Monday, April 2, 2018

PORTLAND, Ore. – Alaska Anchorage’s Caroline Kurgat didn’t just set a conference record in the women’s 10,000 meters, she smashed it to lead the selections for GNAC Athletes of the Week.

Kurgat was named the GNAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week for the second consecutive week after she bettered both the conference and UAA records by over 40 seconds. She placed seventh in the invitational section of the 10,000 at the Stanford Invitational with an NCAA Championships automatic qualifying time of 32:33.24. That more than bettered the previous record of 33:14.41 set by former teammate Joyce Chelimo in 2016. It also ranks as the second-fastest time in NCAA Division II history, trailing only the 32:28.57 run by Cal State LA’s Sylvia Mosqueda in 1988.

Western Oregon’s David Ribich was selected as the Men’s Track Athlete of the Week after he closed in on both the GNAC and WOU records in the 800 meters at the Stanford Invitational. Ribich placed second with a time of 1:48.09, automatically qualifying him for the NCAA Championships. That is second-best in Division II this season and ranked No. 2 on both the GNAC and WOU All-Time Lists. Former teammate Badane Sultessa ran 1:47.59 in 2015.

The Stanford Invitational also yielded the other two honored performers. Western Oregon’s Alani Troutman was named the Men’s Field Athlete of the Week after he finished second in the long jump with a mark of 24 feet, 3.5 inches. That mark is No. 5 on the GNAC All-Time List and an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier. Western Washington’s Raquel Pellecer earned Women’s Field Athlete of the Week honors after she improved her NCAA provisional qualifying mark in the javelin. She placed second in the meet’s collegiate section with a mark of 157 feet, 2 inches, which is No. 4 in Division II this season.

Western Oregon earned a sweep of this week’s softball awards. Ryanne Huffman earned GNAC Softball Player of the Week honors after she hit .438 in four-plus games for the Wolves. She had two hits in each of WOU’s regularly-scheduled games with Central Washington. She also had two hits in Saturday’s opener with Saint Martin’s, which included two RBIs and a triple.

Haley Fabian was tabbed as the Softball Pitcher of the Week for her two wins in the weekend series. She allowed three runs on seven hits in the conclusion of the 6-3 win over CWU in the halted game, the first GNAC loss for the Wildcats this season, before throwing a two-hit shutout in the Wolves’ 6-0 win over Saint Martin’s in Saturday’s opener.

Montana State Billings’ Kade Hall was named the Baseball Player of the Week after he went 8 for 18 with three home runs and nine RBIs in a weekend series at Central Washington. He went 4 for 6 in Friday’s opening game as he hit two solo home runs and had a two-RBI double in the fourth. Hall then went 2 for 4 in the nightcap, which included his third homer of the day. Hall opened Saturday’s blowout games with a four-RBI performance in the opener, three of which came on a fifth-inning double.

Concordia’s Jake Roes earned Baseball Pitcher of the Week honors after he threw eight shutout innings in the Cavaliers’ 2-0 win over Saint Martin’s on Friday. He allowed two hits and two walks while striking out eight in eight innings of work. He picked up his second win of the season as he did not allow a runner to reach second base until the fifth inning.

Western Washington’s Michael Butler was named the Men’s Golf Player of the Week after leading the Vikings at the SoCal Intercollegiate. Butler tied for ninth place with a three-round score of 5-over-par 221, which included a low 18-hole score of 71 in the opening round. Butler led the Vikings to a sixth-place team finish.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 31
BASEBALL PLAYER
Kade Hall (Montana State Billings, C, 6-0, Sr., Pocatello, Idaho – Treasure Valley CC): Hall led Montana State Billings’ scoring barrage at Central Washington by going 8 for 18 with three home runs and nine RBIs as the Yellowjackets went 3-1 against the Wildcats. Hall went 4 for 6 in Friday’s opening 14-13 loss, hitting solo home runs in the first and seventh and a two-RBI double in the fourth. He went 2 for 4 and had his third solo home run of the day in the nightcap. Hall opened Saturday with four RBIs, three of which came on a double in the fifth, and two runs in Sunday’s nightcap. Also Nominated: Cole Crosby (Concordia), Jay Leverett (Western Oregon).

BASEBALL PITCHER
Jake Roes(Concordia, P, 6-0, Jr., Kent, Wash – Lower Columbia CC): Roes threw eight shutout innings to earn the 2-0 win over Saint Martin’s on Friday. He allowed two hits and two walks while striking out eight batters. He did not allow a runner to reach second base until the fifth inning. It was Roes’ second win of the season and he now has an 18-inning scoreless streak. Also Nominated: Michael Gahan (Montana State Billings), Alex Roth (Western Oregon).

SOFTBALL PLAYER
Ryanne Huffman (Western Oregon, IF, 5-4, Jr., Monmouth, Ore. – Central): Huffman led the Wolves by going .438 in the team’s four regularly scheduled games and .421 with the conclusion of the postponed game vs. Central Washington from Mar. 18. Huffman went 2 for 5 with a run and an RBI in Friday’s opener, an 11-6 win over CWU and went 2 for 4 in the nightcap with a run and an RBI. She opened Saturday’s doubleheader at Saint Martin’s by going 2 for 4, which included two RBIs and a triple. Huffman finished 7 for 16 in the four scheduled games with three runs and five RBIs. Also Nominated: Savannah Egbert (Central Washington), Macy Besuyen (Concordia), Cameron Cassinelli (Montana State Billings), Lindsay Miller (Saint Martin’s), Jackie Lucido (Western Washington).

SOFTBALL PITCHER
Haley Fabian (Western Oregon, P, 5-9, Jr., East Wenatchee, Wash. – Eastmont): Fabian earned two of Western Oregon’s wins over the weekend, including in the completion of the Mar. 18 halted game with Central Washington. In that halted game, Fabian allowed three runs on seven hits to hand the Wildcats their first GNAC loss of the season. Fabian then threw a two-hit shutout at Saint Martin’s on Saturday, allowing one walk and striking out five in a 6-0 win over the Saints in the opener. Also Nominated: Lexie Strasser (Central Washington), Maddy Lincoln (Montana State Billings), Lauren Maley (Saint Martin’s), Anna Kasner (Western Washington).

MEN’S TRACK
David Ribich (Western Oregon, Sr., Enterprise, Ore. - Enterprise): Ribich automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships as he placed second in the 800 meters at the Stanford Invitational. His time of 1:48.09 is also the second-fastest time in GNAC and Western Oregon history. Also Nominated: Liam Lindsay (Alaska Anchorage), Lamont Frisby (Montana State Billings), Guillaume Tabary (Saint Martin’s), Isaac Derline (Western Washington).

MEN’S FIELD
Alani Troutman (Western Oregon, So., Redmond, Ore. – Redmond): Troutman finished second in the long jump at the Stanford Invitational. His mark of 24 feet, 3.5 inches leads the GNAC and is No. 5 on the GNAC All-Time List. The performance is also an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier and is current seventh-best in Division II this season. Also Nominated: Brandon Nicholson (Alaska Anchorage), Giovanni Brown (Concordia), Beau Ackerman (Montana State Billings), Josh Schulz (Saint Martin’s), Alex Barry (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Caroline Kurgat (Alaska Anchorage, Sr., Eldoret, Kenya – Kapkenda): Kurgat shattered the GNAC and Alaska Anchorage records in the 10,000 meters at the Stanford Invitational. Kurgat placed seventh in the meet’s invitational race with a time of 32:33.64. The NCAA Championships automatic qualifying time is the second-fastest in Division II history, trailing only the 32:28.57 run by Sylvia Mosqueda of Cal State LA in 1988. The time shattered the GNAC record of 33:14.41 set by UAA’s Joyce Chelimo in 2016. Also Nominated: Michaela Johnson (Montana State Billings), Yadira Lopez (Saint Martin’s), Suzie Van De Grift (Western Oregon), Savannah Smith (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S FIELD
Raquel Pellecer (Western Washington, So., Sandy, Ore. – Portland State Univ.): Pellecer improved her NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark in the javelin at the Stanford Invitational, placing second in the women’s collegiate section with a mark of 157 feet, 2 inches. The performance moves Pellecer to No. 4 in Division II this season and she becomes the first GNAC athlete to throw over 150 feet this season. Also Nominated: Yvonne Jeschke (Alaska Anchorage), Chelsea Bone (Concordia), Hannah Nessan (Montana State Billings), Ashleigh Fraser (Saint Martin’s), Darian Wilson (Western Oregon).

MEN’S GOLF
Michael Butler (Western Washington, Jr., Sammamish, Wash. – IMG Academy): Butler led the Vikings to a sixth-place finish at the SoCal Intercollegiate. Butler tied for ninth place as he carded a three-round score of 5-over-par 221, which included a low 18-hole score of 71 in the opening round. It was Butler’s fourth consecutive top-20 tournament finish.