Wildcats qualify 11 for Outdoor Championships
HERALD SPORTS STAFF | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 months AGO
The Wildcats are sending 11 athletes to the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships: Ashlyn Nielsen, Donna Marie Harris, Layla Fields, Maliayah Gordon, Josh Boast, Elise Hopper, Drew Klein, Zoe Gonzales, Ellie DeGroot, Carley Huber and Julie Castillejo, not pictured.
COURTESY PHOTO/CWU ATHLETICS
INDIANAPOLIS – Central Washington University Track and Field put out a statement Tuesday to announce that 11 student-athletes qualified for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships running from Thursday, May 21 through Saturday, May 23 in Welch Stadium at Emporia State University.
Eight female track and field student-athletes qualified. Layla Fields, Zoe Gonzales, and Ashlyn Nielsen all qualified as part of the 4x100m relay team while Donna Marie Harris and Carley Huber qualified as part of the 4x400m relay team. Julie Castillejo will be a relay alternative due to quick turnarounds from some individual events. Ellie DeGroot qualified as a member of the 4x400m relay team as well as for the 400m hurdles. Maliyah Gordon was a qualifier in the shot put. Elise Hopper will represent the crimson and black in four events: the 4x100m relay, the 4x400m relay, the 400m dash, and the 200m dash.
Two male track and field student-athletes qualified for the Outdoor Championships with Josh Boast qualifying for the 400m hurdles and Drew Klein qualifying for the decathlon.
Hopper, a senior from Port Orchard, is currently ranked 15th in the 200m dash with a season-best time of 23.53 and is the only west region representative in the race. She’s slotted fourth in the 400m dash with a season-best time of 52.48 and holds the west region’s top time this season in the event.
DeGroot, a junior from Enumclaw, is ranked 17th in the 400m hurdles with a season-best time of 59.31 and is also serving as the only representative of the GNAC in the event.
Gordon, a junior from Yakima, heads into the National Championship meet tied for 19th with a season-best throw of 14.65m.
The 4x100m relay team consisting of Nielsen, Gonzales, Hopper, and Fields are slotted 15th ahead of the National Championship meet. They ran a season-best time of 45.31 and are the only representatives of the GNAC in the event.
The 4x400m relay team consisting of DeGroot, Huber, Harris, and Hopper is fourth with a season-best time of 3:36.90 and leads the west region teams that will also be competing.
Boast, a junior from Ellensburg, is currently slated 15th thanks to his season-best time of 51.45 in the 400m hurdles.
Klein, a senior from Auburn, is currently slated 16th for the decathlon after earning 6,908 points and a second-place finish at the GNAC Combined Championships two weeks ago.
ARTICLES BY HERALD SPORTS STAFF
Eagles place eighth at CDA National
COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — Eastern Washington men's golf stayed local this week, heading to Idaho to host the CDA National Invite at CDA National Reserve. EWU placed 8th in the tournament, shooting 877. Emilio Gil Leyva Llamas paired together three great rounds according to EWU athletics, with a first day 74 (+2), second day 71 (-1), and a third day 74 (+2). Gil Leyva finished his tournament tied for 17th.
Football set to start with Gridiron Guide
MOSES LAKE — Local football players have started to hit the turf as preseason practices have been running in the late summer. Check out how the players and coaches have been preparing for their seasons with the Gridiron Guide in Friday’s paper.
Wildcats Begin New Era with Championship Expectations
ELLENSBURG — As the Central Washington Wildcats enter fall camp, they also embark on the beginning of a new chapter, according to CWU Athletics. After winning the 2025 GNAC championship and reaching the NCAA West Regional semifinals, the Wildcats enter the 2026 season with a roster loaded with experience, talent and championship aspirations. Lauren Herseth takes over as head coach after serving as the program's associate head coach for the last five seasons, following the departure of Mario Andaya to become CWU's Deputy Director of Athletics. Herseth will be joined by assistant coach Hannah Stires, a former standout Wildcat player who returns to the Wildcats.