The WSU men’s and women’s track and field teams saw success in a split weekend, with athletes participating in the Spokane Sports Showcase on Friday, the Spokane Indoor Challenge on Friday/Saturday and the UW Indoor Preview Saturday.
With four overall wins and several PRs throughout Friday’s showing, the Cougs had strong performances from both freshmen and team veterans.
In his WSU debut, freshman Grant Buckmiller set a new program record with a time of 32.88 in the men’s 300m, finishing in first place and marking the sixth-fastest time in the nation this season.
Assistant coach Gabriel Mvumvure said that throughout the recruiting process, he knew Buckmiller would be an integral addition to the team’s sprint and hurdle squad, with a very high-achieving high school career.
Graduate student Jasneet Nijjar posted the top time in the nation with her first-place finish of 54.11 in the women’s 400-meter dash. As a team veteran, Nijjar is another athlete with high expectations.
“I know what she’s capable of running and she knows what she’s capable of running. She’s capable of running probably even three seconds faster than what she opened up. We’re still just kinda working on a base model that will allow her to reach that potential,” Mvumvure said.
Freshman Eva Lowder’s WSU debut saw her place first in the women’s pole vault with a height of 4.22m (13′ 10.00″), seventh-best in the NCAA this season. Her fellow freshman teammate Tatum Moku took second place at 3.90m (12′ 9.50″).
Sophomore Eli Lawrence achieved a PR in the men’s triple jump with his first-place finish of 14.96m (49′ 1.00″).
The women’s 4×400 relay team (Nijjar, Elise Unruh-Thomas, Brooke Lyons and Elena Willems) finished with a time of 3:42:65, fifth in program history and seventh overall in the NCAA, while the men’s 4×400 relay team (Jared McAlvey, Grant Buckmiller, Mason Lawyer and Ethan Willems) posted the fastest time in the nation at 3:11:22 with a first-place finish.
At Saturday’s Spokane Indoor Challenge, freshman Gavin Dimick posted a 6th-place pole vault at 4.75m (15′ 7.00″), scoring a PR with his career-second performance, while Senior Brayden Freitag placed 13th with a final mark of 4.60m (15′ 1.00″).
Meanwhile, on the west side at the UW Preview, Kyle Ortega-Gammill finished 32nd out of 63 in the men’s mile with a time of 4:16:22. Fellow sophomore Grayson Wilcott finished 41st in the men’s 3000-meter run at 8:26:05.
With a strong beginning to the indoor season, the track and field team has their sights set on the future, looking towards the NCAA championships, the Paris Olympics and the upcoming 2025 world championships.
“We never really settle. It’s always gonna be we’re pursuing something and chasing something,” Mvumvure said.
The Cougs will continue to build on their strong start to the season at the McCluskey Memorial Open this upcoming Friday and Saturday at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow.
