FARMINGTON, Utah — The Big Sky Conference released its 2025 Outdoor Track & Field coaches' preseason poll, where the Eastern men's team earned a tie for sixth place, while the women's team ranked seventh. Eastern Washington University's track and field teams kicked off their outdoor season in impressive fashion last weekend at the Oregon Preview and the Buc Scoring Meet.
 
The Eagle men garnered 44 points, while the women secured 42. Northern Arizona led the rankings for both genders, with the men's team receiving 98 points and the women's team earning 99.
 
At the 2025 Big Sky Indoor Championships in February, EWU's men finished tied for sixth place, and the women placed seventh.
 
Earlier this week, Caitlin Simmons was named Big Sky Female Field Athlete of the Week following her standout performance at the Oregon Preview. This marks her sixth career Big Sky Field Athlete of the Week honor. Simmons dominated the long jump with a leap of 6.00m, securing first place, and finished second in the triple jump with a mark of 12.58m. Currently, Simmons ranks first in the Big Sky for both the long jump and triple jump. She is also ranked 21st in the NCAA in the triple jump and 30th in the NCAA for the long jump.
 
Maddy Shekhawat continued his strong indoor performance, winning the 110m hurdles with a time of 14.08, moving to No. 2 on Eastern's all-time list. Enoch Okoh placed third in the 100m with a time of 10.73 but impressed in the 200m, winning the event with a time of 21.57—his first victory for EWU. Diana Fernandez led the women's 400m with a fourth-place finish of 57.71. Sydney Thweatt set a personal record of 1:02.95 in the 400m hurdles to take the win, while Magdalena Slomska finished seventh with a time of 1:06.73.
 
Dyvhon Fonoti placed third in the shot put with a throw of 42.03m, while her sister, Dyvhine Fonoti, finished sixth in the discus. Suzi Woodall took fifth place in the pole vault with a clearance of 3.73m. Mason Moore placed sixth in the discus with a throw of 48.12m, and Zoe Dunn set a personal best of 11.56m in the triple jump, finishing fourth and moving to No. 10 on the all-time list.
 
Blake Garza tied for sixth in the high jump with a clearance of 1.85m. Logan Ashbeck finished fifth in the javelin with a throw of 57.40m. Nattie Ruzauskas led the women's 5000m, placing fifth with a time of 17:12.95, moving to No. 9 on the all-time list. Rylee Brandon was sixth in the 5000m with a time of 17:13.69, entering the No. 10 spot on the all-time list, while Jasmin Muneton finished seventh in 17:25.66.
 
Evan Peters placed seventh in the 5000m with a time of 14:24.01, moving to No. 8 on the all-time list. Noah Hasselblad was eighth with a time of 14:24.78. Owen Higgins also set a personal record in the 1500m with a time of 3:55.28.
 
Eastern Washington will be back in action next Saturday (April 5) at the Whitworth Peace Meet in Spokane.

Preseason Polls
2025 Big Sky Men's Outdoor Track & Field Coaches' Poll 
 
1) Northern Arizona (8) – 98 
2) Montana State (2) – 92 
3) Montana – 75
4) Northern Colorado – 68
5) Idaho – 56
T6) Eastern Washington – 44
T6) Sacramento State - 44 
8) Weber State – 37
9) Idaho State – 26
10) Portland State – 10 
 
2025 Big Sky Women's Outdoor Track & Field Coaches' Poll 
 
1) Northern Arizona (9) – 99
2) Montana State (1) – 91
3) Sacramento State – 79
4) Montana – 65
5) Idaho State – 56
6) Idaho – 49
7) Eastern Washington – 42
8) Weber State – 39
9) Northern Colorado – 20
10) Portland State – 10
 
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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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