Record-Setters Win Three Big Ten Weekly Honors
January 21, 2026 | Track & Field
SEATTLE – Fresh off their first home meet of the season, the Husky track and field teams picked up a trio of Big Ten Athlete of the Week awards today. James Rhoads, the new UW, Big Ten, and Dempsey record-holder in the pole vault earned his second Field Athlete of the Week honor, while Tyler Bilyard and Chloe Foerster both earned co-Track Athlete honors after breaking the men's and women's 1,000-meter school records.
Rhoads launched himself into the world lead and the NCAA lead with a 19-1 clearance during Saturday's UW Preview, breaking the Dempsey Record that had stood at 19-0 3/4 for 22 years, held by his coach, Toby Stevenson. It's the second Big Ten weekly award in as many meets for Rhoads, as he also won the honor on Dec. 17 after going 18-8 3/4 to win the Spokane Invitational in his Husky debut. Rhoads was a two-time NCAA podium finisher while at Penn, with a best of fourth at the 2024 indoor championships, and he has quickly established himself as a title contender this season.
Foerster ran the first 1,000-meters of her career, and ran the third-fastest time in NCAA history. It had been several years since any UW women had raced the distance, but Foerster still broke the School Record by an incredible nine seconds. The race turned into a final lap battle between Stanford's Juliette Whittaker, a 2024 U.S. Olympian at 800-meters, and Foerster. Whittaker held on for a close win in 2:37.54, the second-fastest time in NCAA history, and Foerster ran 2:37.79.
Bilyard, the first-year transfer from England, broke the Dempsey Record in the 1k with a victory on Saturday in a time of 2:17.96. That time is the fourth-fastest in NCAA indoor history, and broke two-time NCAA Champion Nathan Green's school record of 2:18.56 from 2024.
Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week – Jan. 21
Women
Track: Hayler Kitching, PSU/Chloe Foerster, WASH
Field: Anthonett Nabwe, MINN
Freshman: Emmry Ross, MICH
Men
Track: Garrett Kaalund, USC/Tyler Bilyard, WASH
Field: James Rhoads, WASH
Freshman: Jax Coleman, PUR
Rhoads launched himself into the world lead and the NCAA lead with a 19-1 clearance during Saturday's UW Preview, breaking the Dempsey Record that had stood at 19-0 3/4 for 22 years, held by his coach, Toby Stevenson. It's the second Big Ten weekly award in as many meets for Rhoads, as he also won the honor on Dec. 17 after going 18-8 3/4 to win the Spokane Invitational in his Husky debut. Rhoads was a two-time NCAA podium finisher while at Penn, with a best of fourth at the 2024 indoor championships, and he has quickly established himself as a title contender this season.
Foerster ran the first 1,000-meters of her career, and ran the third-fastest time in NCAA history. It had been several years since any UW women had raced the distance, but Foerster still broke the School Record by an incredible nine seconds. The race turned into a final lap battle between Stanford's Juliette Whittaker, a 2024 U.S. Olympian at 800-meters, and Foerster. Whittaker held on for a close win in 2:37.54, the second-fastest time in NCAA history, and Foerster ran 2:37.79.
Bilyard, the first-year transfer from England, broke the Dempsey Record in the 1k with a victory on Saturday in a time of 2:17.96. That time is the fourth-fastest in NCAA indoor history, and broke two-time NCAA Champion Nathan Green's school record of 2:18.56 from 2024.
Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week – Jan. 21
Women
Track: Hayler Kitching, PSU/Chloe Foerster, WASH
Field: Anthonett Nabwe, MINN
Freshman: Emmry Ross, MICH
Men
Track: Garrett Kaalund, USC/Tyler Bilyard, WASH
Field: James Rhoads, WASH
Freshman: Jax Coleman, PUR
Players Mentioned
Mid-Dist
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Mid-Dist
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Dist
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