CHENEY, Wash. — With March on the horizon, Eastern Washington athletics is moving into postseason-mode. Men's basketball hosts two games, including senior night, to close out its home schedule for the season. Women's basketball travels for two games to complete its road slate for the regular season. Track and Field will be in Flagstaff, Ariz. for the Big Sky Indoor Championships, starting Thursday. Men's tennis has a packed weekend with three matches, including one at home. Women's tennis has a short road trip to Moscow for its first conference match of the season. Women's soccer begins its spring schedule with a visit from the Cougars. 

Men's Basketball – vs Weber State (Thursday, February 27 at 6 p.m. Pacific Time), vs Idaho State (Saturday, March 1 at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time)

The Eagles will play their final home games of the season as they take on Weber State on Thursday, February 27 at 6 p.m., followed by a Senior Night matchup against Idaho State on Saturday, March 1 at 2 p.m. During the Idaho State game, seniors Andrew Cook, Sam Stockton, and Pavlo Dziuba will be honored for their contributions to the team.

Andrew Cook joined the Eagles this season from Carroll College, where he was named an NAIA All-American. He has been a standout player, averaging 15.7 points per game. Cook has started 25 games this season, and appeared in all 28 games so far, leading the team with 437 points and an impressive free throw percentage of 87.8%. He currently leads the Big Sky Conference in free throw percentage and ranks fourth in field goal percentage with an outstanding 55.2%.

Sam Stockton came to Eastern from Lewis and Clark State and has appeared in every game this season. Known as a key playmaker, Stockton set a career-high for assists with five on two occasions. His ability to facilitate the offense has been crucial for the Eagles' success.
Pavlo Dziuba transferred to Eastern from High Point University, after stops at Maryland and Arizona State. He has appeared in 22 games this season and scored a career-high seven points in the game against Lincoln.

Recently, the Eagles have faced some tough losses despite strong individual performances. Against Northern Colorado, they were outshot 45.9% to 66.7%, and struggled to control the boards, with the Bears dominating 32-22. Despite some strong efforts from key players like Andrew Cook and Mason Williams, the Eagles couldn't keep up with Northern Colorado's fast-paced offense and three-point shooting. The game ended with a 95-76 victory for the Bears, as the Eagles faced a second-half scoring drought they couldn't overcome.

In their game against Northern Arizona, Eastern Washington again faced a tough challenge. The Lumberjacks shot an impressive 61.8% from the field, while the Eagles struggled to match that efficiency, especially in the second half. Eastern started strong, with early three-pointers from Sebastian Hartmann and Elijah Thomas, but a dominant 11-0 run by NAU quickly put the Eagles on the defensive. Despite efforts from Andrew Cook and Mason Williams to keep the game close, Eastern was unable to break through NAU's defense and fell 87-67. The game highlighted ongoing challenges for the Eagles in maintaining offensive consistency and defending against high-powered teams.

Track and Field – Big Sky Indoor Championships hosted by Northern Arizona (February 27 – March 1, All Day) - Championship Central

The Eagles are set to head to Flagstaff, Arizona, for the Big Sky Indoor Championships hosted by Northern Arizona from February 27 to March 1. Multi-events kick off on Thursday, followed by a full slate of competition on Friday and Saturday, with finals scheduled for both days.

At last year's indoor championships, the women's team finished sixth, while the men placed ninth. Both squads are aiming to improve upon their finishes this year.

Several Eagles are entering the weekend with high expectations, boasting marks that rank near the top of the conference performance list. Maddy Shekhawat, for example, is ranked second in the 60m hurdles after setting the school record eight times this season.

In the long jump, Egypt Caitlin Simmons and Tuti Kimberly Smith are looking to make a splash, having both set school records earlier in the year. Currently, Smith is ranked second, while Simmons holds the third spot in the conference. In the triple jump, Simmons has made her mark as well, leading the conference with a jump of 12.89m—another school record she set earlier this season.

Kris Phennicie is ranked second in the 60m, having run a blazing 6.77 at the Spokane Invitational. Daniel Gaik enters the championships with the fourth-best time in the 400m, while Owen Higgins is ranked seventh in the 800m.

Eastern is well-represented in several top-three spots, with Suzi Woodall in the pole vault, Dyvhine Fonoti, and the Distance Medley Relay (DMR) team all heading into the championships in strong positions.

Women's Basketball – at Weber State (Thursday, Feb. 27 at 5 p.m. Pacific Time), at Idaho State (Saturday, March 1 at 1 p.m.)

Eastern Washington departs for its final road trip of the regular season this week, beginning on Thursday in Ogden, Utah against Weber State. They play their final road matchup against Idaho State on Saturday in Pocatello, Idaho. Both games are streamed live on ESPN+. 

EWU dropped two games last week, falling to Northern Colorado 50-46 this past Thursday night. The Eagles had a double digit lead in the fourth quarter, but UNC rallied with a 15-0 run to close the game and pull off the comeback. Eastern next hosted the No. 2 team in the conference, Northern Arizona, losing 88-77 to the Lumberjacks. After leading at halftime, EWU faced a scoring surge from NAU, as they blitzed with 34 points on 66.7 percent shooting in the quarter. Peyton Howard dropped a career-best 30 points against the 'Jacks.

Going into the last week of conference play, Eastern sits at seventh in the standings with a 6-9 league record and is 10-17 overall.

Howard averaged 21.5 points per game this past weekend and leads the team with a 14.5 per game average, also ranking fourth in the Big Sky. The Spokane Valley, Wash. native also leads the team in made threes (51), assists (94) and steals (41). She has scored in double figures in 22 of the team's 27 games this season, with four 20-plus scoring games. 

Despite not recording a double double this past week, Kourtney Grossman is still a two-way force in her freshman season. Grossman leads the NCAA in double doubles among freshmen, averaging 10.3 points per game and 10.2 rebounds. The Billings, Mont. native's rebounding average leads the Big Sky. 

As a team, EWU has a positive turnover margin at plus 0.41, ranking third in the conference. The Eagles average 14.9 turnovers per game and force 15.3 per game. 

Women's Tennis – at Idaho (Sunday, Mar. 2 at 11 a.m. Pacific Time)

Conference play is upon us, as EWU Women's Tennis will open Big Sky play this weekend in Moscow, when they take on the Idaho Vandals. The Eagles are 27-16 in Big Sky openers, and are 9-9 when opening conference play on the road. Last year, Eastern defended home court and defeated Montana State 4-3 to open Big Sky play.

The Eagles (2-6) will take on the Vandals (6-2) Sunday, March 1st at 11 a.m. The Vandals last week were ranked the 73rd overall team in the nation according to ITA Rankings. 

Eastern and Idaho will meet in their 57th all-time meeting. The Vandals hold a 51-5 overall record over the Eagles. Eastern last defeated Idaho 4-3 in 2021. Last season, the Vandals narrowly escaped Cheney in a 4-3 victory of the Eagles. This will be the fifth time EWU has opened Big Sky play against Idaho, holding a 3-1 record in conference openers between the two schools. 

Eastern went on the road to Portland last week to continue their long road stretch. The Portland Pilots were able to defend home court with a 6-1 victory over the Eagles. 

Junior Anait Arutiunian represented EWU in the No. 2 doubles and singles position. Arutiunian would win both matches and go 2-0 for the day. She would win her third singles dual-match victory of the season, and the fifth singles dual-match victory of her Eagle career. For doubles, 

Leandra Nizetic and Arutiunian represented the No. 2 doubles slot for the third time this season. They would record their second doubles victory of the season, with Arutiunian recording her eighth career doubles victory.

Men's Tennis – at Lewis-Clark State (Friday, Feb. 28 at 12 p.m. Pacific Time), at Whitman College (Saturday, March 1 at 3 p.m.), vs. Seattle University (Sunday, Mar. 2 at 12 p.m.)

Coming home from Hawai'i, the Eagles have a big weekend coming up. Conference play looms in the future, but EWU will have three matches this weekend before the start of the Big Sky season. 

The Eagles (0-9) will take on Lewis-Clark State (3-4) Friday, Feb. 28 at 12 p.m., Whitman College (3-1) Saturday, Mar. 1 at 3 p.m., and then host Seattle University (1-3) Sunday, Mar. 2 at 12 p.m.

EWU Tennis and Lewis-Clark State will meet for the 30th time, with the Warriors holding the series lead 16-13. Eastern has won the last eight meetings, including their last match in 2023 when they won in Lewiston 4-3. 

The Eagles and Whitman College meet for the 24th time in series history. The Blues are 13-10 overall against EWU,  but the Eagles have won the last eight meetings. The two last met in 2024, with EWU dominating in a 7-0 victory in Cheney. 

Eastern and Seattle University will meet in Cheney for the seventh time, and in their 21st all-time meeting. The Eagles are 16-4 overall against the Redhawks. The two last met in 2022, when the Redhawks snapped Eastern's five match series winning streak. The Eagles would drop that match 4-1 in Cheney. 

Last week in their two-match stint in Hawai'i, the Eagles would drop both matches 6-1 to Hawai'i Pacific and University of Hawai'i 

Against Hawai'i Pacific, Eastern recorded their first doubles point of the season. Eastern's No. 2 doubles Tyler Waddock/Drew Dillon would record their first doubles win of the season as a pair with a 6-3 victory. It was Waddock's third doubles win of the season, and the fifth of his college career. Drew Dillon earned his first doubles win of the season, and the 13th of his career.  

The No. 3 doubles Arshjot Bhatti/Brady Thomas would dominate in their first doubles win of the season as a pairing in a 6-2 victory. Bhatti earned his second doubles win of the season, and the sixth of his college career. Thomas would earn his first doubles win of the season, and the 11th of his career. Bhatti and Thomas moved to 3-5 all-time as double partners. 

Against the Rainbow Warriors, Caden Kammerer represented the Eagles in the No. 4 position. Kammerer would win two tiebreakers in his singles dual-match and earn his second singles dual-match win of the season for the sixth of his Eagle career.

Women's Soccer – vs. Washington State University (Saturday, Mar. 1 at 1 p.m.)

Spring soccer has already begun, but the Eagles get to face off against somebody other than themselves this week.

Their first test of their spring season will start this Saturday, Mar. 1 at 1 p.m., when they host Washington State on Roos Field. It will be one of four home matches this spring.

After a successful fall season and becoming one of the biggest turnarounds in the nation, the Eagles have their eyes set for a big 2025 spring. 

In the month of April, the Eagles will also host Peninsula College, Whitworth, and Gonzaga on EWU Soccer Field to wrap up spring home play. Eastern will then finish the spring in Ellensburg and take on Central Washington.

2025 Spring Schedule

• 3/1 vs. Washington State (on Roos Field) - 1 p.m.
• 4/6 vs. Peninsula College - 11 a.m.
• 4/12 vs. Whitworth - 1 p.m.
• 4/26 vs. Gonzaga - 1 p.m.
• 4/27 at Central Washington - TBA

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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.

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.

Season ticket renewals for the 2025 football season will begin at the end of January. The deadline to renew season ticket and tailgate packages is February 28th. New package sales will begin in March. For questions, contact the EWU Ticket Office at 509-359-6059 or at tickets@ewu.edu.

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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