ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Northwest University track and field team competed at the Central Washington Wildcat Invite on April 11, in Ellensburg, Washington, turning in several strong performances, personal bests, and podium finishes across multiple events.
On the men's side, the Eagles had a solid showing in the sprint and distance events. In the men's 200m, Noah Ushikubo placed ninth overall.
The men's 800m saw a strong group performance from Northwest. Levi Nichols led the Eagles with a fourth-place finish and a personal best time of 2:01.63. Jarron Ransford followed in seventh place, while Andres Bustamante and Aaron Tomasini finished eighth and ninth respectively. Sam Knight rounded out the group in 12th place.
Northwest also had a strong showing in the men's 1500m. Nichols continued his impressive day with a second-place finish, while Knight placed fourth and recorded a personal best time of 4:09.30. Ransford added a season-best performance in the event with a time of 4:22.11.
In the men's 3000m steeplechase, Christian Chi delivered a standout performance, taking first place with a new personal best of 10:10.78. The time also places Chi inside the top 80 in the 2026 NAIA outdoor rankings for the event. Preston Hopp followed closely behind with a second-place finish, giving the Eagles a strong one-two finish.
Josiah Jaquith had another strong performance, qualifying for his fourth conference event in the 400 hurdle, with a time of 57.90. Jaquith has also previously qualified for the 800, 1500 and 5k this season.
The Eagles also saw success in the field events. In the men's javelin, Isaiah Hollinger claimed first place, while teammate Luke Posey finished third.
On the women's side, the Eagles continued to see progress and strong performances. In the 800m, Hannah Capusan placed fifth overall. Marissa Guthrie finished 11th with a season-best time of 2:39.54, while Emma Hill recorded a personal best of 2:47.43.
The women's 1500m was another highlight event for Northwest, with three athletes achieving personal bests. Capusan led the way with a seventh-place finish and a personal best of 5:08.89. Guthrie followed in ninth place with a personal best of 5:11.57, and Hill added another personal best with a time of 5:30.10.
In the women's javelin, Evelyn Tomka placed second overall with a throw of 35.52 meters, continuing her strong season in the event.
Assistant Coach, Coach Corban said, "Overall the CWU Invite was a clear success. Traveling to Ellensburg, there is always an expectation of high winds and this weekend was no different. Despite the inclement weather, all day we saw athletes competing hard with great attitudes and encouragement. A great example of this spirit of grit was Emma Hill who had a massive sprint finish in both of her events, passing multiple competitors in the final meters of the race with a smile on her face. Josiah Jaquith continued his historic season by adding a 4th Conference qualifying mark (400h) to his season resume—doing so after pacing a teammate for 22 laps in the 10k. Isaiah Hollinger has shown incredible consistency this year with his second win of the year in the Javelin and third meet over 52m."
Northwest will look to build on these performances as the season continues and the Eagles prepare for upcoming meets later this spring.
