Eastern's academic excellence is hard fought, well coached, too

Eastern Washington University sports teams have won their share of conference championships — and even a national title in football back in 2010 — over the many decades teams have competed in intercollegiate sports.

But forgotten sometimes by the followers and fans of the Eagles is the fact that athletes who entertain them over the course of the school year are students first and athletes second.

So while football has had its share of heartbreaking defeats deep into the playoffs in the past couple of years, and both men’s and women’s basketball have had their moments and near misses, one thing...