Sports Briefs

Brandon is Big Sky Player of the Week

Once again coming close to the first triple-double in school history, senior point guard Drew Brandon was named co-Big Sky Conference Player of the Week in EWU’s 98-95 overtime victory over Idaho Jan. 31.

It was the second time this season Brandon has been honored by the league. He shared the award with Sacramento State’s Mikh McKinney. Brandon was also named the College Sports Madness Big Sky Player of the Week as well.

With the nation’s leading scorer Tyler Harvey out of the game for the final 7:31 with an injury, Brandon helped replace the lost offense and finished with 18 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.

Brandon’s driving lay-up at the buzzer sent the game into overtime.

Schmedding is new EWU football defensive coordinator

The names remain the same for coaches on the Eastern Washington University football staff. Just their titles have changed.

Former safeties coach Jeff Schmedding has been promoted to defensive coordinator for the Eagles, head coach Beau Baldwin announced Jan. 30.

The 37-year-old Schmedding, an 11-year member of the EWU staff, replaced John Graham in the head defensive role. Graham, who is Baldwin’s associate head coach, will move to tight ends coach.

Schmedding has served as special teams coordinator since 2008 and will also coach safeties for the fifth season in 2015. He is a 1996 graduate of University High School in Spokane and received his bachelor’s degree from EWU in 2002.

Former tight ends coach Brian Strandley will now work with the defensive line and work with Ryan Sawyer. Sawyer will take on the new title of defensive front coordinator.

Baldwin said a variety of staff members will assume roles coaching special teams, with those assignments to be determined at a later date.

Records fall for EWU track team at UW Invite

 It was a solid and record-breaking weekend for the Eastern Washington University track and field team at the UW Invitational Jan. 30-31 in Seattle, at the Dempsey Indoor Center.

The Eagles had three athletes set five new qualifying marks for the Big Sky Conference Championships.

Sophomore Paula Gil-Echevarria broke an 11-year-old school record in the mile with a time of 4 minutes, 54.37 seconds. The previous record was 4:54.67 set by Caitlin Prunty in 2004.

Distance runners Sarah Reiter and Catie Arrigoni qualified for the Big Sky Conference championships in the 5,000 meters. Reiter’s time of 16:47.48 improves her second-place ranking in the Eastern record books, just 12 seconds away from the school record of 16:35. Arrigoni’s time of 17:11.83 moves her up to third all-time at Eastern.

Emma Murillo and Kaytlyn Coleman finished first and second in the women’s weight throw on Friday evening. Murillo had the second-farthest throw in school history of 61 feet, 8 1/4 inches, while Coleman had a toss of 59-7 3/4, third all-time.

Freshman Rebecca Tarbert booked her ticket to the conference championships with a time of 7.65 in the 60-meter dash.

Katie Mahoney was the only distance runner to compete in two events this weekend, and she posted two personal records in the mile (4:56.07) and the 800 (2:17.60).

Newly minted Big Sky Athlete of the Week, Courtney Bray, had a personal best jump of 12 feet, 11 3/4 inches, third all-time at Eastern.

On the men’s side, freshmen Jeremy VanAssche and Tyree Fort each qualified for the prelims in the 60-meter dash. Fort ran a personal best of 6.96 seconds, while VanAssche clocked a 6.95.

Eastern competes at the WSU Invitational Friday and Saturday, Feb. 6-7.