SPOKANE, Wash. – Eastern Oregon visited the Podium once again up in Spokane, Wash., this time at the Inland Northwest Invitational hosted by Whitworth. Eastern put together another quality team performance competing against and beating some high level competition that included several NCAA Division I schools. The Mounties shined brightest in the throws and distance races on the day. One EOU record fell as Michelle Herbes continues to race at a high level breaking her own record in the women's mile by over two seconds.
 
WOMEN
EOU started the day out strong in the throws as Kenna Woodward and Maggie Ledbetter took first and second respectively in the women's weight throw. The pair finished ahead of several Division I throwers from Eastern Washington and the University of Idaho. Woodward won the event with a throw of 54 feet, 6 and ¾ inches followed closely by Maggie Ledbetter's throw of 53 feet, 11 and ¼ inches. Woodward's throw was good for an "A" standard and not far off of her own record while Ledbetter's was just six centimeters off of an "A" standard.
 
Later on in the day the duo put up good numbers once more, this time in the women's shot put. Ledbetter finished in second place with a throw of 44 feet and ½ inch which was just shy of an "A" standard. Woodward set a PR and moved up the record books with her throw of 40 feet and 6 inches. The toss earned her a ninth-place finish and the No. 9 spot in the EOU all-time record books for the women's shot put.   
 
On the track the women had just as much success. Morgan Bayes headlined the shorter races finishing fourth in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.08 seconds which was just shy of her own record-setting time a few weeks ago. Then in the 400-meter race Bayes chopped three seconds off her indoor PR moving up to 15^th all time in the EOU record books for the race finishing with a time of 1:00.10.
 
In the distance races Michelle Herbes once again set a school record notching an "A" standard time in the mile. Herbes finished second with a time of 5:03.46 improving upon her own previous record. Behind her were Riley Morris finishing 10^th with a time of 5:24.80 and Madelyn Nichols finishing 15^th with a time of 5:29.94. Their two times were good for the 17^th and 20^th fastest times in program history for the women's mile.
 
Wrapping up the day was the women's four by four hundred-meter relay race. Morgan Bayes, Katie Jo Gebhardt, Sydney Peck, and Michelle Herbes powered their way to a third-place finish while winning their heat. The squad posted a time of 4:04.72 which ranks 22^nd all time in program history.
 
MEN
On the men's side it was a similar story with the throws and distance races highlighting the day.
 
Tanner Nett finished third in the shot put with a throw of 50 feet, 2 and ½ inches. While the throw didn't break his own record set at the opening meet of the season it still ranks in the top three all-time throws for Eastern Oregon.
 
On the track the Mounties put together a strong showing in the mile. Hunter Nichols and Jonathan Wind took the top two spots on the podium with times that narrowly missed "B" standards. Nichols posted a time of 4:19.13 with Wind right on his heels posting a time of 4:19.38. The two moved up in the EOU record books to No. 12 and 13 all time. Caleb Brown also posted a strong race in the mile winning his heat and finishing ninth overall with a time of 4:27.41.
 
The Mounties next competition will be at home when they host their first ever indoor meet, the Lew Thorne Invite. Thorne was the first Eastern Athlete to ever run indoor back in 1962. The meet will be the first ever held in the new EOU Field House.