TACOMA, Wash. – Claire Ryan (Jr.) set The Evergreen State College record in the women's hammer throw at the PLU Open, hosted by Pacific Lutheran University on Friday, March 13 and Saturday, March 14. Ryan and two other Geoducks, Paul Hull-Stewart (Jr.) in the men's hammer throw and Dani Buttrell (So.) in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase, qualified for the 2026 Cascade Collegiate Conference Championships with their performances.

The Geoducks excelled at the meet despite lots of snow and rain.

"The athletes were stronger than the conditions, and we are so thrilled to add more conference qualifiers!" said Evergreen Assistant Cross Country and Track and Field Coach Katie Burnett. "It snowed, it rained, and snowed some more, but that wasn't enough to stop our team from getting out there and competing."

Ryan earned the school record in the women's hammer throw with a mark of 42.25 meters (138' 7"). She set the record on the fifth of her six throws. Ryan finished in fourth place out of 14 competitors and was just 0.28 meters (11") out of second place.

Hull-Stewart tied his personal record at 39.97 meters (131' 1") in the men's hammer throw. He ranks third on Evergreen's all-time list. Hull-Stewart also earned a mark of 39.97 meters at last year's PLU Open.

In the women's steeplechase, Buttrell achieved a time of 12:49.17. She placed third in the event and moved into fifth place all-time for the Geoducks.

Evergreen has competed in two outdoor meets during the first two weeks of the season. Including Ryan, Hull-Stewart, and Buttrell, the Geoducks have already qualified eight athletes for the CCC Championships in a total of nine events.

At the PLU Open, 10 of Evergreen's track and field athletes moved into the top 10 all-time for the Geoducks. The trio of new CCC qualifiers led the way and were joined by seven other competitors.

Merecedies Dupont (Fr.) won the women's 400-meter dash and claimed fourth place on Evergreen's all-time list. DeAndre Wright (Fr.) moved into sixth place all-time for the Geoducks in the men's long jump with a distance of 5.69 meters (18' 8").

Austin Major (Jr.) completed the men's 400-meter hurdles in a time of 1:04.58 while taking second place in the event. He moved into sixth on Evergreen's list. Evan Williams (Jr.) was third out of 22 runners with a time of 15:43.25 in the men's 5,000-meter run as he advanced into sixth place all-time for Evergreen.

Joining Ryan in the women's hammer throw was Katie Gresham (So.), who earned a mark of 33.63 meters (110' 4") to grab seventh place on the Geoducks' all-time list. Also moving into seventh place all-time for Evergreen was Will Niskanen (So.) in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase. Niskanen completed the race in 10:51.88 while taking second place in the event.

Freshman runner Isabelle Lane reached the finish line in the women's 400-meter dash in 1:16.76 to gain 10th place on Evergreen's all-time list. She placed fifth in the race.

The Geoducks will be back in action at the Oregon State PNU Invite on Friday, March 20. Evergreen also will compete at the Brad Moore Invitational at PLU on Saturday, March 21.