SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Eastern Washington University track and field teams continued their strong showing at the Big Sky Conference Championships in Sacramento, California, hosted by Sacramento State. Day three was packed with standout performances, personal bests, and another championship title for the Eagles.
"We are 3 days into the Big Sky Championship, and we are having fun," said Director of Track and Field / Cross Country
Erin Tucker. "The Jump Queen got her long jump title back from Indoor and she did it dramatic fashion sitting 5th I believe in the finals; her 4th jump was all she needed to get her crown back. It was a great competition and a great field and that is what we love. Tuti was 4th and was over 20ft, EWU has definitely elevated the women's LJ in the Big Sky and Coach Jo is the architect!"
Egypt
Caitlin Simmons delivered once again in the long jump, winning gold for the second straight year with a leap of 6.30 meters (20-8). Her back-to-back titles highlight her dominance in the event. Teammate Tuti
Kimberly Smith came close to joining her on the podium, finishing just behind in fourth place.
"Maj and the Jav throwers said 4th place looks like a good landing spot for us. They came in ranked outside of the top-5 and both got 4th, how about that? Great job for Saira in her 1st Big Sky meet, wait & see what she does next year! Cort and Mason were 4th and 8th and Mason needed a PR to get there. I am happy for him as he has been close to scoring, and he finally got it done. Cort is another one we need to watch for in the future, he's just getting started!"
In the field events,
Saira Schoener threw a season-best 41.78 meters (137-1) in the javelin to finish fourth overall.
Dyvhon Fonoti narrowly missed scoring in the discus, placing ninth with a throw of 43.81 meters (143-8).
"The day started off in the Men's Jav with Logan hitting his season best as he secured fourth place for us! It is good to see him back over 200ft, he definitely put a smile on Coach Maj's face!"
On the men's side,
Logan Ashbeck posted a season-best 61.86 meters (202-11) in the javelin to take fourth.
Cort Gebbers led the Eagles in the discus with a fourth-place throw of 52.65 meters (172-09), and
Mason Moore added to the team's point total by placing eighth with a personal-best mark of 49.25 meters (161-07).
"Moving on to a first-year athlete in Coach Jo's Flight Crew! Blake tied for 8th and I am happy for him for sure. Next year is going to be a big year for him! In the high jump,
Blake Garza tied for eighth place with a clearance of 1.92 meters (6-3.50)."
Eastern saw several breakthroughs on the track as well.
Nattie Ruzauskas opened the running events with a personal-best time of 10:39.28 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, which moved her to fourth on EWU's all-time list.
Kaiya Sollie followed with a lifetime best of 2:12.03 in the 800 meters, finishing 12th overall and climbing to fifth in school history.
"We have a hand full of finalists on the track for tomorrow, we recognize these names from indoor as Maddy won his heat, Daniel won his heat, and Owen won his. We are excited about tomorrow and cannot wait for them to handle business in the finals! New to the finals is
Sydney Thweatt who secured the 6th qualifying spot with a PR and jumped into the top-10 list as well. She has had a great season, and tomorrow is going to be an amazing day for her."
In the sprint and middle-distance prelims,
Maddy Shekhawat won his heat in the 110-meter hurdles and placed second overall with a time of 14.13, securing a spot in the final.
Daniel Gaik also qualified for finals, winning his 400-meter heat in 47.31 and ranking second overall.
Owen Higgins advanced in the 800 meters after winning his heat in 1:50.94, placing sixth overall.
Sydney Thweatt continued the streak of personal bests, advancing to the 400-meter hurdles final with a time of 1:01.30 — the ninth-fastest in program history.
Enoch Okoh faced tough luck in both sprint events. He finished second in his 100-meter heat but placed 11th overall, missing the final. In the 200 meters, he was edged out by just 0.001 seconds, finishing ninth with a time of 21.55.
In the day's final individual race,
Noah Hasselblad clocked a time of 30:34.76 to finish tenth in the 10,000 meters.
"Starting off with Ella, a first year student getting 7th in the Heptathlon is huge! Great job to Coach Jo for following up an amazing indoor Pent to scoring again outdoor."
Ella Seelhoff gave a strong showing in the heptathlon, finishing seventh overall with a personal-best score of 4,486 points, which moved her to ninth on EWU's all-time list. After day one, she stood in eighth place, having recorded personal bests in all four events, including sixth place finishes in both the 100-meter hurdles and high jump. On day two, she continued her momentum with a personal-best long jump of 5.13 meters (16-10) and capped off the competition with a four-second PR in the 800 meters, running 2:26.25 to finish third in the event.
Championship action resumes Saturday, with events beginning at 10 a.m. Fans can watch the competition live on ESPN+.
"Now we get back to the hotel, rest up and get ready to rock and roll for the finals! We add the relays and look to bring home more points! Let's get it Eags, stay tuned for tomorrow!"
New EWU All-Time Top Ten
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.
FOLLOW THE EAGLES
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
