Saturday, February 18, 2017

NAMPA, Idaho – It was going to take another extraordinary effort from the distances to repeat, but the harriers from Alaska Anchorage pulled through to help lead the Seawolves to their third consecutive championship at the GNAC Men’s Indoor Track & Field Championships on the Jacksons Track at the Ford Idaho Center.

Fifty-four of the Seawolves total of 154 points came out races a mile in length or longer as UAA claimed its third crown in as many years. Western Oregon finished in second place with 82 points. Northwest Nazarene finished third with 78 points, one point ahead of fourth place Simon Fraser (77).

Seniors Dominik Notz and Tevin Gladden led the way for UAA. A day after claiming the 5,000-meter crown, Notz placed third in the mile (4:14.38) and second in the 3,000 meters (8:33.20). Gladden brought home a second place finish in long jump and third place finishes in the high jump and triple jump. Senior Travis Turner won a close race to claim the 60-meter hurdles title in a time of 8.32 seconds. He also placed second in the heptathlon with a score of 5,211 points.

Western Oregon was led by a double championship by junior David Ribich. He opened the Saturday session by fending off teammate Dustin Nading to win the mile in a meet record time of 4:10.01. After a couple of hours off, Ribich returned in the 3,000 meters to hold off Notz, the defending champion, and claim the title in a time of 8:29.77. Senior Josh Dempsey was the champion in the 800 meters, finishing just ahead of Nading with a time of 1:52.47.

The Crusaders saw Payton Lewis repeat as pole vault champion on Friday. He added a second place finish in the 60-meter hurdles on Saturday. Senior Ebu Camara, meanwhile, surged in front of the home crowd to win the 200-meter championship in a time of 21.07 seconds.

Simon Fraser was led by Men’s Athlete of the Meet Vladislav Tsygankov. The senior repeated as the long jump champion on Friday with a mark of 24 feet, 2.25 inches, and added the 400 meters on Saturday with a time of 48.01 seconds. The Clan also received titles from both Friday’s distance medley relay and the 4x400-meter relay.

Central Washington’s Luke Plummer became the first four-time GNAC men’s indoor individual champion as he tied his own GNAC and meet record to win the triple jump with a mark of 49 feet, 5 inches. Senior Kodiak Landis captured the heptathlon title with a lifetime best score of 5,269 points, which is the third best total in GNAC history. Armando Tafoya won the men’s weight throw on Friday with his mark of 57 feet.

Junior Zam Zook gave Montana State Billings a championship in the 60 meters, crossing the line in 6.90 seconds. Sophomore Sam Nichols produced Concordia’s second shot put title in as many years with a winning mark of 51 feet, 5.75 inches.

Saint Martin’s senior Mikel Smith produced perhaps the most impressive record of the meet in Friday’s session, breaking his own meet and GNAC records in the high jump with a mark of 7 feet, 3 inches.

MEN’S TEAM SCORES: Alaska Anchorage 154, Western Oregon 82, Northwest Nazarene 78, Simon Fraser 77, Concordia 66.5, Central Washington 65, Western Washington 64, Saint Martin’s 36.5, Montana State Billings 29.5, Seattle Pacific 11.

MEN’S ATHLETE OF THE MEET: Vladislav Tsygankov, Simon Fraser