EUGENE, Ore. — Eastern Washington track and field had two meets on the schedule this weekend, traveling to Eugene, Ore for the Oregon Preview, along with the Buc Scoring Meet, hosted by Whitworth. The team continued to put up strong results across the board.
"No matter the weather, no matter the condition, when you get to run at Harward Field you take advantage of it," Director of Track and Field Erin Tucker described. "Conditions were great yesterday and just ok today with light rain and colder temperatures, but we competed, worked to execute, and had some good things happen."
Fresh off his Big Sky Athlete of the Week award, Ryan Rieckmann set a personal best with a 71.51 mark in javelin. The throw moves Rieckmann into second on the program's top 10 list. He previously held the fifth spot on the list. Rieckmann's throw is also ranked second in the Big Sky this season.
"Ryan has big Goals and he is on pace to go get them by what a meet what a throw on his last throw," Tucker said. "He had a slow start, but stay locked in and workers each throw to drop that bomb of 234'7" jumping him to #2 all-time at EWU with that ten foot PR."
New Eagle record holder, Kimberly Smith, won the long jump with a 5.87m mark. Caitlin Simmons was right behind in second, jumping 5.73m.
"Shout out to Tuti (Kimberly Smith) and Egypt (Caitlin Simmons) for another 1-2 finish in the long jump," Tucker said. "I love that they have each other every meet. No matter the weather or the other competition, those two know they have someone with them at the meet to push them."
Savannah Schultz grabbed the top spot in pole vault with a 3.85m mark. Schultz now has the top-ranked mark in the Big Sky.
Madelyn Knight posted a 14.11 time in the 100m hurdles, setting a new personal best and moving up on the program's top 10 list to number two. Knight finished in fourth in the event.
"Kudos to Madi the Magnificent staying on the PR train, another season opener with a PR and jumping all the way to #2 on the All-Time list with rain in her face the entire race," Tucker explained.
In the men's 800m, Owen Higgins finished with a time of 1:51.30 to place second. The time puts Higgins at 10th on the top 10 performance list for Eastern and the top time in the Big Sky this season.
"Mr. Owen Higgins in his first 800m outdoor he jumps onto the top-10 list with a sizzling 1:51.30," Tucker described. "I wish he was in the fast heat as he almost won it from the second heat."
Dyvhine Fonoti earned a second-place finish in shot put, with a 12.62m mark. Bailey Young finished third with a 12.53m throw.
Bradley Fillis recorded a 16.28m mark in shot put and placed second in the event.
Grace Bruno continued her hot start to the outdoor season, clearing the bar at 1.65m to place third.
In the 5000m, Noah Hasselblad placed fifth with a time of 14:27.67. Hasselblad also now holds the top-ranked time in the Big Sky for the 5000m.
Kahlani Schloss showed up in the hammer throw, placing third with a 49.31m toss. Dyvhine was fourth at 49.14m.
At the Buc Scoring meet in Spokane, Sydney Macdonald placed third in the women's high jump, clearing the 1.43m bar.
"Spring Break is next up and I have told the entire team several times over the last week how important this week is for their season," Tucker added. "If they don't train they will not come back in the best physical condition they can be in. I know they will accept the challenge. Conference is in 8 weeks and we have unfinished business to take care of in Bozeman!"
Up Next
The Eagles will take a week off for spring break and return to competition at the Whitworth Peace Meet on April 5 in Spokane.
Join the Eagle Athletic Fund for as low as $50 per year! Support Eagle student-athletes on and off the field while enjoying exclusive EAF perks such as season ticket and tailgating priority, invitations to special events, exclusive access and more. Visit goeags.com/eaf for more information.
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.
FOLLOW THE EAGLES
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
