SPOKANE, Wash. — Eastern Washington University track and field athletes had a standout performance at the Riverfront Invitational, held at The Podium powered by STCU, setting nine personal records.
"What I love about February is how everyone locks in," said Director of Track and Field / Cross Country
Erin Tucker. "It is not just us, but around the country February is the Go Month for indoor track and clearly by all the Personal Records, Season Best, New Entries to the top-10 list, School Records, and movement up Conference and National rankings. I love this month!"
Two school records were broken during the event: the Distance Medley Relay (DMR) and the 60-meter hurdles. The DMR team, consisting of
Nattie Ruzauskas,
Rhiannon Davies,
Sara Sanders, and
Jasmin Muneton, shattered the eight-year-old school record with a time of 11:51.03. The next day,
Maddy Shekhawat further cemented his dominance in the 60m hurdles, breaking his own record for the seventh time this season with a first-place finish and a time of 7.70.
"I talk to the team all the time about pushing a button, they know exactly what that button is and know it is time. We have one more regular season meet, 1st true road trip for the team at Seattle and whoever is not on that trip is back at the Podium. It is go time folks, we appreciate the Spokane Sports Commission for running amazing meets week in and week out! A small group will see them next week, the rest of us will see them and the Amazing Podium next year! Next stop Seattle let's get it! Go Eags!!!!!"
As a team, the Eagles recorded 26 personal bests and secured three first-place finishes.
Day 1 & Day 2
Ella Seelhoff kicked off the competition for the Eagles on Thursday, February 6, competing in the pentathlon. In the opening event, she set a new personal record with a time of 9.39 seconds, ultimately finishing 16th overall.
On Friday,
Dyvhon Fonoti earned a second-place finish in the weight throw with a personal-best toss of 17.83m (58ft 6in), securing her spot at number ten on the EWU All-Time list. Her sister,
Dyvhine Fonoti, followed with a fifth-place finish, throwing 16.99m (55ft 9in).
Caitlin Simmons (Egypt) jumped to a first-place finish in the long jump, leaping 6.19m (20ft 3.75in), which advanced her mark in the top ten list, although she remained in second place.
Kimberly Smith (Tuti) also had a strong performance, finishing third with a jump of 5.79m (19ft).
To cap off day two, the DMR team of
Nattie Ruzauskas,
Rhiannon Davies,
Sara Sanders, and
Jasmin Muneton shattered the eight-year-old school record, finishing in 11:51.03.
On the men's side,
Nic Cunningham set a new personal best in the long jump with a mark of 6.75m (22ft 1.75in), finishing in sixth place.
Blake Garza cleared 1.95m (6ft 4.75in) in the high jump to secure a fifth-place finish.
Owen Higgins ran a strong 800m race, clocking in at 1:52.31 to finish in fourth place.
Enoch Okoh made his mark in the 200m, running 21.79 to earn the ninth spot on the EWU All-Time list.
Day 3
Day three of the Riverfront Invitational started off with a bang as
Maddy Shekhawat broke his own 60m hurdles record for the seventh time this season, earning a first-place finish with a time of 7.70 seconds.
Kris Phennicie finished eighth in the 60m with a time of 6.89 seconds, but his best performance came in the prelims, where he clocked a 6.83.
Owen Higgins followed suit, setting a new personal record and securing a spot on the EWU All-Time top ten list at number five, with a second-place finish in the mile, running 4:11.62. In the 3000m,
Noah Hasselblad finished seventh with a time of 8:31.04, while
Marcus Lemon placed eighth just behind him.
Nic Cunningham was the lone Eagle in the triple jump, finishing fifth with a personal-best leap of 13.82m (45ft 4.25in).
On the women's side,
Nattie Ruzauskas and
Sara Sanders led the charge in the mile, finishing third and sixth, respectively. Ruzauskas ran 4:58.03 to secure third place, while Sanders set a new personal record with a time of 4:59.67, improving her position on the all-time list, although she stayed at number eight.
Caitlin Simmons dominated the triple jump, earning second place with a jump of 12.87m (42ft 2.75in).
Diana Fernandez was the top Eagle in the 400m, setting a new PR with a time of 56.78, which landed her at number eight on the EWU top-ten list.
In the distance events,
Jasmin Muneton finished seventh in the 3000m with a new PR of 9:55.00, improving her mark on the top-ten list.
Ellie Linnenburger was right behind her in eighth place.
New Top Ten
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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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