Records broken by Washington schools at Cougar Classic
PULLMAN - The Washington State Cougars hosted the Cougar Classic Friday that saw fellow Washington colleges like the Eastern Washington Eagles and Central Washington Wildcats compete.
"It's an honor to compete at WSU. Our athletes have a deep respect for the program's rich history, and it brings meaning to every event for us," Wildcats Head Coach Jonathan Hill said in a statement by CWU Athletics.
Central Washington
The Wildcats delivered a strong all-around showing at the WSU Cougar Classic, highlighted by multiple event victories, personal bests, and nationally ranked performances, according to a statement by CWU Athletics.
"Being within a week of our championships, we had a couple of goals: qualify and polish. We accomplished both goals," Hill said. "It wasn't our primary focus, but our women won the meet and made the statement that we're one of the best teams in the Northwest. It was a strong all-around effort with big contributions from distance and throws."
Freshman Colton Magruder led the men's sprints with wins in both the 100 meters (10.62) and 200 meters (21.04). His personal-best time in the 200 moved him to No. 23 in NCAA Division II this season and fourth all-time in Great Northwest Athletic Conference history. Senior Elise Hopper added another victory for the Wildcats in the women's 200 meters, finishing in 23.76.
In the women's 4x400 relay, Ellie DeGroot, Carley Huber, Donna Marie Harris, and Hopper teamed up for a first-place finish in 3:41.54. The season-best mark ranks ninth nationally and breaks their own CWU school record to place third in GNAC history. DeGroot also won the women's 400-meter hurdles in 1:00.56, while Harris placed second in the women's 400 meters in 57.78.
In distance events, Luke Hurd won the men's 5000 meters in 15:16.08, leading a Wildcats sweep of the top three with Kellen McInelly second and Ares Van Straaten third. On the women's side, Lillian Neff won the 5000 meters in a personal-best 17:45.55, followed closely by Hannah Pidduck in second with another personal best.
In the field events, Cariann Bryant claimed the women's pole vault title, while Tehya Moore placed second in the triple jump with an NCAA Division II top-50 mark. Cal'von Baker added a runner-up finish in the men's high jump, and Dan Close, Bailey Board and Maliyah Gordon each recorded third-place finishes in the throws.
Eastern Washington
The Eagles saw a school record fall, multiple personal bests, and several top finishes across both meets, continuing to build momentum as the postseason approaches, according to a statement by EWU Athletics.
"Quick trip down to the Palouse didn't disappoint. After coming so close to the school record last week, Lexi Meyer decided she'd just go ahead and take it this week," said Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Erin Tucker. "Congrats to her, she's now the best of all time. Coach K is doing a remarkable job with that group, and they're not done yet."
On the men's side, Cort Gebbers uncorked a personal-best throw of 55.22m in the discus, improving his No. 3 standing in the EWU record book and moving to No. 67 in the NCAA. Logan Ashbeck claimed first in the javelin with a season-best mark of 63.78m.
In the shot put, Jason Nwaka recorded a season-best throw of 16.27m (53-4.50) to finish second, while Koda Woodard placed fourth, Bryson Chase sixth, and Javen Livas seventh. On the track, Henry Nelson finished fourth in the 800m with a time of 1:52.88.
On the women's side, Meyer highlighted the day by breaking the 800m school record (previously set in 2018) with a time of 2:10.33. Sara Sanders led the Eagles in the 3000m steeplechase with a first-place finish (11:05.11), while Rylee Brandon placed fourth. Ifechi Okoye added a third-place finish in the 400m.
In the field events, Ashley Fuller took second in the discus with a throw of 42.61m. Capping off the meet, the mixed 4x400m relay team of Okoye, Plant, Meyer, and Nelson raced to a first-place finish in 3:39.79.
Washington State
In addition to hosting, the Cougars also recognized eight seniors, according to a statement by WSU Athletics.
The Women's 1500m started the afternoon for the Cougs, with Senior Maya Nichols winning the race in a time of 4 minutes and 31.46 seconds. Faith Kipmaiyo started the first heat strong, about 50 meters ahead of the rest of the runners.
She held her lead through the first 800 meters but Maya Nichols was gaining ground into the final 400 meters. Nichols and Alvarado battled it out down the last 100 stretch with Nichols coming out on top of the first heat.
In the second heat, Kaleena Narus ran a strong race, finishing first in her heat and 11th overall. Lauren Hoyt set a personal best time of 4 minutes and 49.15 seconds, good for 13th overall and 3rd in her heat.
The next race of the day was the Henry Rono Memorial Mile in which Evans Kurui took home first with a time of 4 minutes and 3.88 seconds. Ku Stevens started the race out strong, leading after the first 400 meters.
Koech and Kurui were battling for the first-place position after the first half of the race. Kurui took the lead going into the home stretch and just missed out on the sub-4-minute mile. Vincent Koech finished 2nd overall with a time of 4 minutes and 8.49 seconds.
Josphat Meli also finished in the top 5 with a time of 4 minutes and 12.84 seconds. In the second heat, Muhammed Ahmed ran a competitive race, finishing fourth in his heat and 12th overall.
Hailey Cossey was the highest finisher for the Cougs in the Women's 800m, finishing third with a personal best time of 2 minutes and 15.64 seconds. Her time was just behind former Coug Maya McCabe who finished first. Lindsay Siebert also gave a strong performance, finishing in sixth. Chase Bartlett ran in the 800, finishing in sixth with a season-best time of 1 minute and 54.26 seconds.
WA team results
Place, team, score
Men
2- Central Washington, 77
3- Eastern Washington, 48
5- Washington State, 23
Women
1- Central Washington, 182
3- Eastern Washington, 40
4- Washington State, 36
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