Friday, March 24, 2017

PORTLAND, Ore. – Two of the fastest athletes on the track during the indoor season are being recognized as the Great Northwest Athletic Conference’s Athletes of the Year, leading the list of indoor track and field special awards winners for the 2017 season.

Western Oregon junior David Ribich was named by the conference’s coaches as the Male Athlete of the Year after an indoor season that saw him break a pair of GNAC records and one national record. Ribich set the conference record in the mile with a time of 4:02.30 at January’s UW Invitational before claiming both the mile and 3,000-meter titles at the GNAC Indoor Championships. Ribich went on to place third in the mile at the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships.

Ribich also ran the anchor leg on the Wolves’ national champion distance medley relay, which set a Division II all-time record by winning the race in a time of 9:40.15 while winning the race by one-thousandth of a second over Adams State.

Simon Fraser sophomore Addy Townsend was voted as the Female Athlete of the Year after she eanred a pair of All-American trophies in her second collegiate season. Townsend placed fourth in the 800 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships in a lifetime best time of 2:08.38, ranking her sixth on the GNAC All-Time List. She went on to run the leadoff leg on the Clan’s sixth place distance medley relay team to become a repeat All-American in both events.

Townsend was as repeat GNAC indoor champion in the 800 meters with a time of 2:12.09 and also ran the leadoff leg on the conference champion DMR.

Ribich’s counterpart in both the mile and the DMR, sophomore Dustin Nading, was named as the Male Newcomer of the Year. The transfer from Colby College in Kansas finished fourth at the NCAA Championships in the mile, just behind Ribich, in a time of 4:06.85. He also ran the leadoff leg on the national champion DMR team. His best in the mile of 4:05.22 tied him for 10th in Division II this season. Nading also finished second at the GNAC Championships in both the mile (4:10.93) and the 800 meters (1:53.80).

It is second Newcomer of the Year award for Nading this season. He won the same honor during the cross country season after finishing 10th at the GNAC Championships.

Seattle Pacific’s Scout Cai was named the Female Freshman of the Year after she led the Falcons to a top-three sweep in the pentathlon at the GNAC Championships. Cai earned the multi-event title with a score of 3,499 points, ranking fifth on the GNAC All-Time List. She went on to place fourth in the pole vault at 12 feet, 0.5 inches, and tied for seventh in the high jump at 5 feet, 1.25 inches. Her score in the pentathlon was 22nd best in Division II and her pole vault mark was a NCAA Championships provisional qualifier.

Concordia’s Adam Brown earned the Male Freshman of the Year award. Brown picked up a runner-up finish in the 200 meters in his first conference meet, running a time of 22.02 seconds, and placed sixth in the 400 meters in a school record time of 48.69 seconds.

The Coach of the Year awards went to two coaches in both genders. Michael Friess of Alaska Anchorage and Mike Johnson of Western Oregon shared the Men’s Coach of the Year award. Friess led the Alaska Anchorage men to a third consecutive GNAC indoor title with a score of 154 points and went on to a 28th place finish at the national meet. Johnson coached the Wolves to a second place GNAC Championships finish and tied for sixth place at the NCAA meet, the best ever team finish for a GNAC squad. All five WOU male athleters who went to nationals came home as All-American.

Karl Lerum of Seattle Pacific and Brit Townsend of Simon Fraser shared the Women’s Coach of the Year honors. Lerum led the Falcons to their first GNAC title since 2015 and the 10th in program history. Townsend saw her Clan athletes finish second at the GNAC Championships and place 24th at the NCAA meet behind the All-American performance of her daughter, Addy, and the DMR squad.

GNAC 2017 INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD SPECIAL AWARDS WINNERS
Male Athlete of the Year: David Ribich, Western Oregon
Female Athlete of the Year: Addy Townsend, Simon Fraser
Male Freshman of the Year: Adam Brown, Concordia
Female Freshman of the Year: Scout Cai, Seattle Pacific
Male Newcomer of the Year: Dustin Nading, Western Oregon
Female Newcomer of the Year: None Selected
Men's Coaches of the Year: Michael Friess, Alaska Anchorage & Mike Johnson, Western Oregon
Women's Coaches of the Year: Karl Lerum, Seattle Pacific & Brit Townsend, Simon Fraser