CHENEY, Wash. — It's Halloween week and Eastern Athletics has five teams competing this holiday weekend. Football is back at home after winning its first road game of the season. Women's basketball plays an exhibition game at home to prepare for the regular season. Cross Country travels to Bozeman for the Big Sky Championships. Volleyball as a close road game on Friday in Moscow. Women's tennis has a quick road trip to Spokane to play its third and final competition of the fall.
Football - vs. Sacramento State (Saturday, Nov. 1 at 1 p.m.) - Get Tickets
Eastern is back at home this week to continue its Big Sky schedule with its winning streak intact. The Eagles host Sacramento State on Saturday for a 1 p.m. kickoff from Roos Field and the game is streamed live on ESPN+. Fans can listen live on 700 ESPN and the Varsity App with the voices of the Eagles, Larry Weir and Paul Sorensen.
EWU extended its winning streak to three games this past weekend after a 23-20 win over Weber State. The Wildcats scored first in the game, but the Eagles responded immediately. A safety put EWU in front to end the first quarter, but Weber St. scored in the second to retake the lead. Eastern then scored 14-unanswered points to take control, 23-14 going into halftime. The second half was a defensive battle, as the Wildcats manufactured two field goals, but nothing more. The Eagle defense was effective all game and drove the team to its first road win of the season.
Jared Taylor scored two touchdowns on the ground, while
Nate Bell connected with
Jaxon Branch for a score.
Earlier today,
Landon Ogles was named
Big Sky Co-Special Team's Player of the Week. Ogles averaged 44.5 yards per punt and dropped five inside the Weber St. 20-yard line. He had three punts of 50-plus yards, a long of 64.
Jaylon Jenkins intercepted a pass for the third-consecutive game against the Wildcats and finished with five tackles. Jenkins is now tied for the Big Sky lead and is third in the FCS with four interceptions. He leads the conference with 11 passes defended.
Eastern's offense was again efficient in the redzone, scoring three touchdowns on three opportunities. The team has scored 15 touchdowns in the redzone, adding three field goals to convert 18-of-23(78.3%) opportunities. Bell threw his sixth touchdown pass of the season against Weber St.,Taylor had his fourth career-multi rushing touchdown game, scoring his 15th and 16th career touchdowns on the ground.
Women's Basketball - vs. Whitworth (Wednesday, Oct. 29 at 6 p.m.) - Get Tickets
EWU will be on Reese Court for the first time this season on Wednesday as they host cross-town foe Whitworth for an exhibition matchup. The game tips off at 6 p.m. and will be the final tune-up before the regular season begins next week.
Eastern was picked sixth in both the Big Sky preseason coaches' and media poll last week. In the 2024-25 season, the Eagles went 7-11 in conference, placing seventh and going 11-20 overall. As the seven-seed in the Big Sky Tournament, EWU fell in the first round to Sacramento State.
Now-sophomore Kourtney Grossman earned Big Sky preseason All-Conference team after being named Freshman of the Year last season. She also earned an All-Conference honorable mention. Grossman broke the Eastern freshman program record with 314 rebounds, with the total also ranking eighth in program history. At the other end of the court, Grossman was second on the team with 10.5 points per game. The Billings, Mont. native recorded 14 double-doubles, ranking first among freshman in the NCAA and 31st overall among all players.
Grossman is one of three returning starters for Eastern as Ella Gallatin and Jaecy Eggers are back in Cheney. Gallatin was fourth on the team with 9.2 points per game, shooting 35.4 percent from the floor. Eggers was second on the team with 5.6 rebounds per game, adding 8.6 points to rank fifth.
Head coach Joddie Gleason, beginning her fifth season at the helm, has nine total returning players and adds seven newcomers to complete the Eagles' roster.
Cross Country – at Big Sky XC Championship (Saturday, Nov. 1 at 3 p.m.)
Eastern Washington is set to compete at the 2025 Big Sky Cross Country Championships in Bozeman, Montana, on Saturday, November 1. The championship races will take place at Bridger Creek Golf Course, with the women's 6K starting at 10 a.m. PT, followed by the men's 8K at 10:30 a.m. PT.
Both Eagle squads enter the postseason with momentum following standout performances at the George Oja Invitational. The men's team dominated the field, capturing first place with 77 points, while the women's team secured an impressive third-place finish behind Boise State and Portland.
Senior Conner Wirth led the way for the men, finishing fourth overall with a personal-best time of 23:55.82. He was followed closely by strong performances from teammates Marcus Lemon, Grady Fournier, Owen Higgins, and Lucas Spurling—all of whom recorded personal bests to help lock in the team victory.
On the women's side, senior Nattie Ruzauskas paced Eastern with an eighth-place finish and a career-best 21:17.60. Junior Sara Sanders (21:24.0) and sophomore Emma Tomlinson (22:16.50) also notched personal records to help the Eagles close the regular season on a high note.
Soccer – Advanced to Big Sky Tournament
The Eastern Washington soccer team entered last week with its postseason fate in its own hands—and rose to the occasion. In a pair of must-win matches, the Eagles delivered dominant performances, defeating Northern Arizona 4-0 and Northern Colorado 2-0. With those victories, Eastern secured the No. 3 seed in the Big Sky Soccer Tournament, which will be held in Missoula, Montana, beginning Wednesday, Nov. 5. The Eagles will face No. 6 Northern Arizona once again in a quarterfinal matchup at 10 a.m. PST.
Women's Volleyball – at Idaho (Saturday, Nov. 1 at 6 p.m.)
The Eagles look to bounce back on the road as they head to Moscow to face Idaho on Saturday, Nov. 1, at 6 p.m. Eastern enters the matchup 2-19 overall and 0-9 in Big Sky play, still seeking its first conference victory of the season.
This past week, Eastern dropped both matches on its Big Sky road swing, falling 3–1 to Portland State and 3–0 to Sacramento State. Against the Vikings, the Eagles showed fight after a tough opening set, responding with a 25–21 win in the second before Portland State regained control to close out the match. Alyssa Radke and Kalista Lukovich paced the offense with 10 kills apiece, while Quincey McCoy added six kills and six blocks as EWU out-blocked PSU 8–4.
At Sacramento State, Eastern battled defensively but couldn't find a consistent rhythm against a disciplined Hornets squad. Despite strong effort at the net and extended rallies, the Eagles struggled to overcome the Hornets' efficiency and blocking presence. Eastern now turns its focus to sharpening offensive execution and serving consistency as Big Sky action continues.
Women's Tennis - at Gonzaga Invite (Friday-Sunday, Oct. 31-Nov. 2, All Day)
The Eagles are back on the court for their final competition of 2025. Eastern takes the short drive to Spokane to participate in the Gonzaga Invite, taking place Friday through Sunday. The three-day competition will be held at the Stevens Center on Gonzaga's campus.
This fall, EWU competed at the WSU Cougar Classic and the ITA Northwest Regional. Leandra Nizetic won three singles matches to win her bracket. In doubles, Eastern won eight out of 11 matches, including Zoe Pradel and Olivia Marais winning their bracket. Nizetic added a win in doubles with freshman Maria Lopez as well.
2025 EWU football tickets are now on sale! Join Spokane County's team for all five home games at Roos Field in Cheney starting as low as $99. Group tickets, fundraising options and single game tickets are also available. For more info, visit goeags.com/fbtickets or contact the EWU Ticket Office at 509-359-6059 or tickets@ewu.edu.
2025 EWU volleyball tickets are now on sale! Join Spokane County's team for all ten home games at Reese Court in Cheney. For more info, visit https://goeags.evenue.net/list/VB or contact the EWU Ticket Office at 509-359-6059 or tickets@ewu.edu.
Women's basketball season tickets are now on sale! Claim your seats at Reese Court for the 2025-26 season by visiting goeags.com/tickets to purchase online.
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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