Monday, January 28, 2019

PORTLAND, Ore. – For the second straight meet, Caroline Kurgat set a Division II record.

The Alaska Anchorage senior didn’t only surpass the record, but blew it away in the 5,000 meters at the UW Invitational to lead the selections for GNAC Athletes of the Week. Kurgat was named the Women’s Track Athlete of the Week after she won the race on Saturday in Seattle in a time of 15:28.46.

The Division II all-conditions best smashed the record mark of 16:01.59 set by Neely Spence of Shippensburg in 2011. Kurgat’s time is the best by a collegian this season (all levels), ranks No. 12 in the world this year and is the 20th fastest time ever run by a collegiate woman in the event. Two weeks ago, Kurgat set the Division II all-conditions best in the 3,000 meters on the Dempsey Indoor oval.

For the second straight week, Concordia sophomore Chelsea Bone earned Women’s Field Athlete of the Week honors. Bone reset her own school record in the pentathlon at the UW Invitational with a score of 3,514 points. The mark moves Bone to No. 7 on the GNAC All-Time List and is No. 14 in Division II this season. The only Division II competitor in the event, Bone placed 13th overall and finished fourth in the final event, the 800 meters.

Cavaliers’ senior multi-eventer Giovanni Brown and Saint Martin’s freshman jumper Tyler Cronk shared the Men’s Field Athlete of the Week award. Brown finished eighth in the heptathlon at the UW Invitational with a score of 4,985 points, moving up to No. 2 in the GNAC this season and No. 7 on the GNAC All-Time List. Cronk finished second in the high jump in Seattle. He tied Utah State’s Leaugen Fray-Benoit with a clearance of 6 feet, 9.75 inches, with Fray-Benoit award first based on fewer misses.

Simon Fraser sophomore Pierre-Louis Detourbe earned Men’s Track Athlete of the Week after his first-ever indoor meet. Detourbe was the top Division I finisher in the 3,000 meters at the UW Invitational, placing 10th in a time of 8:16.19. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time is No. 8 in Division II this season and just missed the GNAC All-Time List.

The Clan also picked up the Women’s Basketball Player of the Week award thanks to sophomore forward Ozioma Nwabuko after she led SFU to two wins, including an upset of No. 1 Northwest Nazarene. Nwabuko finished with 35 points and 21 rebounds in the two games, shooting 76.4 percent from the field. She opened the week with a double-double of 24 points and 11 rebounds in Thursday’s 79-69 win over Central Washington, shooting 9 of 11 from the field and 6 of 6 from the free throw line. Nwabuko added another double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds in the 76-73 win over the Nighthawks on Saturday.

Saint Martin’s senior guard Chandler Redix rounded out selections as the Men’s Basketball Player of the Week, finishing with 40 points and seven rebounds while shooting 72.2 percent from the field and 60 percent from three-point range in two wins. He led the Saints with 24 points on 9 of 12 from the field to go with six rebounds in Tuesday’s 80-63 win over Seattle Pacific. Redix then finished with 16 points on 4 of 6 from the field and 6 of 8 from the free throw line in Thursday’s 76-74 come-from-behind win at Montana State Billings.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 22
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Chandler Redix (Saint Martin’s, G, 6-2, Sr., Apple Valley, Calif. – Kentucky Wesleyan Univ.): Redix led the Saints to a pair of wins to pad their first-place lead in the GNAC, scoring 40 points with seven rebounds in two games as he made 72.2 percent of his shots from the field and 60 percent from three-point range. Redix finished with 24 points to help lead SMU in Tuesday’s 80-63 win over Seattle Pacific. He went 9 for 12 from the field with four three-pointers. Redix followed that up with 16 points in Thursday’s 76-74 come-from-behind win at Montana State Billings. He went 4 for 6 from the field and 6 of 8 from the free throw line. Also Nominated: Tyler Brimhall (Alaska Anchorage), Gamaun Boykin (Central Washington), Jarrett Gray (Concordia), Brendan Howard (Montana State Billings), Adonis Arms (Northwest Nazarene), Julian Roche (Simon Fraser), Kaleb Warner (Western Oregon), Trevor Jasinsky (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Ozioma Nwabuko (Simon Fraser, F, 5-11, So., Port Coquitlam, B.C. – Riverside): Nwabuko led the Clan with 35 points in a pair of home wins, shooting 76.4 percent from the field, with 21 rebounds and six assists. She opened the week with a double-double of 24 points and 11 rebounds in Thursday’s 79-69 win over Central Washington. She shot 9 of 11 from the field and 6 of 6 from the free throw line. Nwabuko then contributed 11 points and 10 rebounds on 4 of 6 from the field in Saturday’s 76-73 upset of No. 1 Northwest Nazarene. Of her 21 rebounds on the week, 12 were on the offensive glass. Also Nominated: Sala Langi (Alaska Anchorage), Kassidy Malcolm (Central Washington), Keesha Sarman (Concordia), Taryn Shelley (Montana State Billings), Marina Valles (Northwest Nazarene), Makennz Schultz (Saint Martin’s), Natalie DeLonge (Western Oregon), Emma Duff (Western Washington).

MEN’S TRACK
Pierre-Louis Detourbe (Simon Fraser, So., Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise, France): The top Division II finisher in the 3,000 meters at the UW Invitational, Detourbe placed 10th in a time of 8:16.19. Hitting an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark in his first-ever indoor meet, Detourbe now has the No. 8 best mark in Division II this season and just missed a spot on the GNAC All-Time List. Also Nominated: Jackson hand (Saint Martin’s), Tyler Jones (Western Oregon), Koby Okezie (Western Washington).

MEN’S FIELD
Giovanni Brown (Concordia, Sr., Erie, Pa. – Lane CC): Competing in his first heptathlon of the season, Brown hit an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark with his score of 4,985 points at the UW Invitational. The mark is second-best in the GNAC this season and is No. 7 on the GNAC All-Time List. Brown placed eighth in the primarily Division I field.

Tyler Cronk (Saint Martin’s, Fr., Kent, Wash. – Kentridge): Cronk continued his great collegiate start, placing second in the high jump at the UW Invitational. Cronk and Utah State’s Leaugen Fray-Benoit both cleared 6 feet, 9.75, inches, with Fray-Benoit awarded first place based on fewer misses. Also Nominated: Brady Ostermiller (Montana State Billings), Mont Child (Western Oregon).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Caroline Kurgat (Alaska Anchorage, Sr., Eldoret, Kenya – Kapkenda): For the second time in as many races, Kurgat set a Division II all-time all-conditions best, this time in the 5,000 meters at the UW Invitational. Her winning time of 15:28.46 was 33 seconds faster than the official Division II record of 16:01.59 set by Neely Spence of Shippensburg in 2011. It is the top collegiate time in the event this season (all levels) and is the 20th fastest time ever in the indoor 5,000 meters by a collegian. The performance is also the 12th fastest in the world this season. Also Nominated: Alexa Shindruk (Central Washington), Chase Stephens (Concordia), Ariya Kendrick (Saint Martin’s), Addy Townsend (Simon Fraser), Olivia Woods (Western Oregon), Sophia Galvez (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S FIELD
Chelsea Bone (Concordia, So., Oregon City, Ore. – Clackamas CC): For the second straight week, Bone set the Concordia record in the pentathlon. At the UW Invitational, Bone finished with a score 3,514 points. While finishing in 13th place, she was the only Division II athlete in the competition and finished fourth in the 800 meters. The mark moves Bone to No. 7 on the GNAC All-Time List and ranks No. 14 in Division II this season. Also Nominated: Samantha La Rue (Central Washington), Keshara Romain (Saint Martin’s), Mariah Gronbach (Western Oregon), Maddie Taylor (Western Washington).