By: Jeff Evans, Assistant AD for Athletic Communications
SEATTLE, Wash. – The Western Washington University Track & Field team wrapped up the regular-season portion of the indoor schedule Saturday at the Husky Classic inside Dempsey Indoor.
A night after Kevin McDermott broke his own school record in the 3000m with a time of 7:57.88, senior Mia Crocker highlighted Saturday's performances setting a PR in the 800m in 2:10.12 to improve her No. 2 mark in WWU indoor history. Crocker earned a win in the second heat edging out Annie Wild of Stanislaus State and placed 19 overall among 51 competitors. Junior Emmy Kroontje also raced in the 800m placing 32nd with a time of 2:12.68, just shy of her season PR of 2:11.63.
Freshman Liam Wall placed 11th in the men's shot put with a throw of 13.44m/44-1.25 and freshman Jessica Polkinghorn finished 9th in the women's shot put with a throw of 13.46m/44-2.
Senior Sophie Wright got in a final tune-up prior to the GNAC Championships racing in the mile with a time of 4:57.33. Wright set the school record earlier this winter with a time of 4:52.16, currently ranked No. 26 in the nation for NCAA Division II.
A pair of WWU student-athletes that will be seniors for the upcoming outdoor season also competed unattached – Katie Potts (shot put) and Ryan Greenwalt (60m dash) – as they both used up all their indoor NCAA eligibility.
WWU crosses the state Sunday for a travel day to Spokane and opens competition in the 2025 GNAC Indoor Track & Field Championships Monday morning at The Podium. Details information on the conference meet is available at GNACSports.com.
GNAC CHAMPIONSHIPS UP NEXT
The stage is set for the 2025 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships, which kick off on Monday morning at The Podium, with WWU the defending champion for both the men and women. In partnership with Spokane Sports, the event will be hosted at the state of the art facility for the fourth consecutive year. The conference championship will feature live results at GNAC.live and a pay-per-view webcast via RunnerSpace.com.
Heading into this weekend's competition and the GNAC Championships, here is where the Vikings rank in the USTFCCCA polls:
- Women: National (#18), West Region (#2), GNAC (#1)
- Men: National (#46), West Region (#1), GNAC (#1)
The Vikings are the defending conference champions from last year's indoor championships, marking the first indoor title sweep in program history. Dating back to the 2022 calendar year, the WWU men have won eight of nine possible titles in cross country, indoor and outdoor, while the women have combined for six of nine titles. The Western track & field and cross country program has a current string of 10 consecutive team titles across men's and women's dating back to the 2023 outdoor championships.
WWU is set to defend the men's and women's team titles at the 2025 GNAC Indoor Track & Field Championships February 17-18 (Monday-Tuesday) at The Podium in Spokane. The complete indoor schedule is available online at WWUVikings.com.
