2024 Cross Country Preview: Eastern Washington University...

After a few years away from previewing the state's nine NCAA Division I and II cross country teams due to our emphasis on the late summer pro competitions, paulmerca.blogspot.com is posting another in a series of snapshots of the state's teams.

We stay across the Cascades to preview Eastern Washington University. Cross country coach Sam Read's squads were picked by the Big Sky Conference coaches to finish fifth, with defending national men's champion and women's national runner-ups Northern Arizona the unanimous pick to win yet another conference crown. 

Eastern Washington's women are coming off a fifth place finish at last year's conference championship and a 26th place finish at the NCAA West Regionals in Sacramento.

According to their posted roster, the Eagles return from their regionals team Jasmin Muneton (133rd), Jenni Bissell (181st), Madi Carr (188th), and Nattie Ruzauskas (189th). In addition, they return Ellie Linnenburger (46th) and Faith Martinez (66th), who ran at the Big Sky championships, but did not run at regionals.

Eastern picked up grad transfer and NCAA D2 All-American Cassidy Walchak-Sloan (Paul Merca photo) from Saint Martin's. Walchak-Sloan was sixth at last year's GNAC championships for the Saints, seventh at the West Regionals, and was the 27th place finisher at the D2 cross country national championships. She was a GNAC scorer indoors and outdoors on the track at various distances.

They also add Emma Tomlinson from White River HS, who was ninth in the Washington 2A cross country championships, plus Oregon native Charlotte Terry and Lexi Meyer from North Thurston HS.

With Walchak-Sloan on paper as the Eagles' front runner, the questions are whether her accomplishments at the D2 level can transfer over to Division I, and also whether the rest of the returning squad can run close to her. If they can, they may be able to contend with Idaho and Weber State for the third and fourth spot in the conference.

Cam McChesney was Eastern Washington's
top finisher at the 2023 NCAA West Regionals.
Paul Merca photo 

Cam McChesney (108th), Jesus Herrejon (121st), Evan Peters (124th), Noah Hasselblad (130th), Austin Steed (152nd), and Owen Higgins (169th) all return from last year's NCAA West Regional team that finished 25th, and fifth at the Big Sky championships.

Hasselblad was the Eagles' top finisher at the Big Sky championships the last two seasons, but has been prone to running bad races at inopportune times, as noted by his 130th place finish at regionals, as well as two DNF's at the last two Big Sky 10000m championship races on the track.

Evan Cheney, who finished sixth in the Washington 2A 3200m championships for Enumclaw, along with Noah Holden from Spokane's Mead HS, and Washington 4A 800 meter champ Max Meadows from Wenatchee are the key additions to the team.

If Hasselblad and McChesney show some improvement and consistency, and the other returning runners can demonstrate that they can run with their projected front runners, a fourth place finish at the Big Sky championships may be a realistic goal.

Eastern Washington kicks off the cross country season Friday at the Clash of the Inland Northwest on their home course surrounding the campus practice fields. They'll go to Colfax for the Cougar Classic and a peek at the NCAA West Regionals course, before heading to Springfield, Missouri for the Gans Creek Invitational, hosted by the University of Missouri.

The Eagles will have runners competing close to home during the season at the Whitman Invitational, and the Inland Empire Classic on October 19th.

The Big Sky Conference Championships are in Pocatello, Idaho on November 1st before a return trip to Colfax on the 15th for the NCAA regionals, with an opportunity to improve upon their team finishes from last year's meet.

NOTE: The sports information department at Eastern Washington University and the USTFCCCA contributed to this report.

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