WSU track & field moves to a distance based program amidst budget & House v NCAA implications...
PULLMAN--One of the effects of the House vs. NCAA settlement has landed at Washington State University.
The school issued a three-paragraph statement Monday afternoon announcing that it will transition to a distance-focused program effective immediately.
The release also stated that, "the number of sprint and hurdle opportunities will be limited moving forward."
Among Washington's five Division I programs, this is the approach taken by Gonzaga and Seattle University. Gonzaga has been a predominantly distance based program, though it has had sprinters on its roster on the women's side.
Last November, Seattle University announced that they will discontinue their men's and women's indoor track and field teams, and go to a distance-only program.
Perhaps the biggest effect of this announcement is what happens to pole vaulters Eva Lowder and Tatum Moku (Paul Merca photo), as they both qualified for the NCAA indoor championships the last two years. Lowder, who struggled with injuries this season, was redshirted.
Also coming into play is what happens to junior sprinter Mason Lawyer, who qualified in both the 100 and 200 meters outdoors, and the 200 indoors.
For that matter, the same question can be asked of the four other athletes who traveled to Eugene for last week's NCAA championships in the 4 x 100 relay: Bryson Stubblefield, Parker Duskin, Keenan Kuntz, and hurdler John Paredes, who was their alternate.
UPDATE (10:00 pm): According to a post on his personal Instagram page, WSU sprints coach Gabriel Mvumvure (far left, with Stubblefield, Duskin, Lawyer, & Kuntz/Paul Merca photo) announced that "Welp, your boy is back on the market!!!! Free agent and looking for a NEW JOB!! Hook a brother up, lol."
On the women's side, what will the fate of senior Micaela De Mello, who scored for the Cougars at the NCAA indoor championships in the 60 hurdles, only to get injured at the world indoor championships in Nanjing, China be? De Mello did not compete during the outdoor season, and could be a great short-term pickup for a school as a grad transfer.
To the best of our knowledge, De Mello could apply for a medical redshirt.
The final piece of the puzzle is the fate of senior associate head coach Julie Taylor, who coaches the throws, and Derick Hinch, the jumps and combined events coach.
It is assumed that both positions will be cut once the 2025-26 fiscal year begins on July 1st.
In addition to the $20.5 million schools like Washington State must set aside for back damages to athletes who competed between 2016 and 2025 for NIL starting with the new academic year, the athletic department at WSU is in debt to the school to the tune of $100 million, and at least $140 million to external funders, according to a 2023 article in The Daily Evergreen, WSU's student newspaper.
NOTE: The sports information office of Washington State University contributed to this report.
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