SPOKANE, Wash. – The Eagles split their squad this weekend, with the distance crew competing in California while the rest of the team turned in a dominant showing at the Whitworth Twilight. Eastern totaled 13 first-place finishes and added a new top-10 mark, while three athletes competing in California made moves in the record book—two climbing to No. 2 all-time and one entering at No. 9.
Whitworth Twilight
The men delivered a strong performance at the Whitworth Twilight, collecting six first-place finishes despite less-than-ideal conditions.
"Today was a day you had to grit your teeth and push through," Director of Track & Field/Cross Country
Erin Tucker said. "It was colder than we would have liked, but you still must put your best foot forward and work. Meets like today are not about wins and losses, times and marks, it is about executing. Did you execute what you and your coach have been working on or not? It's a simple yes or no. Folks are waking up, and I like what I am seeing."
Maddy Shekhawat led the way in the hurdles, winning the 100m hurdles in 14.15 and placing second in the 400m hurdles at 55.69, while
Toren Garcia took third. In the 100m,
Kris Phennicie returned to competition with a second-place finish (10.73), followed by
Enoch Okoh in third and
Mason Davis in fifth. Okoh later claimed the 200m title in 22.00.
In the 400m,
Malachi South won in 49.34, with
Modou Kinteh placing second,
Tristan Breier fourth, and
Jordan McKenzie fifth. On the distance side,
Noah Holden finished second and
Grady Fournier fourth, while
Charlie Ledwith added a fourth-place finish in the 5000m with a personal-best 14:53.36.
In the field events,
Cort Gebbers won the discus with a throw of 53.43m (175-3) and added a third-place finish in the hammer (55.58m / 182-4).
Javen Livas placed sixth in the hammer and third in the shot put, while
Logan Ashbeck claimed the javelin title (63.08m / 206-11) in his continued return to form.
"Aaaaaand
Logan Ashbeck is back!" Tucker said. "I am happy to see him getting back into good form. He has struggled with some injuries since last season, and I am glad he is finally getting healthy. He is not done."
Tucker also pointed to big things ahead for the throws group.
"I am calling it now, Cort is about to unload something crazy in the discus, so stay tuned," she added.
Alex Blecha rounded out the men's wins, clearing 4.95m (16-2.75) to take first in the pole vault.
"Jumps and vault were solid today as usual," Tucker said. "Both groups are in a great place for points at the conference meet.
Alex Blecha is steady in the vault, and I see that 17-foot barrier coming soon."
On the women's side, the Eagles secured seven first-place finishes, six on the track and one in the field, highlighted by strong performances throughout the lineup.
Gilana Wollman led the way with two wins, taking the 100m (12.14) and 200m (25.25).
Rachel Hardy placed third in the 200m with a personal-best 27.51, while
Cerae Mahabeer finished fourth.
In the 100m hurdles,
Jordyn Grady won in 14.25, recording a personal best and moving into fifth all-time in program history. Mahabeer followed with a runner-up, PR performance, while Hardy placed third.
Ashleigh Burke claimed the 400m title in 59.48, with
Abigail MacDonald finishing fourth. In the 400m hurdles,
Melia Middleton won in 1:00.73 with a personal best, followed by
Sydney Thweatt (second), Grady (third), and
Magdalena Slomska (fourth).
Tucker was especially impressed with the 400m hurdles group.
"How about Melia? She has not run a 400IH race in two years and jumps to No. 8 all-time. Conference is in four weeks, and I am hyped," Tucker said. "Great bounce-back run for Syd—her second-fastest time ever. She has more there too, and I can't wait."
In the 800m,
Charlotte Terry took first in 2:17.76, while Rylee Bradon placed second in the 1500m.
In the field events,
Shai Gray led a dominant long jump group with a winning mark of 5.87m (19-3.25), followed by
Samarra Davis,
Zoe Dunn,
Lenah Martin,
Madison Bond, and
Azaria Purdy, who swept the next five places.
Frania Barba-Romero finished second in the pole vault (3.75m / 12-3.50), with
Kirsten Anderson third and
Josie Anselmo fourth.
Ashley Fuller placed third in the discus, while Anne Ship took second in the high jump (1.58m / 5-2.25).
Looking ahead, Tucker is excited for what's next.
"Next up, Coach K has a small group of middle-distance runners at the Bryan Clay Invite," she said. "We should see some fireworks there for sure."
Bryan Clay Invitational
"Our 800-meter group had a standout day. Having two athletes move up to No. 2 all-time marks a huge step forward, and those school records are firmly in sight. With three personal bests and two season bests, we saw exactly what we needed heading into day two."
The distance crew made the trip to California and delivered strong performances across the board.
Lexi Meyer highlighted the weekend with a personal-best time of 2:10.63 in the 800m, moving into second place on Eastern Washington's all-time list, just .02 seconds shy of the school record.
In the 800m open B,
Rhiannon Davies placed 44th with a time of 2:13.96, while
Emma Tomlinson finished 80th. In the 5000m open B,
Sara Sanders took 55th with a time of 17:31.42, and
Adrienne Root placed 56th in the open C section. Sanders closed out the trip with another personal best, clocking 4:32.43 in the 1500m to improve her No. 9 standing on the all-time list.
On the men's side,
Owen Higgins ran 1:49.32 in the 800m invite, finishing 45th and moving into second all-time at Eastern Washington. In the 800m open A, Henery Nelson placed 52nd, while
Nathan Plant finished 86th. In the 5000m open C,
Conner Wirth turned in a time of 14:42.13 to place 33rd.
New EWU All-Time Top Ten
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