PULLMAN, Wash. – The Washington State track and field program will send 30 student-athletes to compete in 21 events at the 2025 NCAA Division-I Outdoor Track & Field West First Rounds on the Texas A&M campus at College Station, Texas, May 28-31.
 
The Cougars earned 30 total entries to the NCAA preliminary rounds with 18 declared entries for the WSU men's team and 12 declared entries for the WSU women's team. Both of the Cougs' 4x100 meter relay teams qualified as part of the entry list for next week's postseason meet at E.B. Cushing Stadium.
 
On the men's side, sophomore Evans Kurui clocked the fastest qualifying time in the 10,000-meter run and will compete alongside junior Josphat Meli with the 13th fastest time in the West Region. Kurui also qualified for the 5,000-meter run with the fourth-fastest time. Senior Kelvin Limo returns for his fourth-consecutive NCAA regional, qualifying in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in his final season.
 
Kurui is one of four men's student-athletes to qualify for multiple events. The junior trio of Mason Lawyer, Bryson Stubblefield, and Parker Duskin, all earned entry to individual sprint prelims and are expected to compete in the 4x100 relay alongside freshman Keenan Kuntz.
 
Lawyer qualified individually for the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash, making his return to the 200-meter event after qualifying for the 2023 West Prelims. Fellow sprinter Brooke Lyons leads the women's squad also earning qualifying times in the 100- and 200-meter sprints, while competing on the sprint relay team.
 
Lyons is one of six Coug women returning to the NCAA West Prelims after competing on the relay team in 2024. Senior Maya McCabe returns to the 800-meter run with the 38th fastest mark after qualifying in 2024. Sophomore Tatum Moku (pole vault) and senior Laura Lindquist (javelin throw) return to compete in throws for a second-consecutive postseason. Sophomore Zenah Cheptoo and senior Alaina Stone Boggs will compete in the 10,000-meter run after qualifying for the 5,000-meter race in previous NCAA First Rounds.
 
Sophomore Nicole Bissell (3,000m steeple), freshman Zakiya Hill (4x100m), senior Ashley Hollenbeck Willems (4x100m), freshman Caroline Jepkorir (3,000m steeple), freshmen Rosemary Longisa (1,500m), freshman Zoe Ray (4x100m), and senior Luceris Suarez Pacheco (javelin) all earned first-time bids to the NCAA West First Rounds in their respective disciplines.
 
Junior John Paredes makes his return to the 110-meter hurdles after finishing 15th in 2024. Sophomore Grant Buckmiller earned a second-consecutive qualification in the 400-meter dash after finishing 29th last season.
 
In the men's field events, sophomore AJ McGloflin (high jump) and junior Blake Sturgis (javelin) earned postseason qualification for the second-straight postseason. McGloflin will compete alongside fellow sophomore Antoni Smith and Sturgis will compete with freshman Evan Berg.
 
Freshman Kai Twaddle-Dunham earned a top-30 mark to qualify for the discus throw, 10 centimeters ahead of senior Maxwell Moore with the 32nd-best throw. Sophomore Eli Lawrence makes his postseason debut in the triple jump.
 
WSU's 30 total event entries marks the second-most under the tenure of Head Coach Wayne Phipps, two short of the 32 entries at the 2016 NAA West First Round.
 
The top 48 declared student-athletes in the national descending-order list in each event are accepted into the West Preliminary Round in addition to the top 24 declared relay teams. Multi events are not contested at the NCAA First Round sites. For combined events (heptathlon and decathlon), the top 24 declared student-athletes in the national descending-order list will be accepted directly into the NCAA Championships.
 
The 2025 NCAA West Preliminary Round will begin on Wednesday, May 28, with men's field events beginning at 8 a.m. PT and men's track events starting at 4 p.m. PT. The women's competitors will follow in the first rounds Thursday, May 29 before the quarterfinals and semifinals for the men, Saturday, May 30 and the women, Sunday, May 31.
 
Select events will stream live on ESPN+ with twelve competitors from each individual event and twelve teams from each relay event qualifying for the NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, June 11-14.
 
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 X (@ WSUCougarXCTF) and Instagram (@WSUCougarXCTF).
 
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Men NCAA First Round Qualifiers (*denotes previous bid to NCAA First Round in the event)
Javelin Throw First Round (Wednesday, May 28 at 12:30 p.m. PT)
Blake Sturgis* - 27th, 68.25m
Evan Berg - 43rd, 64.93m
 
110m Hurdles First Round (Wednesday, May 28 at 4 p.m. PT)
Parker Duskin - 37th, 13.69
John Paredes* - 38th, 13.69
Top 24 advance to quarterfinals Friday, May 30 at 4:15 p.m. PT
 
100m First Round (Wednesday, May 28 at 5 p.m. PT)
Mason Lawyer - 22nd, 10.19
Bryson Stubblefield - 33rd, 10.24
Top 24 advance to quarterfinals Friday, May 30 at 4:35 p.m. PT
 
400m First Round (Wednesday, May 28 at 5:25 p.m. PT)
Grant Buckmiller* - 42nd, 46.10
Top 24 advance to quarterfinals Friday, May 30 at 4:50 p.m. PT
 
200m First Round (Wednesday, May 28 at 6:45 p.m. PT)
Mason Lawyer* - 11th, 20.48
Top 24 advance to quarterfinals Friday, May 30 at 5:50 p.m. PT
 
10000m Semifinals (Wednesday, May 28 at 7:10 p.m. PT)
Evans Kurui - 1st, 27:37.32
Josphat Meli- 13th, 27:59.27
 
Discus Throw First Round (Friday, May 30 at 11 a.m. PT)
Kai Twaddle-Dunham - 30th, 57.09m
Maxwell Moore - 32nd, 56.99m
 
Triple Jump First Round (Friday, May 30 at 12:30 p.m. PT)
Eli Lawrence - 30th, 15.49m
 
High Jump Semifinals (Friday, May 30 at 1:30 p.m. PT)
AJ McGloflin* - 27th, 2.13m
Antoni Smith - 47th, 2.10m
 
4x100m Relay Quarterfinals (Friday, May 30 at 3 p.m. PT)
Stubblefield, Lawyer, Duskin, Kuntz (Buckmiller, Haley, Paredes) - 10th, 39.26
 
3000m Steeplechase Quarterfinals (Friday, May 30 at 3:40 p.m. PT)
Kelvin Limo*** - 16th, 8:38.75
 
5000m Semifinals (Friday, May 30 at 6:10 p.m. PT)
Evans Kurui - 4th, 13:16.01
 
Women NCAA First Round Qualifiers (*denotes previous bid to NCAA First Round in the event)
Javelin Throw First Round (Thursday, May 29 at 12:30 p.m. PT)
Laura Lindquist* - 18th, 51.21m
Luceris Suarez Pacheco - 35th, 48.45m