Washington State University competed at the McClusky Memorial Open at the University of Idaho in Moscow on Jan. 23-24. The Cougars had a total of 22 entries with 15 of them finishing their respective races. Here’s a breakdown of the team’s performance at the meet.
Women’s 300-meter – Individuals
In her first indoor race of the season, senior Lashanna Graham ran 41.05 seconds in the 300-meter dash, earning her a ninth-place finish out of 16 runners. While competing for the Jamaica Club running team last season, Graham recorded a time of 39.21 seconds for the 300-meter.
Women’s Mile – Individuals
In her first race of her sophomore indoor season with WSU, Evelina Sitnika recorded a personal best of 5:15.70, earning her a seventh-place finish in the mile. This improves her previous mile time set last year on Feb. 8, 2025, at the 2025 Riverfront Invitational and Multis by 6.98 seconds.
Women’s 800-meter – Individuals
WSU sophomore Hanna Bailey ran a 2:20.16 in the 800-meter and earned herself a fourth-place finish out of 21 runners. Last year, Bailey ran her personal best in the event with a time of 2:18.96 at the Cougar Classic. From 2018-2025, she has lowered her time every season in the 800-meter, and with her latest time just over a second off her personal record, she looks to continue this trend.
Women’s 1000-meter – Individuals
In the Women’s 1000-meter, WSU finished with two runners on the podium, sophomores Lindsay Siebert and Nicole Yanasak. Siebert finished second with a time of 2:57.91, only 0.38 seconds behind first place. Yanasak ran 3:00.46, earning her a third-place finish. These times serve both Siebert and Yanasak as their personal bests due to this being their first 1000-meter race in their track careers.
Men’s 3000-meter – Individuals
WSU had 10 runners complete in the 3000-meter, with six recording top-20 times, highlighted by sophomore Evans Kurui. Kurui finished first in the 3000-meter for the third time in his collegiate career. Senior Josphat Meli and junior Kutoven Stevens followed in second and third place, respectively. This was Stevens’ first 3000-meter race since 2024 with Oregon after not competing in his sophomore season.
Muhammed Ahmed recorded his personal best with a time of 8:31.15, earning him eighth. Other finishers for WSU included Evan Bruce (15th), Grayson Wilcott (20th), Eric Swedin (24th) and Leo Cook (29th). Brothers Ferran and Ricard Verges also competed, with Ferran posting a personal best time of 9:20.75 and Ricard recording a time of 9:32.85.
Women’s 3000-meter – Individuals
Junior Jessica Duran recorded her personal best with a time of 10:17.92, earning her a fourth-place finish. She beat her previous time set Feb. 15, 2025, by just under two seconds. With this performance in 2026, Duran continued a trend of lowering her personal best in the 3000-meter every season of her collegiate career.
Track will travel to Seattle, Washington to participate in the UW Invitational on Jan. 30-31.
