The women ended the Big Sky Championships in fifth and the men in fourth out of 11 competing teams, and Eastern also ended the meet with 13 all-conference athletes.
Over the course of four days, the men and women of Eastern’s track and field team competed in Forest Grove, Ore. The events started on May 8 and continued through May 11.
As the teams entered the final day of competition, the EWU women sat in first place. The men were not far behind, with a third place ranking.
“Our coaching staff was very proud by the effort put forth by the group,” said men’s head coach Stan Kerr. “A lot of great athletes rose to the occasion at this meet.”
One athlete in particular rose above the rest to tie a school record. Senior Brad Wall garnered his fourth league title in the 400 meter dash. “Only three other guys have won four titles at Eastern, so it’s an honor,” Wall said.
Despite winning this title, Wall still wished he could have run faster. “My time wasn’t as fast as I’d like it to be. There was a headwind on the backstretch, which made the 400 guys expend a little more energy than we wanted to. We had to make up some time at the end,” he said.
Overall, Wall said he enjoyed being able to race and win with his family in the crowd cheering for him and supporting him. The 400-meter race was a close finish between Wall, sophomore Brad Michael and Matt White of Weber State. White finished the rest just four tenths of a second behind Wall.
“It was a really close race, but I just kind of grinded out. I know that I have that will to win and that determination. I think that’s my take-away from it,” Wall said.
Senior Elise Jepsen, who competed in high jump and triple jump, also had a successful meet. She achieved close to her season best in the high jump and set a new personal record in the triple jump, resulting in a fifth place finish for both events. “I’m glad it ended on a good note. I was proud of what I accomplished,” Jepsen said.
Although this is Jepsen’s last season of track and field, she said she has plenty to take away from her four years of competition.
“I met some of the most kind and awesome people to get to be around for multiple hours everyday,” she said. “When you work so hard with a group of people for so long, it’s great to see everyone do so well.”
According to Jepsen, the team and coaches did a great job of pushing each other to the highest levels of competition. This is something she has seen throughout her college career in track and field, and she said she was glad to end the year in such a positive way.
Kerr was also very proud of the way his team competed. “I’m really proud of the team,” he said. “The efforts that were put out individually- I couldn’t be prouder. The physical and mental approach people brought in worked excellent.”
