CHENEY, Wash. — Eastern Washington athletics will be sending the majority of its teams into competition this week, with eight teams competing and conference games starting. Coming off a home win, football begins Big Sky competition this week against No. 4/6 Montana State in Bozeman. Volleyball also begins conference games, opening against the Bobcats in Cheney and Northern Colorado in Greeley. Soccer's first Big Sky game has them against Weber State in Ogden and Idaho State back at home. Women's golf hosts the Kalispel Invitational today and tomorrow in Spokane. Men's golf has a two-day road trip to compete in The Tindall to continue its season. Cross Country also goes west, but to Cali for the UC Riverside Invitational. Women's Tennis has its first competition of the fall schedule in Pullman.
Football - at No. 4/6 Montana State (Saturday, Sep. 27 at 1 p.m. PST/2 p.m. MST)
Eastern Washington begins its Big Sky schedule this week, traveling to Bozeman to face Montana State on Saturday. The game kicks off at 1 p.m. Pacific Time, 2 p.m. Mountain Time. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and broadcast live on Scripps Sports. Listen to the game live on 700 ESPN with the voices of the Eagles, Larry Weir and Paul Sorensen.
Montana State enters the game ranked No. 4 in the Stats Perform Top 25 and No. 6 in the AFCA Coaches' Poll.
The Eagles hosted Western Illinois in their home opener this past week, and delivered a 52-31 win to secure the team's first victory of the season. Eastern scored first and moved the ball well all game against the Leathernecks. WIU was able to match EWU on scores and keep the game competitive into the second half. In the third quarter, the Eagles scored 10 points and added 15 more in the fourth to put away the Leathernecks. For the game, Eastern out-gained WIU, 597 to 358 in total yards, posting 325 rushing yards.
Nate Bell, making his first start at Roos Field, totaled 416 yards of offense - 144 rushing and 272 passing - and accounted for five touchdowns, three rushing and two throwing.
Noah Cronquist tallied 230 all-purpose yards, with 98 punt return yards, 80 kick return yards and 52 receiving yards. Eastern improved to 1-3 this season.
Bell leads EWU in scoring this season with six touchdowns, with all six on the ground. The redshirt-sophomore ranks third in the Big Sky in touchdowns and scoring. With 67.3 rushing yards per game, Bell is seventh in the conference and sixth in total rushing yards (269). Bell's two passing touchdowns against WIU were his first career touchdown passes.
Cronquist has emerged as one of the top returners in the Big Sky, ranking second in both kick return average (25.6) and punt return average (15.3). He is first in punt return yards (122) and second in kick return yards (205). The redshirt-senior is also the team's leading receiver with 14 receptions for 190 yards.
On defense, Myles Mayovsky and Bryce Smith lead the team with 24.0 tackles. Mayovsky has 15 solo tackles, one sack and three for a loss. Smith has 16 solo tackles and a 0.5 sack as a true freshman. Read Sunn has 2.0 sacks this season to lead the team and he is tied for third with 22.0 tackles.
Women's Golf - Kalispel Invitational (Sep. 22-23, Mon.-Tues., All Day)
Eastern Washington hosts the Kalispel Invitational this week at the Kalispel Country Club in Spokane. The tournament begins today with two rounds and finishes with round three tomorrow. The Eagle lineup includes Berkley Ledesma, Lexie Mahler, Esha Reddy, Brooke Mahler and Spencer Cerenzia. Natalie Kent and Mia Cho will be competing as individuals.
EWU opened the 2025-26 season last week in Bozeman, Mont. at the Yellowstone Invitational. Eastern placed seventh among 11 teams with a 896 (+32) final score. Ledesma tied for 15th on the individual leaderboard, shooting 219 (+3) during the two-day tournament. Freshman Mahler tied for 31st in her first collegiate tournament, shooting 226 (+10).
Men's Golf - at The Tindall (Sep. 22-23, Mon.-Tues., All Day)
Eastern heads to Bremerton, Wash. for The Tindall tournament, starting today and concluding tomorrow. The Eagles play two rounds today and one tomorrow. The tournament will be held at the Gold Mountain Golf Course. Competing for the Eagles will be Cal Anderson, Jason Bustos, Hogan Park, Eli McNelly and Lucas Hughes.
Two weeks ago, the EWU men returned to the course for the first time in 23 years, playing at the Palouse Collegiate. Eastern placed 10th on the team leaderboard, shooting 849 (-3). Anderson was the Eagles' top performer, finishing in a tie for 24th with a 209 (+1) score. McNelly shot 213 (E) to place 30th.
Women's Soccer – at. Weber State (Thursday, Sept. 25 at 5 p.m. PST), vs Idaho State (Sunday, Sept. 28 at 1 p.m.) - Free Admission
Eastern Washington women's soccer opens Big Sky play on the road this week, traveling to Weber State on Thursday, Sept. 25, for a 5 p.m. (PST) kickoff before returning home to Cheney to host Idaho State on Sunday, Sept. 28, at 1 p.m. at the EWU Sports & Recreation Field.
The Eagles enter conference play following a tough 2-1 setback to Pacific this past Sunday in Cheney. The Tigers struck early in the 7th minute, but Eastern answered with relentless offensive pressure, outshooting Pacific 20-13 while holding a 6-3 edge in corner kicks.
Delani Walker netted the equalizer in the 48th minute, converting a penalty kick for her sixth goal of the season. Walker led the attack with five shots, four on target. Despite several quality chances, Pacific's goalkeeper kept the Eagles at bay before the visitors converted a decisive penalty in the 90th minute.
Kamryn Willoughby recorded five saves in goal, while Chloe Pattison and Kendall Moore combined for seven shots to fuel the offense. With the result, Eastern moves to 4-3-3 overall heading into Big Sky play.
Women's Volleyball – vs. Montana State (Wednesday, Sept. 24 at 6 p.m.), at Northern Colorado (Saturday, Sept. 27 at 5 p.m. PST) - Get Tickets
Eastern Washington volleyball opens Big Sky play at home this week, hosting Montana State on Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 6 p.m. in Reese Court. The Eagles then hit the road for a matchup at Northern Colorado on Saturday, Sept. 27, at 5 p.m. (PST).
The Eagles wrapped up non-conference action this past weekend at the Eastern Volleyball Tournament, where they battled through three hard-fought matches. Eastern secured a five-set victory over Seattle U, pushed Gonzaga to another five-set thriller, and capped the weekend with a competitive straight-set contest against Washington State in Pullman. EWU enters conference play with a 2-10 overall record.
Outside hitter Kalista Lukovich powered the offense with 51 kills, earning All-Tournament honors. Middle blocker Alyssa Radke etched her name into the program record books with eight solo blocks in a single set against Seattle, finishing the weekend with 19 total blocks. Libero Elle Bruegman anchored the back row with 28 digs.
Head coach Jon Haruguchi praised his team's progress against challenging opponents, saying, "I'm really proud of how we've progressed." Lukovich added that the group's togetherness and execution continue to be a driving force.
Match highlights included EWU's comeback over Seattle, capped by a dominant 15-8 finish in the fifth set, a tight battle with Gonzaga that slipped away 15-13 in the deciding frame, and a late push in the third set at Washington State before narrowly falling 25-23.
Cross Country – at UC Riverside Invitational (Saturday, Sept. 27 at 7:15 a.m.)
Eastern Washington cross country is set for its first true road test of the season, traveling to Riverside, Calif., for the UC Riverside Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 27. The women's 6K will kick off at 7:15 a.m., followed by the men's 8K at 7:50 a.m.
The Eagles head into the meet with momentum after a strong performance at the WSU Cougar Classic in Colfax, Wash. The women's squad placed second overall with 77 points, finishing just behind host Washington State. Senior Nattie Ruzauskas led the way in 11th place (21:47.2), with fellow seniors Rylee Brandon (14th, 22:03.0) and Rhiannon Davies (15th, 22:06.1) close behind.
On the men's side, Eastern earned fifth place with 132 points. Junior Owen Higgins paced the team in 33rd (25:02.6), while freshman Grady Fournier delivered an impressive debut at the distance with a 36th-place finish (25:12.3).
Head coach Erin Tucker praised the women's consistency and the men's improvement in racing tactics, noting both groups are making strides as the season builds toward championship competition.
Women's Tennis - at WSU Cougar Classic (Sep. 26-28, Fri.-Sun., All Day)
The 2025-26 season begins for Eastern this weekend, as they travel south to compete at the WSU Cougar Classic. The tournament covers the whole weekend, starting on Sunday and concluding on Sunday.
Dustin Hinson begins his 14th year leading the Eagles. He returns five players from last year in seniors Leandra Nizetic, Sara Vasic and Anait Arutiunian, along with sophomores Zoe Pradel and Olivia Marais. Hinson adds three freshmen with Aneliss Zamfirescu, Maria Lopez and Veronika Gayevyk.
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.
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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