Moku Sets Program Record in Pole Vault, De Mello Blazes in 60m Hurdles

SEATTLE/ SPOKANE, Wash. — Sophomore pole vaulter Tatum Moku set the program record while senior Micaela De Mello set a Brazilian national record in the 60m Hurdles to highlight WSU Cougar Track and Field on its first weekend of 2025 with successful performances Friday at both the Spokane Sports Showcase and UW Preview.
 
At The Podium in Spokane, the Cougs took home five first-place finishes and 11 podium finishes. Washington State also set 17 personal bests. Four hours west, freshman Evans Kurui paced the Cougars at the Dempsey Indoor Center in Seattle.

Moku, out of Honolulu, Hawaii, set the program record on her first attempt at 4.41 meters/14-05.50. Her mark placed her first in the event and is the second-high vault this season in the NCAA. Moku’s vault shattered her previous best of 4.14m/13-07.00 by more than 10 inches.

 

Moku was one of five to win events in Spokane, the others being Micaela De Mello (60m Hurdles), Grayson Wilcott in the men’s mile, Alec Barran in the 800m and Eysias Banks, Ethan Willems, Royal Haley and Grant Buckmiller in the 4×400 Relay.

In the 60-meter hurdles, De Mello finished first with a time of 8.02 seconds, marking a personal best for the senior while setting the Brazilian national record. The time is currently fourth-best in in the world, best in NCAA Division 1 this season and is .11 seconds better than her previous best. She improved her time but keeps her spot in the WSU record book with the second-fastest 60-meter hurdles time, just behind Cougar legend Maribel Caicedo at 7.99.

Kurui’s time of 7:51.71 in the 3000m was good for sixth in the strong field in Seattle, and places him fourth all-time at WSU in the event.

In the men’s 800 meters, four Cougar runners ran times that put them into the top 100 runners for this race in NCAA Division 1. Alec Barran (1:54.33) and Andrew Luce (1:55.18) also both set personal best times in the race.

Grant Buckmiller became the ninth-fastest 200-meter runner currently in NCAA Division 1 with a second-place finish of 21.03 seconds, improving his previous best of 21.05, which keeps him second in program history. Mason Lawyer also rounded out the podium with a 21.14 third-place finish, which is 14th…