Walter, Devaney Claim Big West Weekly Honors
5/6/2025 4:00:00 PM | Track and Field
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — For the second straight week, Cal Poly swept the Big West Men’s Track & Field weekly awards. Graduate student Chase Walter was named Big West Men’s Track Athlete of the Week, while junior Rory Devaney was tabbed as Big West Men’s Field Athlete of the Week.
The Mustangs are the first team to sweep the Big West Men’s Track & Field weekly honors in back-to-back weeks since Long Beach State on April 5 and 12, 2022.
This is the second straight week Devaney has earned Field Athlete of the Week honors and the fifth time in his career. He is the first Big West athlete to receive the award in back-to-back weeks since UC Riverside’s Carl Nahigian in 2017.
The praise for Devaney comes after the San Luis Obispo native broke the school record in the men’s hammer throw for the second time this season and the fifth time in his career at the Fresno State Invitational. On Friday at Warmerdam Field, Devaney recorded a lifetime best of 228 feet, 5 inches (69.62 meters) to win the hammer competition, surpassing teammate Travis Martin’s previous program record (228-1) by 4 inches. The mark ranks No. 8 in the West Region and No. 13 in Division I this season. Devaney also won the men’s discus competition at the meet on Saturday, posting a mark (179-11) that was just 6 inches off his season best.
This is Walter’s second time claiming Track Athlete of the Week honors this season. At the Oxy Invitational on Saturday, Walter ran a Big West leading time and the third fastest time in school history in the men’s 800-meter with a 2-second personal best of 1:47.89. He is just the third Mustang in program history to run a sub-1:48 time in the 800 and the time is currently No. 24 in the West Region this season. Walter ran the second-fastest 400 time in school history (46.07 seconds) earlier this season at the Stanford Invitational to garner Big West Men’s Track Athlete of the Week praise. His 400 time ranks No. 34 in the West Region.
Roughly 15 Mustangs looking for NCAA West Preliminary qualifying marks travel to Azusa Pacific University on Friday and Saturday to compete in the Franson Last Chance Invite to wrap up regular season action for the team. The complete Big West Track & Field Championship meet will take place on May 16-17 at Long Beach State’s Jack Rose Track.
