10/30/26
10/30/26 at Wazzu is a file of 3 stories. The newest of them: “Solomon Kipchoge Brings a Pac-12 Title Home to the Palouse”, “Nelly Jemeli on the Palouse, a Pac-12 champ in her own words”, and “Nelly Jemeli Wins Pac-12, Leaves the Field in Pullman Dust”. Solomon Kipchoge just did something no Coug has done in a while. Nelly Jemeli did not just win the Pac-12 title. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every 10/30/26 story on Wazzu, newest first.
Solomon Kipchoge Brings a Pac-12 Title Home to the Palouse
Solomon Kipchoge just did something no Coug has done in a while. He brought a Pac-12 title back to the Palouse. That is a real, tangible, conference-championship trophy, and it is sitting in Pullman right now. Kipchoge won the 800 meters at the Pac-12 Track & Field Championships, and he did it in a way that made you stop what you were doing and pay attention. This is not a participation ribbon. This is a win. It is the kind of result that makes you remember why you care about the little things, the long bus rides, the early mornings at the Rec, the wind that never quits. Kipchoge ran through all of it and came out on top. We have been writing a lot about grit around here lately. If you read "Four Cougs got touches in a loss the box score won't show," you know what we mean. The Cougs have been in a fight in just about every corner of the athletic department. Kipchoge's win is a different kind of fight, a clean, decisive victory. No asterisks. No moral victories. Just a Pac-12 champion from Washington State. That matters. It matters for the track program, for the department, and for anyone who has ever tried to explain to an outsider why Pullman produces athletes who can run through a wall. Kipchoge just gave us a new answer. Go Cougs.
Nelly Jemeli on the Palouse, a Pac-12 champ in her own words
Nelly Jemeli did not just win the Pac-12 title. She left the field in Pullman dust. That is the kind of thing you remember from a Saturday in October, the kind of performance that makes you text your old running buddy, "Did you see what she did?" We have been following this team all season, and Jemeli's race was the exclamation point. She ran like she had a bus to catch and the rest of the conference was just in the way. We sat down with her for this one. It is Nelly on the Palouse, in her own words. No filter. No press-release spin. Just a Pac-12 champ telling you what it felt like to cross that line, what it means to wear the Cougar uniform, and what Pullman looks like when you are the one bringing the trophy home. It is the kind of conversation you want to have over a beer at the Coug, not in a press conference. If you want the full race story, go read "Nelly Jemeli Wins Pac-12, Leaves the Field in Pullman Dust." It is right there on the site. This one is the voice behind the finish. Together, they give you the whole picture, the way a Coug deserves to hear it. Go Cougs.
Nelly Jemeli Wins Pac-12, Leaves the Field in Pullman Dust
Nelly Jemeli won the Pac-12 title, and then she did something that will live forever in Pullman lore: she left the rest of the field in the dust. Not metaphorically. She ran away from them. The race was hers, and she made sure everyone watching knew it. That is the kind of win that gets a standing ovation at the Coug. That is the kind of win that makes you text your old roommate. Jemeli's performance was a hammer. She ran like she had a bus to catch. And honestly, that is the only way to win a conference title at Washington State. You do not sneak up on people. You outrun them. She did. We have a few more stories that fit this moment. If you want to hear what it looks like from the other side of the finish line, check out "Solomon Kipchoge talks Pac-12 title race and life after Pullman." It pairs well with this one. Two runners. Two different paths. Same pride. For now, though, let's sit with this. Nelly Jemeli won. She left the field in Pullman dust. That is a sentence you can frame. Go Cougs.