Monday, March 21, 2016

PORTLAND, Ore. – Dominant pitching performances on both the baseball and softball diamonds topped the most recent selections for GNAC Players of the Week.

Concordia’s Austin Hadley was selected as the Baseball Pitcher of the Week after his performance in the Cavaliers’ 8-1 victory at Montana State Billings on Saturday. In six innings of work, Hadley allowed just three hits and struck out 11. Central Washington’s Kayla Smith was named the Softball Pitcher of the Week as she won both of the Wildcats’ games in their split with Northwest Nazarene, allowing just one run on seven hits and two walks in her first collegiate starts. She threw a complete-game three-hitter on Friday as the Wildcats won 8-0 in six innings.

At the plate, Montana State Billings swept the honors. Adam Cox was named the Baseball Player of the Week after he went 6 for 12 in the Yellowjackets’ series with Northwest Nazarene. All of his hits went for extra bases, including three doubles, a triple and two home runs. Myrissa Prince was named the Softball Player of the Week after she went 7 for 14 in the four-game series with Saint Martin’s, which included two home runs (one grand slam) in the Yellowjackets’ win in Sunday’s finale.

Also excelling in her first collegiate performance was Northwest Nazarene’s Ellie Logan. A two-time All-GNAC selection in women’s basketball, Logan won the javelin in her first collegiate track competition to earn Women’s Field Athlete of the Week honors. At the Eastern Oregon Team Challenge, Logan threw 146 feet, 4.25 inches, and in the process hit a provisional qualifying mark for the NCAA Championships. The performance is fourth in the GNAC and ninth in Division II this season.

The league’s other three track and field weekly honorees also had NCAA Championships provisional qualifying marks. Jalen Tims of Seattle Pacific was named the Women’s Track Athlete of the Week after her second place finish in the 400-meter hurdles at the Lewis & Clark Spring Break Open. Her time of 1:01.30 is fourth best in Division II this season and fourth best all-time in the GNAC. Saint Martin’s Matt Dehan was selected as Men’s Field Athlete of the Week after hitting a school record height of 16 feet, 2 inches, in the pole vault at the L&C Spring Break Open, the fourth best mark in Division II this season. Western Oregon’s Josh Hanna earned Men’s Track Athlete of the Week after he ran 1:51.72 in the L&C meet, tying him for the fifth best mark in Division II.

Simon Fraser’s Kevin Vigna was selected as the Men’s Golf Player of the Week after he tied for runner-up honors at the Notre Dame de Namur Argonaut Invitational with a three-round score of even-par 216. Vigna led the Clan to a second place team finish in the tournament.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 29
BASEBALL PLAYER
Adam Cox (Montana State Billings, P, 6-3, So., Encino, Calif. - Taft): Cox went 6 for 12, with all of his hits going for extra bases, as the Yellowjackets split their weekend series with Northwest Nazarene. His line included three doubles, a triple, two home runs, six RBI, five runs, a 1.417 slugging percentage and a .625 on-base percentage. Cox went 3 for 5 with two doubles, a triple and three RBI in game one on Friday. Also Nominated: Andrew Helmstadter (Northwest Nazarene), Josh Sontag (Saint Martin’s), Tanner Williams (Concordia).

BASEBALL PITCHER
Austin Hadley (Concordia, P/IF, 6-0, 160, Sr., Vancouver, Wash. - Evergreen): In Concordia’s 8-1 road victory over Montana State Billings on Saturday, Hadley allowed just three hits and stuck out 11 in six innings of work. The performance allowed the Cavaliers to come home with a split with the Yellowjackets. Also Nominated: Cody Cooper (Montana State Billings), Blake Mitchell (Northwest Nazarene), Aaron Shoup (Saint Martin’s).

SOFTBALL PLAYER
Myrissa Prince (Montana State Billings, 2B, 5-8, So., Sparks, Nev. – Spanish Springs): Prince led the Yellowjackets in their four-game series with Saint Martin’s by hitting. 500 (7 for 14) with five runs, right RBI, a double, a triple, two home runs and a 1.143 slugging percentage. She capped her series by going 2 for 3 with a grand slam in the fourth inning and a game-ending homer in the sixth in Sunday’s finale. Also Nominated: Taylor Bussey (Concordia), Lisa Sylvester (Northwest Nazarene), Austin Wilkerson (Central Washington).

SOFTBALL PITCHER
Kayla Smith (Central Washington, P/OF, 5-4, Fr., Buckley, Wash. – White River): Smith pitched Central Washington to their two wins in their split with Northwest Nazarene, allowing one run on seven hits and two walks in 13 innings of work, in her first collegiate starts. She threw a complete-game three-hitter in the Wildcats’ 8-0, six-inning win on Friday and then allowed one run on four hits in Saturday’s 3-1 win. Also Nominated: Maddie Boucher (Concordia), Brooke Bonsen (Northwest Nazarene).

MEN’S TRACK
Josh Hanna (Western Oregon, Sr., Quincy, Calif. - Quincy): Hanna ran a NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark in the 800 meters at the Lewis & Clark Spring Break Open, placing second in the race with a time of 1:51.72. The time currently leads the GNAC and is tied for fifth best in Division II this season. Also Nominated: Isaac Mitchell (Northwest Nazarene), Latrelle Swayne (Saint Martin’s).

MEN’S FIELD
Matt Dehan (Saint Martin’s, So., Yelm, Wash. - Yelm): Dehan won the pole vault at the Lewis & Clark Spring Break Open with a school record clearance of 16 feet, 2 inches. The mark easily bettered the previous Saints’ record of 15 feet, 4.5 inches, set last season. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark is the best in the GNAC and fourth in Division II this season. Also Nominated: John Haskin (Western Washington). Josh Koch (Concordia), Jared Webster (Northwest Nazarene).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Jalen Tims (Seattle Pacific, Sr., Portland, Ore. – Lane CC): Tims ran a personal best 1:01.30 in the 400-meter hurdles at the Lewis & Clark Spring Break Classic, finishing second to an athlete from Oregon State. The performance leads the GNAC, is a NCAA Championships provisional qualifier, fourth best in Division II this season and is the fourth best time in GNAC history. Also Nominated: Nicole Pederson (Concordia), Lisa Peterson (Saint Martin’s), Lexi Tubbs (Northwest Nazarene).

WOMEN’S FIELD
Ellie Logan (Northwest Nazarene, Fr., Fossil, Ore. - Wheeler): Competing in her first collegiate track meet, Logan set a school record in the javelin at the Eastern Oregon Team Challenge with a mark of 146 feet, 4.25 inches. In winning the event, Logan set a NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark with the fourth best mark in the GNAC this season and the ninth best in Division II. Also Nominated: Bethany Drake (Western Washington), Christina MacDonald (Concorda), Kirby Neale (Saint Martin’s).

MEN’S GOLF
Kevin Vigna (Simon Fraser, Jr., Coquitlam, B.C.): Vigna tied for second at the Notre Dame de Namur Argonaut Invitational, carding a three-round score of even-par 216. His best round was the first where he shot a three-under-par 69. Vigna led the Clan to a second place team finish with a score of 887. Also Nominated: Kevin Cullen (Saint Martin’s), Jack Strickland (Northwest Nazarene).