Western Washington University’s track & field team broke 11 school records on the way to its second consecutive Great Northwest Athletic Conference Indoor Championship.
The men’s and women’s teams dominated, each scoring 143 points. The men scored in every event except high jump, while the women scored in every event except triple jump.
“We came into the meet seeded as the favorite so there’s a little bit of pressure, but the kids ran well and competed hard,” said Western distance coach T.J. Garlatz. “It was an exciting day to be a Viking.”
Western had six event champions: Kevin McDermott, Noah Turner, Bec Bennett, Mia Crocker, Kora Cook and Jessica Polkinghorn.
McDermott, a sixth-year, successfully defended his championship titles. He clocked a men’s 3000 meter time of 8:15.30 and a 5000 meter time of 14:38.56.
“It feels great. The goal is to come in and compete for the win to the best of my ability,” McDermott said. “To be able to come in there to both events and execute my race plan and defend both of those titles was pretty awesome.”
These wins marked McDermott’s ninth individual GNAC title between the indoor and outdoor seasons.
Turner, a second-year, was the first Western athlete to win back-to-back shot put GNAC titles, after throwing 15.67 meters.
“It’s so incredible to have such a supportive team, in the weight room we’re all cheering for each other,” Turner said. “We all want to see each other succeed, that’s a key component.”
Crocker, a fourth-year, is focused on nationals after her GNAC win, where she ran a time of 2:11.62 in the women's 800 meter.
“I’m flying to Boston next week to hopefully hit a national qualifying mark at a last-chance meet,” Crocker said.
Bennett, a fourth-year, ran a 24.50 in the women's 200 meter and Polkinghorn, a first-year, threw 14.09 meters in shot put, both setting school records in the process.
Cook, a second-year, who set the school record for the women's high jump earlier in the season, out-jumped their competition to become a champion. Cook jumped 1.73 meters, winning by a single inch.
Western saw even more success beyond the GNAC champions.
Sprinters Isaac Ford and Brian Le finished neck and neck in the men's 400 meter, with Ford edging out Le by 0.01 seconds. Their times of 48.23 and 48.24 now rank first and second in program history, respectively.
“That program record was super awesome,” Le said. “Everyone ran their hearts out, a lot of good endorphins after that race.”
Sophie Wright, a fourth-year, was part of the distance medley relay (DMR) team that set a new Western record at 11:26.85, while also improving upon her own mile school record time, bringing it to 4:52.16.
“I love the DMR so much because it is just all of us working so hard together,” Wright said. “As for the mile, that’s been my event for a while so it was cool to see some improvement there.”
Kathryn Chapin, a first-year, placed second and recorded the third-best throw in program history with a distance of 13.33 meters.
“I was so excited, that was a huge PR. It’s not even the fact that I took second, it’s that I am making so much progress,” Chapin said. “I was over the moon, it was crazy.”
Looking ahead to the outdoor season, which starts Feb. 28 at the Ed Boitano Invitational, in Tacoma, Wash., Garlatz hopes to build on the success of the experienced athletes while also developing the next generation of the team.
“We want to keep winning titles, sending people to national meets, hopefully get a school record or two,” Garlatz said. “But then have that younger group of people start to realize they have what it takes, that they’re going to be the ones breaking those school records in a couple of years.”
Men:
Issac Ford - 400 meter - 48.23
Kevin McDermott - 3000 meter - 7:57.88
Evin Ford, Brian Le, Maurice Woodring, Isaac Ford - 4x400 meter relay - 3:13.10
Women:
Caitlyn Cheney - 60 meter - 7.57
Bec Bennett - 200 meter - 24.50
Bec Bennett - 400 meter - 54.40
Sophie Wright - mile - 4:52.16
Hannah Polkinghorn, Caitlyn Cheney, Kennedy Cook, Bec Benentt - 4x400 meter relay - 3:45.10
Sophie Wright, Bec Bennett, Emmy Kroontje, Ila Davis - Distance Medley Relay - 11:26.85
Kora Cook - High Jump - 1.76 meter/5-9.25
Jessica Polkinghorn - Shot Put - 14.09 meter/46-2.75 2025
Tyler Noonan (he/him) is a senior at Western and a sports reporter for The Front. He is a marketing major and a public relations minor. Outside of school he enjoys fitness and working on creative projects. You can reach him at tylernoonan.thefront@gmail.com
