Arlington, Texas - As the 2025 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Indoor Track and Field Championships near, excitement is mounting for the competition set to take place in Spokane, Washington. This year, the Grand Canyon men’s team has been selected as the pre-championship favorite as presented by
soldout.com; A testament to its strong season performances, while the Utah Valley women's team is projected to finish first according to the conference head coaches, reflecting its consistent excellence throughout the season.
The men's and women's polls both show a highly competitive field. For the men, Utah Valley and UT Arlington follow closely behind Grand Canyon, each bringing formidable teams to the championships. On the women's side, alongside front-runner Utah Valley, Grand Canyon and Tarleton State are also key contenders, rounding out the top three positions ahead of the meet.
2025 WAC Men’s Indoor Track and Field Pre-Championship Coaches’ Poll:
- Grand Canyon
- Utah Valley
- UT Arlington
2025 WAC Women’s Indoor Track and Field Pre-Championship Coaches’ Poll:
- Utah Valley
- Grand Canyon
- Tarleton State
Dominant Forces
The Grand Canyon men and Utah Valley women have emerged as formidable leaders through the 2025 WAC Indoor Track and Field season, positioning themselves as the favorites for the upcoming championships. GCU’s men’s team has demonstrated exceptional depth and versatility, with athletes like Justin Raines leading the pack. Raines not only secured the best times in the WAC in the 60m (6.67) dash and 200m (20.66) dash but also clinched vital wins at major meets, significantly boosting his team’s points tally. Germain Lemaitre added to the team's prowess with standout victories in the 800m run, consistently finishing ahead of the competition. On the women's side, Utah Valley has been powered by standout performances from Quincy Bonds and Alyssa Logan. Bonds posted the top times in the 200m dash (23.83) and 60m hurdles (8.21) in the conference this season. Logan has dominated in the weight throw, logging a PR mark of 18.58m earlier in the year at BYU.
The Impact of Experience
The 2025 season has been a showcase for experienced athletes, with juniors and seniors across the conference leaving indelible marks on their teams. Notable among these is Taryn Burkett from Grand Canyon, who has consistently excelled in the triple jump where she reset the GCU program record multiple times (most recently to 13.28m) and clinched the WAC Field Athlete of the Week title four straight weeks. On the men's side, seniors like Aiden Garnett of Utah Valley have also stood out. Garnett registered the top WAC mark in the high jump (2.15m) during the season.
Record-Breaking Across the WAC
This season, the WAC has been a stage for an array of record-smashing performances that have redefined the conference history books. Tarleton State's Victoria Cameron has repeatedly set new standards in the 60m dash, securing the fastest time in WAC history (7.16) in Lubbock earlier this season. The Grand Canyon men’s 4x400m relay team of Cameron Wilmington, Davicea McCartney, Joshua Gittens and Ben Stratman bested a 25-year-old conference record in Albuquerque, New Mexico with a new league standard time of 3:05.97.