CHENEY, Wash. — Finals week is here and Eastern Washington athletics has to move right into competition at the end of the week. Women's tennis hosts another conference foe on Friday, before traveling for a non-conference tilt on Saturday. Track and Field resumes competition and opens outdoor season in Spokane. Men's golf is rested and travels for a three-day competition in San Diego.
Track and Field – at Sam Adams Classic (Friday, March 20 All Day)
The Eastern Washington Track and Field teams kick off their outdoor campaign at the Sam Adams Classic at Whitworth University. The meet starts at 2 p.m. with the women's discus throw and the men's shot put. The track events start at 2:30 p.m., with the women's 3000m.
The women are coming off a sixth place finish at the Big Sky Indoor Championships with Judith Koumedzina being the only women to medal. She finished second in the 200m and third in the 60m. Jordan Grady was just one spot away from medaling in the 60m hurdles and looks to be a threat in the 100m hurdles. Suzi Woodall was atop the pole vault standing until the Conference Championships where she finished fifth but is a continuous threat in the pole vault. In the Triple Jump, Manthita Wague finished fifth, while Azaria Purdy was eight.
On the men's side, Maddy Shekhawat was the only medalist as he repeated as champion in the 60m hurdles. He has his eyes on that outdoor record where he was just.12 seconds away from the record last season. Newcomer, Alex Blech looks to etch his name into the record books and medal outdoors in the pole vaults, after he finished fourth as just a freshman. Merci Migani grabbed some pivotal points for the Eagles finishing sixth in the long jump and fifth in the triple jump.
The Eagles will have ten total meets before heading to Portland, Oregon for the Big Sky Outdoor Championships on Wednesday, May 13 through Saturday, May 16. The one that qualifies for the NCAA First Rounds, will head to Fayetteville, Ark, on Wednesday, May 27 - May 30.
Women's Tennis - vs. Sacramento State (Friday, March 20 at 11 a.m.) - Free Admission, at Washington State (Saturday, March 21 at 1 p.m.)
EWU looks to remain perfect in the Big Sky as they host Sacramento State on Friday at the Jim Thorpe Fieldhouse. First serve is set for 11 a.m. The next day, the Eagles travel south to play Washington State in Pullman for one final non-conference matchup of the season.
Eastern is 2-0 in conference matches and 8-4 overall, winning seven of its last eight matches.
To open Big Sky competition, the Eagles earned 4-3 wins over both Montana State and Montana, playing in Cheney. Against the Bobcats, EWU rallied in singles with four wins to earn their first conference win of the season.
Olivia Marais clinched the victory for the Eagles at No. 5 singles with a two-set win (7-5, 6-0) over MSU's Lola Bean. The Griz were next up and Eastern started quickly, securing the doubles point. Montana fought back in singles and the match was tied at three, coming down to Marais at No. 5 again. Reminiscent of the first match of her week,
Marais secured the win, battling to a three-set win (3-6, 6-2, 6-1) over the Griz's Paige Bott.
Following two match-clinching wins, Marais earned her first career Big Sky Tennis Player of the Week. She was 2-0 in singles and 1-1 in doubles during the first conference slate.
Men's Golf – UC San Diego Invitational (Sunday-Tuesday, March 22-24, All Day)
Eastern gets back to its spring schedule this week after a week off. They travel to San Diego, Calif. For the UC San Diego Invitational. The tournament begins on Sunday and runs through Tuesday, with one round each day at Torrey Pines Golf Course.
Two weeks ago, the Eagles competed at the Bandon Dunes Championship in Bandon, Ore. The team finished with a score of +25 (877), placing 12th. For individuals,
Hogan Park was the top-placing eagle, tying for 23rd on the leaderboard. Park shot 70s in rounds one and three. He was +1 (214) for the tournament overall.
Cal Anderson tied for 35th after shooting +4 (217). Anderson notched a 70 in the second round.
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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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