Tuesday, March 14, 2017
THIS WEEK'S GNAC ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MEN’S TRACK
Trevaughn Scott, Central Washington
Junior • Tacoma, Wash.
Scott won the 400 meters in a time of 49.92 seconds and placed fourth in the 200 meters in 22.61 seconds at the PLU Open. He also ran the second leg on the Wildcats’ winning 4x400-meter relay team (3:29.24). Scott’s time in the 400 meters leads the GNAC.
MEN’S FIELD
Brandon Pless, Western Washington
Senior • Sedro-Woolley, Wash.
Pless won the discus at the PLU Open with a personal best mark of 152 feet, 11 inches and placed second in the hammer with a throw of 174 feet, 10 inches. His mark in the discus is the leading mark in the GNAC this season.
WOMEN’S TRACK
Erykah Weems, Central Washington
Freshman • San Diego, Calif.
Weems won both the 200 meters and 400 meters and ran anchor on the Wildcats’ winning 4x400-meter relay team at the PLU Open. She won the 200 in 25.32 seconds and the 400 in 56.45 seconds, both of which lead the GNAC this season. The 4x400-meter relay team won with a time of 4:10.24, 15 seconds head of second place Pacific Lutheran.
WOMEN’S FIELD
Rachael Huffman, Western Oregon
Senior • Palmer, Alaska
Huffman won the discus at the Pacific Preview by 14 feet. Her mark of 144 feet, 5 inches, leads the GNAC and is No. 7 on the GNAC All-Time List in the event.
Also Nominated: Megan Mortensen (Western Washington).
AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage saw the 12 athletes it sent to the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships return as All-Americans, a school record haul.
• Junior Caroline Kurgat led the way after earning her fourth All-American trophy with a third place finish in the women’s 3,000 meters in 9:27.09. She also earned Second Team All-American honors with the women’s distance medley relay, which placed ninth in 11:36.55.
• Senior Dominik Notz picked up his third and fourth All-America trophies. He placed fourth in the 5,000 meters in 14:12.99 and then finished seven in the 3,000 meters, breaking his own GNAC record with a time of 8:07.28.
• Senior Jamie Ashcroft is an All-American after placing seventh in the women’s 200 meters in 24.13 seconds. She became the first UAA athlete to be named an All-American in an indoor sprinting event.
• The men’s 4x400-meter relay team of Nicholas Taylor, Liam Lindsay, Darrion Gray and Adam Commandeur placed eighth in a time of 3:13.69, the second fastest time in GNAC history. The women’s 4x400-meter relay of Ashcroft, Mary Kathleen Cross, Hayley Bezanson and Vanessa Aniteye placed seventh in 3:45.10, which is also the second fastest in GNAC history.
• Senior Travis Turner earned Second Team All-American honors in the men’s heptathlon, just missing the podium with a ninth place finish with 5,119 points.
• The Seawolves begin outdoor competition this weekend, competing at the Hornet Invitational on Friday and Saturday in Sacramento, Calif.
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington ended the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships with one First Team All-American and two second team selections.
• Senior McKenna Emmert earned First Team All-American honors with a fourth place finish in the women’s pole vault. She and Western Washington’s Anna Paradee tied with two others at 12 feet, 10.25 inches, with Emmert earning fourth on fewer misses. The duo set a GNAC record in the event, bettering the mark of 12 feet, 10 inches, set by Northwest Nazarene’s Alison Silva in 2014.
• Sophomore Maryiah Vongsaveng missed out on the finals of the women’s 60-meter hurdles by two-hundreths of a second, earning Second Team All-America honors with a 10th place time of 8.57 seconds. Senior Luke Plummer placed 13th in the men’s triple jump in 48 feet, 9.5 inches.
• Junior Trevaughn Scott was named GNAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week after he won the 400 meters at the PLU Open in 49.92 seconds and placed fourth in the 200 meters in 22.61 seconds. Both times are the best outdoors in the GNAC so far this season.
• Freshman Erykah Weems was named GNAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week after she won both the 200 meters in 25.32 seconds and the 400 meters in 56.45 seconds at the PLU Open. Both teams lead the conference outdoors this season.
• Senior Armando Tafoya has already provisionally qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships. His mark of 180 feet, 8 inches, in the men’s hammer at the PLU Open is fourth best nationally this season. Senior Angelique Whistocken is provisionally qualified in the women’s javelin. Her mark of 132 feet, 6 inches at the PLU Open in ninth in Division II.
• Central Washington continues its outdoor season at two meets this weekend. The Wildcats will compete at both the Buc Scoring Meet in Spokane, Wash., and at the L&C Spring Break Open in Portland, Ore.
CONCORDIA
• Concordia has been off for two weeks between the indoor and outdoor season. The Cavaliers will kickoff the outdoor portion of the schedule on Saturday at the L&C Spring Break Open in Portland.
• Senior McKenzie Warren finished her collegiate indoor career by placing sixth at the USA Track & Field Indoor Championships on Mar. 5 in Albuquerque, N.M. The only collegiate athlete in the field, Warren finished with a mark of 57 feet, 7 inches.
• In its second year as a GNAC program, Concordia took three of the four throwing events at the GNAC Indoor Track and Field Championships. Warren was a repeat champion in both the women’s shot put and the weight throw, winning the shot put with a mark of 55 feet, 10.25 inches, and the weight throw in 56 feet, 10.25 inches. Sophomore Sam Nichols won the men’s shot put with a mark of 51 feet, 6 inches.
• Concordia is in its third year of transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II membership. As such, the Cavaliers will not be eligible to compete at the NCAA Division II Championships.
MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings is in the midst of a long break between the indoor and outdoor seasons. The Yellowjackets will open their outdoor schedule when they compete at the Bobcat Invitational in Bozeman, Mont., on Sat., Mar. 25.
• Junior Sam Zook gave Montana State Billings its first GNAC indoor championship in a sprinting event, winning the 60 meters with a time of 6.90 seconds. Zook finished the indoor season with a best of 6.85 seconds, ranking him No. 4 on the GNAC All-Time List.
• Freshman Michaela Johnson was the Yellowjackets’ top women’s placer at the GNAC Championships, placing third in the 60-meter hurdles in 8.96 seconds.
NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene returned home from the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships with one First Team All-American and one second team selection.
• Junior Payton Lewis was an All-American in the men’s pole vault for second consecutive season. He placed third for the second straight year as he cleared 16 feet, 10.75 inches. It is Lewis’ fourth All-American trophy overall.
• After being entered at the last minute due to a medical scratch, senior Cole Hoberg earned Second Team All-America distinction as he placed 10th in the men’s high jump with a clearance of 6 feet, 9.5 inches.
• The Crusaders will not open their outdoor season until Fri., Mar. 31, when they travel to the Bay Area for the San Francisco State Distance Carnival and the Stanford Invitational.
SAINT MARTIN’S
• A second national championship and GNAC record for senior Mikel Smith in the men’s high jump and a pair of top-eight finishes for senior Shannon Porter led the Saints at the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships.
• Smith cleared 7 feet, 3.25 inches on his third attempt at the height to win his first indoor national title and his second NCAA title in the high jump overall. Smith had finished second indoors last year. The clearance surpassed his previous GNAC record of 7 feet, 3 inches, which he set at the GNAC Indoor Championships.
• Porter closed her collegiate career by being named a First Team All-American in the women’s 3,000 meters, placing fifth in a time of 9:29.47. She earned Second Team All-America laurels for a ninth place finish in the 5,000 meters with a time of 16:51.76.
• The Saints opened the outdoor season at the Ed Boitano Invitational on Mar. 4. The Saints yielded three NCAA Outdoor Championships provisional qualifiers in the women’s javelin. Deanna Avalos enters the week second in Division II with a mark 143 feet, 5 inches. Jona Spiller is fourth at 140 feet, 10 inches and Claire Palmiter is sixth at 134 feet, 10 inches.
• The Saints continue the outdoor schedule on Saturday, competing at the L&C Spring Break Open in Portland.
SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific’s efforts at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships were highlighted by the performance of the women’s distance medley relay.
• The team of Sarah Macdonald, Lani Taylor, Chynna Phan and Mary Charleson placed eighth, earning All-American honors with a time of 11:36.02. The time is the seventh fastest in GNAC history.
• Charleson just missed All-American honors in the women’s mile, placing 13th in the preliminaries in a time of 4:56.49.
• The Falcons will open the outdoor season on Saturday, competing at the L&C Spring Break Open in Portland.
SIMON FRASER
• Five Simon Fraser athletes earned First Team All-American honors while two more earned second team honors at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships.
• Senior Vladislav Tsygankov was an individual All-American two times over, placing fourth in the men’s 400 meters in a time of 48.39 seconds and seventh in the long jump with a mark of 24 feet, 1.75 inches. I twas his second All-American award in the long jump.
• In the process of placing fourth in the 400, Tsygankov reset the GNAC record in the event, beating the 47.80 second set by Joel Webster in 2016.
• Sophomore Addy Townsend became a two-time All-American in the women’s 800 meters, placing fourth with a 2:08.38, sixth on the GNAC All-Time List.
• The women’s distance medley relay team of Townsend, Chantel Desch, Alana Mussatto and Paige Nock earned All-American honors with a sixth place finish in a time of 11:33.62, the sixth fastest time in GNAC history.
• The Clan had two Second Team All-Americans in the women’s mile. Nock placed ninth with a time of 4:48.31 while Miryam Bassett placed 12th in 4:54.47.
• Simon Fraser opens its outdoor season on Sar., Mar. 25, taking part in a dual meet against Canadian rival British Columbia on the track at Terry Fox Field.
WESTERN OREGON
• Every Western Oregon athlete entered at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships came home an All-American, capping an exceptional meet for the Wolves.
• The men’s distance medley relay team of Dustin Nading, AJ Holmberg, Josh Dempsey and David Ribich won the national title in a Division II record time, edging out Adams State 9:40.144 to 9:40.145. The two programs officially tied for the Division II record, surpassing the mark of 9:40.55 set by Abilene Christian in 2005.
• Ribich and Nading also earned All-American honors in the men’s mile. Ribich placed third in 4:06.72 after running 4:05.12 in the preliminaries while Nading placed fourth in a time of 4:06.85.
• Dempsey earned a solo All-American trophy in the men’s 800 meters as he placed sixth in a time of 1:51.20.
• Junior Suzie Van De Grift and sophomore Olivia Woods were both named All-Americans in the women’s 800 meters. Van De Grift placed fifth in 2:09.10 while Woods placed sixth in 2:09.26. The times are eighth and ninth, respectively on the GNAC all-time list.
• The Western Oregon tied for sixth in the men’s team competition with 24 points, the best men’s team performance in the meet for a GNAC program.
• In outdoor competition, senior Rachael Huffman was named GNAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week after she won the discus at the Pacific Preview. Her mark of 144 feet, 5 inches, places her seventh on the GNAC All-Time List.
• Junior Amanda Short currently leads Division II in the women’s javelin with her mark of 148 feet, 7 inches, at the Willamette Opener. The mark is a provisional qualifer for the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
• Western Oregon will be back in action this weekend at the L&C Spring Break Open in Portland.
WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Anna Paradee came home as an All-American and a GNAC record holder with her performance at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.
• Paradee placed seventh in the women’s pole vault with a mark of 12 feet, 10.25 inches. She tied with four other athletes at the height and was awarded seventh based on fewest misses. With the mark, she shares the GNAC record with Central Washington’s McKenna Emmert, who placed third. The previous record was 12 feet, 10 inches, set by Northwest Nazarene’s Alison Silva in 2014.
• On the outdoor schedule, Western Washington sent a select number of athletes to the PLU Open in Parkland, Wash. Senior Brandon Pless was named the GNAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week after he won the discus with a GNAC best mark of 152 feet, 11 inches and second in the hammer with a throw of 174 feet, 10 inches.
• Senior Megan Mortensen won the women’s discus at the PLU Open with a mark of 136 feet, 5 inches and placed fifth in the hammer with a throw of 132 feet, 3 inches.
• The Vikings’ outdoor season continues on Saturday at the L&C Spring Break Open in Portland.