SPOKANE, Wash. — Eastern Washington University's Track and Field team kicked off the 2025 indoor season with a strong showing at the Spokane Sports Showcase, held at The Podium powered by STCU on Saturday. The event, hosted by Spokane Sports, brought together top-tier competition from programs across the country.

Complete team results from the Spokane Sports Showcase are available here

"This meet is the best competition we will see indoors all year, unless someone qualifies for Nationals," said Erin Tucker, Director of Track and Field and Cross Country. "We have teams from the Big Ten, ACC, and Mountain West, alongside our Big Sky competitors. The Big Sky is improving every year, and athletes who competed here know it's one of the most competitive meets they'll experience this season."

Maddy Shekhawat wasted no time picking up where he left off in 2025, targeting his own 60-meter hurdles record. He managed to break it twice during the meet—first with a 7.79 in the prelims, then with a 7.78 in the final, which currently ranks as the 16th-best time in the nation. "We set our sights on breaking the school record again back in December," Tucker said. "Maddy definitely has more in the tank—I know he can go even faster. I'm happy with his performance, but even more excited that he knows he can improve."

Daniel Gaik made an impressive return to competition, marking his first meet since the 2021-22 season. Gaik set a new school record in the 300m, finishing first with a time of 33.95 and breaking the 38-year-old record previously held by Tony Coe. "We're on a mission," Tucker said. "When I first spoke with Daniel, I told him what the expectations were, and he responded, 'Coach, that's exactly what I wanted to hear.' Even though I haven't coached him before, we're already on the same page, and he knows what the goal is. This was a great start for him."

The field events featured several strong performances, with Dyvhine Fonoti finishing fifth in the weight throw at 17.46 meters (57 feet, 3.5 inches). Azaria Purdy shined in the triple jump, finishing fifth with a leap of 12.05 meters (39 feet, 6.5 inches), moving her into second place on EWU's all-time list. In the long jump, Caitlin Simmons earned third place with a jump of 6.05 meters (19 feet, 10.25 inches). Suzi Woodall tied for fourth in the pole vault, clearing 3.86 meters (12 feet, 8 inches), while Jason Nwaka placed second in the shot put with a throw of 16.49 meters (54 feet, 1.25 inches).

On the track, Kristian Phennicie made it to the 60-meter final, finishing eighth with a time of 6.83 seconds. Nathan Kuhnau placed third in the 300-meter, clocking a time of 35.19 seconds. In the distance events, Nattie Ruzauskas and Jenni Bissell finished second and third, respectively, in the women's mile. Ruzauskas crossed the line in 5:00.45, while Bissell finished just behind her at 5:00.52, moving into the eighth spot on EWU's all-time list. Ellie Linnenburger led the Eagles in the 3000-meter, finishing second with a time of 9:57.46, which earned her a spot on the all-time list as well. Evan Cheney capped off the distance events with a third-place finish in the men's mile, posting a time of 4:25.36.

"To open the season with such high-level competition is invaluable," Tucker reflected. "After competing against some of the best in the country, our athletes can take those experiences into the rest of the season with confidence. We saw a lot of personal bests across different event areas, and overall, I'm really pleased with how the team is performing."
 
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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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