CHENEY, Wash. — The focus is already on the next season, as Eastern Washington track and field, along with cross country, add to their rosters. EWU Director of Track and Field
Erin Tucker officially announced the signing of 39 student-athletes for the upcoming 2024-25 season.
"This is by far the best recruiting class we have put together here at Eastern. My hope is that this class can go down as one of the best classes, if not the best of all time at Eastern," Tucker explained. "We filled some necessary holes, and brought in more athletes that want to work, to leave a legacy, and athletes that value our brand. I am happy and excited about the hard work this staff has put in and I cannot wait until December. We get to showcase this talent to our fans, families, friends, and alumni. We have built an amazing team and now it is time to go to work!"
The new squad of Eagles will compete for the cross country team when their season begins in the fall and the track and field squad will be back in the winter.
Women
Suraia Amer
Glendale Community College / Phoenix, AZ
60m / 100m / 200m
From Coach Tucker: "Suraia's potential is crazy. What she did this year compared to her first year is exciting and I cannot wait to work with her. She worked very hard to show out this year and the best is yet to come."
Trinity Bethea
Hometown: Pima Community College / Pinon, AZ
Events: 200m / 400m
From Coach Tucker: "Trinity has an amazing personality to go along with an awesome work ethic. She is very mature and I am excited to have her join this program."
Patience Boahemaa
Hometown: Central Arizona Community College / Ghana
Events: Multis
From Coach Jonina Brinson: "Patience will definitely shake things up in the Big Sky combined event. She's an experienced multi with amazing power and speed. I'm ready to see what we can do this upcoming year!"
Ashleigh Burke
Hometown: Reno, NV
Events: 200m / 400m
From Coach Tucker: "Ashleigh will add more depth into the 2-4 group. It was a priority for me to add more quarter milers as you never can have enough. She is an outstanding addition and I'm excited to watch her develop."
Anna Caporali
Hometown: Bergamo, Italy
Events: 200m / 400m
From Coach Tucker: "Anna is special and untapped. She is hungry and ready to compete for championships."
Breauna Erickson
Hometown: Conrad, MT
Events: Pole Vault
From Coach Eric Allison: "Breauna is a small school athlete from Conrad, MT. She's a great athlete that's had a bit of limited experience, but has tremendous upside. She's going to be a great addition to the EWU Pole Vault tradition!"
Rachel Hardy
Hometown: Happy Valley, OR
Events: Long Jump, Triple Jump
From Coach Brinson: "The one thing I loved about Rachel in the recruiting process was her ability to do multi events. With her focusing on Long Jump and Triple Jump only; we will see immediate improvements."
Diana Kuwa
Hometown: Kennewick, WA
Events: 60HH / 100IH
From Coach Tucker: "Diana popped up on my radar late in the season with her consistency. She will have an amazing career here; I promise you that."
Azaria Purdy
Hometown: San Jose State University / Sacramento, CA
Events: Long Jump, Triple Jump
From Coach Brinson: "Azaria fits like a glove into Flight Crew and she has a promising future. Adding her to this current group almost assures record books are going to continue to be rewritten!"
Saira Schoener
Hometown: Spokane Fall Community College / Spokane, WA
Event: Javelin
From Coach Majesty Tutson: "Saira is a local Spokane talent that we are so excited to have her. She is coming in and already in scoring position in the women's javelin. I believe she will have great postseason success in the NCAA and will be a natural leader for the bomb squad."
Charlotte Terry
Hometown: McMinnville, OR
Events: Mid-Distance
From Coach Sam Read: "Charlotte's high school coach sold as a diamond in the rough, not so much anymore. Dropping 5 seconds in the 800; she is going to be a great addition to our Mid Distance crew."
Emma Tomlinson
Hometown: Buckley, WA
Events: Distance
From Coach Read: "Emma spent the last year either winning races or PRing. She is going to thrive when surrounded by this next level of competition."
Katie Rice-Whittingham
Hometown: Sherwood, Oregon
Events: Multis
From Coach Brinson: "Katie is a workhorse. Her drive and passion will help push the team to new limits. She and the multi women are going to be a force in the Big Sky!"
Gilana Wollman
Hometown: Washington State University / Shoreline, WA
Events: Long Jump / 60m / 100m
From Coach Tucker: "Coach Jo and I are excited to work with Gilana as she will have an immediate impact on both of our groups. Her Pac-12 experience will be insightful and helpful for the team as we move to the upper echelon of the Big Sky."
Men
Tawaf Aboudou
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Events: Long Jump, Triple Jump
From Coach Brinson: "Tawaf is Flight Crew's hidden gem. He popped up on the scene late and is someone I can see big things from this season."
AJ Baustert
Hometown: Cody, WY
Events: 100m / 200m
From Coach Tucker: "AJ is a very aggressive former football player that is going to bring a lot of energy to the group. During the recruiting process, it was evident he grinds and wants to get better every day. Watch out for this young man!"
Evan Cheney
Hometown: Enumclaw, WA
Events: Distance
From Coach Read: "Evan threw down some big track PRs this last season and showed that he is on a different level. We're going to keep this momentum rolling into XC; watch out for Evan!"
Daniel Gaik
Hometown: University of Washington / Covington, WA
Events: 200m / 400m
From Coach Tucker: "I was pretty bummed when I arrived at EWU and found out Daniel hit the portal and was headed for UW. Two years later, he is back to finish the mission. During my first year here, his teammates raved about how good he was and how hard he worked. They told me I would have loved him. When I saw his name in the portal, I got to work to bring him home. I felt his energy on the first call and knew his teammate had not exaggerated. We have a story to tell and finish; I am excited to help him write that story!"
Blake Garza
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Events: High Jump
From Coach Brinson: "Blake is a raw High Jumper. Being a basketball player mainly in high school, and switching to starting the High Jump senior year is unheard of. The bars we are going to clear will put him into the EWU record books."
Brandon Gutizlwer
Hometown: Spokane Valley, WA
Events: High Jump
From Coach Brinson: "Brandon is another talented local jumper ready to shock the Big Sky! His consistency has him ready to move the bar for the team."
Noah Holden
Hometown: Grand Canyon University / Mead, WA
Events: Distance
From Coach Read: "I'm excited to have a former top GSL runner returning home! Noah is a versatile runner who will be a great boost to the squad."
Modou Kinteh
Hometown: West Richland, WA
Events: 200m / 400m
From Coach Tucker: "Modou is such an amazing addition to the 2-4 group. I love his intellect and grit. He's going to be special here at Eastern and I am ready to see him work."
Jordan McKenzie
Hometown: Toledo, WA
Events: 200m / 400m
From Coach Tucker: "Jordan is a big ranging guy that will get better every year. His potential is untapped and I am going to enjoy working with him these next 4-5 years."
Max Meadows
Hometown: Wenatchee, WA
Events: Mid-Distance
From Coach Read: "We just had a great group of Mid Distance graduate. Max will come in and fill those shoes right away."
Parker Munns
Hometown: Spokane Valley, WA
Events: High Jump
From Coach Brinson: "Hometown talent is always good to have in the program; it just means more to them. Parker adds depth to our men's High Jump group. We are ready to see what's in store."
Jason Nwaka
Hometown: California State University, Los Angeles / Covina, CA
Event: Shot Put
From Coach Tutson: "Jason will be joining us in his sophomore year of collegiate athletics from West Covina, California and we are more than excited to have him. This explosive shot putter will be a name to watch in the Big Sky and will be a great addition to the bomb squad. Jason is going to be a force to be reckoned with and will be an integral piece of the team!"
Enoch Okoh
Hometown: Fresno State University / Chula Vista, CA
Events: 100m / 200m
From Coach Tucker: "Enoch is a very mature young man and I am happy to add him to our 100m training group. His experience and talent will be on display right away. Watch out Big Sky; he is coming!"
Madhvendra Shekhawat
Hometown: Jaipur, India
Events: 60HH / 110HH
From Coach Tucker: "Madi is going to rewrite our hurdle record books for sure. He will have an immediate impact on the Big Sky and the NCAA. I am so hyped to have my next elite" hurdler."
Jake Trefry
Hometown: Spokane Valley, WA
Events: 200m / 400m
From Coach Tucker: "My goal is to have a local guy or girl join this team every year. We would love to have them all, but we know that is not possible. I think we hit a homerun with Jake. I love his potential and he is going to rock and roll here at Eastern."
The group of 29 is joined by 10 student-athletes who
signed in December of 2023. The early new Eagles included Diana Fernandez (200m/400m), Cerae Mahabeer (sprints/hurdles), Magdalena Slomska (100HH/400H), Lexi Meyer (mid-distance), Ella Seelhoff (multis), Anna Shipp (high jump), Reghan Skogen (pole vault/long jump), Cassidy Walchak-Sloan (mid-distance), Cort Gebbers (discus/shot put) and Calum Osborne (javelin).
More thoughts from Coach Tucker:
"Building a track team is like building a house, you need a vision, a strong foundation, utilities, and some love," Tucker added. "Last year's class set a great foundation for this house, this year's class fixed a crack or two, added walls, plumbing, electrical wiring, insulation, and an HVAC system. This fall we will paint the walls, clean up the outside, landscape, and add finishing touches to the inside of the house. Go Eags!"
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.
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