CHENEY, Wash. — The winter sports are in full gear for Eastern Washington athletics, with the majority of its teams away, but close to home. Men's and women's basketball travel down to Moscow to play Idaho in a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon. Men's tennis begins its 2025 season with a home match on Friday, followed by two matches in Spokane on Saturday. Women's tennis travels to Pullman and Spokane for its second week of competition. Track and field makes the quick drive to Spokane for its first competition of 2025.
Women's Basketball - at Idaho (Saturday, Jan. 18 at 1 p.m. Pacific Time)
Eastern Washington has a single game on the schedule this week as they return to the road for a rivalry matchup against Idaho. The game will be the first of a doubleheader against the Vandals with the men's team playing later on Saturday.
EWU swept its first homestand of Big Sky competition and moves into the third week of conference games on a two-game winning streak. The Eagles dominated Portland State for their first conference victory of the year, winning 78-49 against the Vikings. Eastern forced 21 turnovers in the game and scored 26 points on those mistakes, while shooting 11-of-20(55.0%) from three-point range.
Jaecy Eggers was one of four Eagles scoring in double figures, finishing with a game-high 13 points.
This past Saturday, EWU
defeated Sacramento State in a 89-80 shootout. The game was close until the third quarter, when Eastern pulled away after scoring 27 points in the quarter. The balanced scoring continued with five Eagles scoring in double figures, led by
Ella Gallatin's career-best 23. Eggers set her own personal best against the Hornets with 20 points.
Eastern's record is now 2-2 in the Big Sky and 6-10 overall.
The three-point shooting has been a strength for EWU, with the team holding a 33.5 percentage from range. The stat ranks second in the Big Sky. The Eagles are averaging 6.8 made threes per game and have made 10-or–more in two-straight games. Alexis Pettis is 16-of-31(51.6%) from behind the arc, while Kourtney Grossman is 15-of-35(42.9%). Peyton Howard leads Eastern with 30 made threes in 101 attempts(29.7%).
Howard leads EWU in scoring, averaging 14.4 points per game and shooting 40.9 percent from the floor. She is tied for fourth in scoring and is fifth in shooting percentage. Against Portland St., Howard scored 12 points to give her 1000 total for her collegiate career, with 212 points at Eastern and 788 at Seattle U.
Grossman has recorded double-doubles in two of the last three games, scoring 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds against the Hornets. The Billings, Mont. native nearly had a double-double against the Vikings after recording 11 points and nine rebounds. Grossman leads the Eagles and is fourth in the conference with 8.6 rebounds per game.
Gallatin has found her rhythm in the Big Sky games, scoring double digits in four-straight games for a 16.8 points per game average. She is second on Eastern with a 10.1 points per game average.
Men's Basketball – vs Idaho (Saturday, January 18 at 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time)
The Eastern Washington Eagles are looking to extend their winning streak following a solid victory over Sacramento State this past weekend at Idaho. On Saturday, January 18, they will make the short trip to Moscow, Idaho, to face the Vandals at 4 p.m.
EWU comes off a mixed weekend, having suffered a close loss to Portland State before bouncing back to defeat Sacramento State. In the win over the Hornets, the Eagles were on fire from beyond the arc, hitting 14 three-pointers— their best performance of the season.
Against Portland State, Eastern fought hard but ultimately fell 64-59 despite solid individual performances. Mason Williams and Xavier Cook each scored 12 points, while Ethan Hartmann added 10. Despite holding the Vikings scoreless for nine minutes and leading at halftime, the Eagles struggled with consistency. A missed shot and a critical turnover in the final minute proved costly as they were unable to hold on to their lead.
However, in their game against Sacramento State, the Eagles came out strong. They hit eight three-pointers in the first half, with Angelo Powell leading the charge by sinking three triples. Junior McClain and Ben Marquardt also contributed from long range, helping the Eagles build a commanding 35-15 lead by halftime. The defense was equally impressive, as Eastern's pressure stifled the Hornets.
In the second half, the Eagles stretched their lead to as much as 34 points. Despite a late surge from Sacramento State—an 18-2 run—Eastern held firm and secured the 65-54 win. Marquardt led the team with 16 points, including four three-pointers, while McClain contributed 14 points and six rebounds to seal the victory.
As Eastern heads to Moscow, they'll look to build on their strong shooting and defensive performances, aiming to keep their momentum rolling.
Women's Tennis - at Washington State (Friday, Jan. 17 at 3 p.m. Pacific Time), at Gonzaga (Sunday, Jan. 19 at 3 p.m. Pacific Time)
After a season-opening 4-3 win over UC Davis in their home opener, the Eagles will be on the road for the first time this season.
EWU will start their longest road stretch of the season with eight straight road matches. The Eagles will travel to take on Washington State Friday, Jan.17 at 3 pm., and then will take on Gonzaga Sunday, Jan.19 at 3 pm.
EWU looks for their second all-time win over Washington State in their 40th all-time meeting. Last year, the Eagles would fall to the Cougars 0-7.
Against Gonzaga, the Eagles are 26-49 all-time, but have lost their last 21 matches against the Bulldogs. Last year in Spokane, EWU fell in a tight one 3-4.
The Eagles started their season off with a bang. Eastern Washington (1-0) defended their home court in the 4-3 win over the visiting UC Davis Aggies (0-2). This was the first win for the Eagles over the Aggies.
Eastern split their singles matches and won two of three doubles matches. No. 1 singles and doubles senior Isabella Foshee would come out victorious for the Eagles, and go 2-0 for the day. Junior Leandra Nizetic and senior Kelly Arends would also go 2-0 on the day, winning their No.2 doubles match pairing, and winning their singles matches to help clinch their victory over the Aggies.
Men's Tennis - vs. North Dakota (Friday, Jan. 17 at 9 a.m. Pacific Time), at Gonzaga DH (Saturday, Jan. 19 TBA/TBA Pacific Time)
EWU Men's Tennis will open their 2025 spring season this week. The Eagles will face off against North Dakota Friday, Jan. 17 at 9 am, in their home opener. EWU will then go on the road Saturday Jan. 18, and take on Gonzaga in a double-header in Spokane.
The Eagles are looking for their first season opening win since 2017, when they defeated Seattle 6-1.
EWU Tennis also looks to avenge North Dakota from their 2023 2-5 defeat. The Eagles own the all-time series 6-1, winning the first six matches over Fighting Hawks.
Against Gonzaga, the Eagles are 39-28 all-time, and 13-21 on the road against the Bulldogs. Eastern looks to snap their 10 match losing streak over Gonzaga, and record their first win over the Bulldogs since 2012 when they won in Cheney 4-3.
For the fall, EWU would finish a combined 9-13 overall in singles matches, and would finish 5-3 overall in their doubles matches. The Eagles bring back six returners from last year's team,
Tyler Waddock,
Brady Thomas,
Caden Kammerer,
Drew Dillon,
Tyler Dalos, and
Arshjot Bhatti.
Track and Field – Spokane Sports Showcase at The Podium (Saturday, January 17, All Day), Spokane Indoor Challenge at The Podium (Friday-Saturday, January 17-18, All Day)
The Eagles aim to pick up where they left off a month ago as they return to the podium for the second time this season. Eastern will compete at the Spokane Sports Showcase on Friday, Jan. 17, followed by the Spokane Indoor Challenge on Jan. 17-18, both beginning at 10 a.m.
At their last meet, the Eagles set the stage with three school records, thanks to standout performances from Caitlin Simmons and Maddy Shekhawat. Simmons broke her own indoor long jump record with a leap of 6.12 meters (20 feet, 1 inch) and set a new triple jump record, finishing second with a jump of 12.89 meters (42 feet, 3.5 inches). Shekhawat etched her name in the record books as well, claiming third place in the 60m hurdles with a time of 7.85 seconds.
In the women's weight throw, Dyvhine Fonoti stole the spotlight with a massive seven-foot personal best, tossing 18.53 meters (60 feet, 9.5 inches) to top the field. Her brother, Dyvhon Fonoti, also set a personal record, finishing second with a throw of 15.77 meters (51 feet, 9 inches). Dyvhine carried her momentum into the shot put, securing second place with a throw of 12.84 meters (42 feet, 1.5 inches).
In pole vault action, Suzi Woodall set a personal best of 4.06 meters (13 feet, 3.75 inches) to finish second in the invitational division, while Breauna Erickson also earned second place in the collegiate competition with a jump of 3.61 meters (11 feet, 10 inches).
Brandon Gutzwiler got the men's competition off to a strong start, finishing third in the high jump with a mark of 1.90 meters (6 feet, 2.75 inches). Jason Nwaka rounded out a solid field performance with a third-place finish in the shot put, throwing 15.84 meters (51 feet, 11.75 inches).
Single game tickets for men's and women's basketball are now on sale. Reserve your seats at Reese Court for the 2024-25 seasons by clicking on the link here, emailing tickets@ewu.edu or calling the ticket office at 509-359-6059.
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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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