CHENEY, Wash. — Eastern Washington Track and Field named their team captains for the 2023-24 season, as announced by Director of Track and Field Erin Tucker this week.
“These 10 individuals are being tasked with being the arms of the coaching staff,” Tucker said. “They will help us continue to build a lasting culture of maintaining high academic standards, being active in the community, and fighting for championships.
“Our mission is still the same and we are thankful for this leadership group. Championship programs have a championship mentality everyday, not just meet day!”
Eagle captains include Madelyn (Madi) Knight, Kaylin Sheley, Savannah Schultz, Egypt Simmons and Kahlani Schloss on the women’s side. For the men: J.J. Niuamoa, Cody Teevens, Lucas Couron, Wayne Jamison and Danny Maxwell.
2023-24 Women’s Captains
Madelyn Knight (Senior, Sprints/Hurdles; Walla Walla, Wash.)
Knight ended her junior season with a personal best (1.01.71) in the 400m hurdles at the 2023 Big Sky Outdoor Championships in Greeley, Colorado. In the 60m hurdles, she ranks 2nd in EWU history (8:64). This is Knight’s second year as a captain.
Kahlani Schloss (Senior, Throws; Yakima, Wash.)
Schloss enters her senior season with the Eagles as a leader among the throws group, with two years of conference championship competition under her belt. This is her first year as a captain.
Savannah Schultz (Senior, Pole Vault; Portland, Ore.)
Schultz is in her final season as an Eagle after setting a new indoor personal best in the pole vault last season at 13′ 6.25″ (4.12m), finishing 1st at Big Sky Indoors and 2nd Outdoors. She ranks 3rd in EWU history both indoor and outdoor, and qualified for the NCAA Regional First Round in Sacramento for the second-straight season last year. This is her first year as a captain.
Kaylin Sheley (Senior, Distance, Eugene, Ore.)
Sheley enters indoor season with momentum after setting new personal bests during the fall cross country season. She ranks in the top 10 on EWU’s All-Time Performance List in several events, including 4th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:42.39). This is her 2nd year as a captain for the Track and Field team; she was also recognized as captain for Cross Country.
Egypt Simmons (Redshirt Junior, Jumps; King George, Va.)
Simmons has already taken a leadership role in her first year as an Eagle after transferring to Cheney from the University of Hawaii. She was a two-year competitor at Hawaii in the triple and long jumps, finishing 2nd in the triple at the 2023 Big West Outdoor Championships with a personal best of 12.49m; a mark that would rank 1st in EWU history. Her PR in the long jump (5.89m) would tie for 2nd.
2023-24 Men’s Captains
Lucas Couron (Sophomore, Pole Vault; Westminster, Colo.)
Couron looks to continue the legacy of excellent pole vaulters at Eastern after setting a new personal best at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships last year with a 4.74m vault, just outside the EWU Top 10. This is Couron’s first season as a captain.
Wayne Jamison (Junior, Jumps; Portland, Ore.)
Jamison is a newcomer to the team after transferring to Eastern after three seasons at Olympic College in Bremerton, Wash. This is his first season as a captain.
Danny Maxwell (Senior, Distance, Spokane, Wash.)
Entering his fourth year at Eastern out of Lewis and Clark High School in nearby Spokane, Maxwell looks to build off a personal best in the indoor mile last year. He was also part of a distance medley relay that set the 2nd-best mark in school history last year. This is his first year as a captain and, like Sheley, he was also recognized as a Cross Country captain.
J.J. Niuamoa (Junior, Throws; Spanaway, Wash.)
Niuamoa enters his third season at Eastern after competing at both the indoor and outdoor conference championships last season, setting a new personal best in the weight throw at the outdoor conference meet. He set new PR’s in four events last season. This is his first year as a captain.
Cody Teevens (Senior, Multi Events; Pullman, Wash.)
Teevans enters his final season for the Eagles after a spectacular finish to the 2022-23 campaign, finishing third at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships in the decathlon. His final score ranks 9th in EWU outdoor history and he was the first Eagle to earn all-conference honors in the decathlon — meaning a top-3 finish at the championship meet — since 2001. This is his first year as a captain.
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The Eagles will open their indoor schedule on Dec. 9 with the Spokane Invitational at The Podium in downtown Spokane. They’ll return to competition after the calendar turns, on Jan. 12-13 again at The Podium for the Spokane Indoor Challenge.
Eastern finished 4th (men) and 7th (women) at the 2023 Big Sky Indoor Championships. Both men and women finished 7th outdoors, while each improved their total team points from a season prior. The Eagles sent five competitors to regionals and triple jumper Bobby Say became the 24th Eag — male or female — to compete at NCAA Nationals.
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ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for its most athletically talented students and as an enhancement to student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with comparable enrollments and academic goals.
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