ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Turning in a 2:20.92 in the 800 meters, Fresno State's Ella Spaulding not only won the event, but jumped to third in the pentathlon to claim the Bulldogs' first medal of the 2025 Mountain West Indoor Track & Field Championships. It was the third-straight year a Bulldog has earned a spot on the podium in the event.
Spaulding began the day clocking an 8.79 in the 60-meters hurdles, just one one-hundredth of a second back of her personal best. The sophomore then jumped into second in the standings following the high jump after clearing a new PR of 1.67m/5-5.75 on her second attempt at the height.
The Turlock, Calif. native slipped back to fourth after the next two events, the shot put and long jump.
Entering the final event in fourth, Spaulding saved her best event for last. Sitting fourth going into the final lap of the 800, the Bulldog made her move on the first turn and did not let up, cruising to a new PR in the event.
After finishing 13th with 3,211 points in her first pentathlon at last year's championships, Spaulding jumped 10 spots this year, scoring 3,813 points. The score moved her up to No. 3 all-time at Fresno State.
Spaulding became the fourth Bulldog to earn a spot on the podium in the pentathlon at the Mountain West Indoor Championships, joining Madison Hutton, Kaja Bins and Jestena Mattson. A Bulldog has been on the podium in the event five times since 2017.
Day 2 for the Bulldogs will begin tomorrow at noon PT with the long jump.