Western Washington University’s track and field team hosted the Ralph Vernacchia Invitational on Saturday, April 25, 2026 at Civic Stadium. Athletes from universities and high schools around the region flooded the field as events began at 9:30 a.m.
Throughout the day, events took place simultaneously at the stadium. Many field events, including shot put, women's discus throw and men’s hammer throw occurred before noon, with track events kicking off at 12:30 p.m. and ending at 6:00 p.m. By the end of the meet, the Vikings recorded 13 event victories, with the men’s team securing eight victories and the women’s team securing five.
Third-year pole vaulter Sydney Mohlman, was a double winner this weekend, clearing 3.82 meters on Saturday after setting a personal record at 3.84 meters during the Halsell Invitational, also hosted by Western at Civic Field the day prior.
“I had a really good day yesterday, so I was trying to kind of ride that high a little bit,” Mohlman said. “It was really nice to be a little bit more consistent. I had a bit of a rough patch at the meets before this, so I was trying to get back from that and build my confidence back up.”
The Vikings also had a great performance during the men’s 400-meter hurdles, with Western athletes Maurice Woodring and Corbin Herron claiming first and second place. After this victory, Vikings hurdles coach Laurent Birade said that it was good practice heading into post-season meets.
With the goal of putting their best foot forward at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships next weekend, the team is working on fine-tuning their skills, according to Birade.
“(We’re) just cleaning some stuff up so we can navigate the races a little more efficiently for GNAC in two weeks, and then NCAA is after that,” Birade said.
The 400-meter dash was another strong event for the Vikings, with Western senior Lucas Brenek winning the men’s category, and senior Bec Bennett winning the women's. Along with these wins, freshman Casie Kleine ran her personal record in the 400m, tying for 7th in Western’s history.
Many athletes representing universities in Canada traveled to Bellingham to compete. Lucia Rueppell, a pole vaulter from the University of British Columbia said that she enjoys travelling down to Bellingham for meets.
“The Western Washington girls come up to our meet too, so it's a very friendly, community-forward place and we all help each other out,” Rueppell said.
The Vikings are headed to Eugene, Oregon on May 4 to compete for the GNAC Championship title. If they secure this victory, Western will win their 15th consecutive GNAC title for track and field.
Zander Ulmer (he/him) is a sports and recreation senior reporter for The Front this quarter. He is in his third year at Western, majoring in visual journalism. When he is not reporting, you can find him skiing up at Mount Baker or kayaking down the Nooksack River. You can reach him at zanderulmer.thefront@gmail.com.
