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Several athletes for Washington State University recorded lifetime-best marks during the weekend at the Husky Classic indoor track and field meet at the Dempsey Indoor Facility. 

The highlight of the weekend for the Cougars was the individual performance of  Jacob Sealby, a sophomore from Wenatchee. Sealby won the men’s 400 meter dash Saturday with a lifetime-best time of 47.35 seconds, shaving .50 seconds off his previous personal record.

Other notable performances included personal records out of men’s distance runners Andrew Kimpel, Drew Jordan and Lee George as well as women’s runners Shawna Fermin, Caroline Austin and Cindy Robinson.

Cougar Head Coach Rick Sloan said while the personal records are nice, the athletes still expect better - an attitude Sloan feels will benefit the Cougars longterm.

“Across the board, most of our distance runners are not sharp yet, but they did a good job and a lot got PRs and are not happy with their marks,” Sloan said. “That is a good thing as they are going to continue to get better.”

The weekend’s meet featured the toughest competition to date for the Cougars as it was the first time going up against top Div. I athletes. Sloan said he is encouraged by the way the Cougars handled the competition.

“Overall, I think the Cougars performed well and stepped up to the plate where the challenges were and did a pretty good job,” Sloan said. “I’m encouraged by the progress we are making.”

The Cougars’ next challenge will be the Vandal Collegiate Meet on Feb. 18 in Moscow. Later this month the Cougars will compete in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships.

Sloan said he expects much improvement during the next couple weeks before the championships. He said he is happy expectations are high among athletes.

“They need to fulfill those expectations and we’ll be pretty good,” Sloan said.