SEATTLE — Washington State men's and women's indoor track and field teams saw a combined five season-best times/marks on the second and final day of the Ken Shannon Last Chance Invite Saturday at the Dempsey Indoor. The meet brings the Cougars' 2023-24 indoor meet schedule to a conclusion as the window to post qualifying marks for the NCAA Indoor Championships closes Sunday.

This year's NCAA indoor championships (Mar. 8-9) will be hosted from The TRACK at New Balance in Boston, Mass.  Qualification to the NCAA indoor championships is based on the descending-order list for the season and adhering to the qualifying regulations/criteria published on ncaa.org. For each men's individual event contested, including the heptathlon, the top 16 declared student-athletes will be accepted into the competition. For each women's individual event contested, including the pentathlon, the top 16 declared student-athletes will be accepted into the competition. For each relay event contested, the top 12 declared relay teams will be accepted into the competition.

Ken Shannon Last Chance Invite Recap
The Cougars' women's team posted two program records on the first night from Dempsey which began with Zenah Cheptoo breaking nine minutes in the women's 3,000m for the first time, finishing second in 8:56.15 to set the WSU program and freshman record for the third time this season.

Eva Lowder finished off the night by breaking a 22-year-old program record in the women's pole vault held by Tamara Diles (4.35m, 2002).  Having started the night at No. 21 in Division I, Lowder cleared 4.38m Friday in the Dempsey Indoor to move into a tie for 13th in the nation.

Micaela De Mello also made the most of last chance weekend as she ran the second-fastest 60-meter hurdles time in WSU history to place second in 8.13.  De Mello jumped into a tie for 12th in the NCAA with her lifetime-best 8.13 in Friday's final, climbing over 10 spots on the final weekend after beginning the week in a tie for 25th.

Lee Walburn captured a PR in the heptathlon pole vault (4.85m) and placed second overall in the final hep standings with a lifetime-best 5,690 points, the second most in program history behind teammate Mason Mahacek's record-setting 5,762 points at the NM Collegiate Classic earlier this season. The Cougars' women's DMR team took nearly 30 seconds off of its season-best time to bring home the lone event win of the day for WSU on Saturday with a final time of 11:18.57.

Up Next:
Cougars ranking in the top-16 of their respective events will await next week's official announcement of the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships field as the window to post a qualifying time or mark closes on Monday, Feb. 26.  The 2024 Indoor Championships will be held at The Track at New Balance in Boston, Mass., on Mar. 8-9.

For all the latest WSU Track and Field news, photos, and videos, like the team on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/wsucougartrack) or follow on Twitter (@ WSUCougarXCTF) and Instagram (@WSUCougarXCTF).
 

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WSU Results - Ken Shannon Last Chance Invite Day 2 (Saturday)
Heptathlon
- Mason Mahacek: 5,070 pts, 13th
    - 60m dash: 7.02, 2nd [PR]
    - Long Jump: 6.84m/ 22' 5.25", t-6th
    - Shot Put: 12.11m/ 39' 8.75", 7th
    - High Jump: 2.04m/ 6' 8.25", 1st [PR]
    - 60m Hurdles: 8.57, 9th
    - Pole Vault: 4.85m/ 15' 11", 4th
    - 1,000m Run: DNF
- Lee Walburn: 5,690 pts, 2nd [PR] [2nd all-time at WSU]
    - 60m dash: 7.04, 3rd
    - Long Jump: 6.65m/ 21' 10", 12th
    - Shot Put: 14.73m/ 48' 4", 2nd 
    - High Jump: 1.92m/ 6' 3.5", t-3rd
    - 60m Hurdles: 8.34, 8th
    - Pole Vault: 4.85m/ 15' 11", 3rd [PR]
    - 1,000m Run: 2:44.62, 5th

Men's Shot Put
- Ronald Grueso Mosquera: 18.10m/ 59' 4.75", 5th [SB]

Women's Shot Put
- Nana Gyedu: 14.81m/ 48' 7.25", 5th

Men's Triple Jump
- Eli Lawrence: 15.13m/ 49' 7.75", 3rd

Men's High Jump
- AJ McGolflin: 2.05m/ 6' 8.75", 4th

Women's 1 Mile
- Neema Kimtai: 4:48.14, 13th (5th in heat 3)
- Nicole Bissell: 4:55.35, 22nd (1st in heat 1)

Men's Mile
- Brian Barsaiya: 4:08.42, 28th (1st in heat 1)
- Leif Swanson: 4:08.83, 29th (2nd in heat 1) [PR]
- Kelvin Limo: 4:12.66, 39th (7th in heat 1)
- Aiden Emerson: 4:13.98, 44th (10th in heat 3) [PR]
- Kyle Ortega-Gammill: 4:20.37 47th (9th in heat 1)

Women's Shot Put
- Nana Gyedu: 14.81m/ 48' 7.25", 5th

Men's 800m
- Kellen Langford: 1:52.41, 5th (1st in heat 2)
- Emmett Klus: 1:52.74, 7th (5th in heat 3) [SB]
- Evan Gonzalez: 1:54.13, 11th (3rd in heat 2)

Women's DMR
- Maya McCabe, Jasneet Nijjar, Elena Willems, Zenah Cheptoo: 11:18.57, 1st [SB]

Men's 4X400m Relay
- Ethan Willems, Jared McAlvey, Mason Lawyer, Grant Buckmiller: 3:07.04, 3rd
 

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WSU Results - Ken Shannon Last Chance Invite Day 1 (Friday)
Men's Pole Vault
- Brayden Freitag: 4.78m/ 15' 8.25", 11th

Women's 60m Hurdles Prelim
- Micaela De Mello: 8.30q, 3rd (1st in heat 4)

Men's 60m Hurdles Prelim
- Parker Duskin: 8.51, 10th (3rd in heat 2)

Women's 60m Dash Prelim
- Brooke Lyons: 7.70, 17th (3rd in heat 3)
- Gilana Wollman: 7.67, 15th (2nd in heat 3)
- Elise Unruh-Thomas: 7.66, 14th (3rd in heat 5)

Men's 60m Dash Prelim
- Mason Lawyer: 6.74q, 4th (1st in heat 5)
- John Paredes: 6.88, 10th (3rd in heat 4)
- Ethan Willems: 6.93,13th (3rd in heat 1) [PR]

Women's 60m Hurdles Final
- Micaela De Mello: 8.13, 2nd [PR] [2nd all-time at WSU] [t-12th in NCAA DI]

Men's 60m Dash Final
- Mason Lawyer: 6.67, 3rd

Women's Pole Vault
- Tatum Moku: 4.14m/ 13' 7", 6th [PR]
- Eva Lowder: 4.38m/ 14' 4.5", 2nd [PR] [WSU program record] [t-13th in NCAA DI]

Women's 200m
- Maya McCabe: 25.81, 22nd
- Elena Willems: 26.77, 25th 

Women's 3,000m
- Zenah Cheptoo: 8:56.15, 2nd [PR] [WSU program record] [21st in NCAA DI]
- Alaina Stone Boggs: 9:25.95, 16th
- Caroline Jerotich: 9:52.07, 33rd
- Cristina Molteni: 9:56.54, 36th

Men's 3,000m
- Brian Barsaiya: 8:02.22, 8th [PR]
- Leif Swanson: 8:14.00, 21st [PR]
- Kelvin Limo: 8:17.71, 25th