FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Eastern Washington sent six athletes to the NCAA West First Rounds, with one Eagle punching his ticket to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore.
"We brought the largest group since this staff arrived and we didn't disappoint," said Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Erin Tucker. "What you want to do at First Rounds is survive and advance. All six of our athletes came in ranked in the mid-to-high 30s up to the high 40s, and nearly everyone leaves ranked in the top 26. What does that mean? We all got better and beat the odds!"
Day Three
Cort Gebbers punched his ticket to the 2026 NCAA Track and Field Championships after finishing 11th overall in the discus. Gebbers dominated his flight, finishing first with a personal-best throw of 56.86m (186-6). He held the lead through two flights and moved into second all-time in Eastern Washington history.
"How about Cort Gebbers? Do you all believe me now?" Tucker said. "I told you a month ago he was going to uncork one, and he uncorked three PRs and punched his ticket to NCAAs! On the bus back from conference, I told him not to worry, he would be okay. He dropped to 50th after the weekend ended, and I told him he still had a chance. We had a few scratches and Cort entered the meet ranked 47th. I called him and told him he got in, and after he was done screaming, he said, 'Thank you coach for giving me the chance!' I told him the chance is all his now. Then he goes out, gets 11th, and punches his ticket to NCAAs. How about that? Amazing day for Eastern Washington! Back to NCAAs after a two-year break!"
Merci Migani wrapped up her season in the triple jump, finishing 42nd with a leap of 14.66m (48-1.25).
Day One
Maddy Shekhawat got the Eagles started in the 110m hurdles, running a 13.82 to finish 24th overall. He narrowly missed qualifying for the quarterfinals by one spot. While the top 24 advance, the athlete who finished 25th automatically qualified after placing third in his heat, leaving Shekhawat just outside the cut line.
Logan Ashbeck competed in the javelin after entering the meet ranked 44th in the West Region. He finished 26th overall with a throw of 62.95m (206-6).
Due to weather delays, the pole vault competition was moved to day two.
Day Two
Jordyn Grady narrowly missed qualifying for the quarterfinals in the 400m hurdles, finishing 26th overall. She ran a personal-best 58.25, moving into second all-time in the EWU record books.
Alex Blecha competed in the pole vault but recorded a no-height.
New EWU All-Time Top Ten
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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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