20. Marcus Lemon finished just behind him in 99th with a time of 31:23.20. Other scorers for Eastern included Noah Hasselblad (107th), Austin Steed (114th), and Owen Higgins (134th).

"The women got stuck on the first turn and ended up further back than we'd like at the start," Read noted. "They did a good job of staying composed and moved really well in the second half of the race. We weren't able to climb as high as we wanted in the final standings, but they battled all the way."

"Jasmin kept progressing and finished the season strong. Jenni and Cassidy had key performances today, with solid bounce-back races after conference. Big shout out to the seniors on both teams and the impact they've had on the program. They're truly incredible people, and we're going to miss them."

Jasmin Muneton was the top finisher for the Eagles on the women's side, placing 106th out of 262 competitors with a time of 21:34.70. Jenni Bissell followed in 113th with a time of 21:41.60. Other scorers for EWU included Cassidy Walchak-Sloan (116th), Nattie Ruzauskas (127th), and Rylee Brandon (132nd).

"We had a great cross-country season, for sure," said Erin Tucker, Director of Track and Field/Cross Country. "You never want to end your season early, but as long as you've gotten better than the year before, you can swallow that pill. We definitely got better, and we're heading into the indoor season with great momentum. Go Eags!"
 
ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for its most athletically talented students and as an enhancement to student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with comparable enrollments and academic goals.

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