Monday, March 20, 2017

PORTLAND, Ore. – It was McKenzie Warren’s first ever outdoor track and field athlete as a GNAC athlete, but she simply continued where she left off during the indoor season to lead this week’s honorees for GNAC Players and Athletes of the Week.

The Concordia senior was named Women’s Field Athlete of the Week for the fifth time this season after she set a pair of GNAC outdoor records at the Lewis & Clark Spring Break Open in Portland. She won the shot put with a mark of 52 feet, 11 inches, breaking the conference record of 49 feet, 1 inch, set by Central Washington’s Krissy Tandle in 2009. Warren then won the hammer with a mark of 185 feet, 10 inches, breaking the record of 184 feet, 7 inches, set by Western Oregon’s Jennifer Durkin in 2003.

Warren added a second place finish in the discus with a mark of 155 feet, 3 inches, which places her No. 5 on the GNAC All-Time List.

Alaska Anchorage’s Travis Turner won the Men’s Field Athlete of the Week award as he won the decathlon at the Sacramento State Hornet Invitational. His score of 6,761 points is a NCAA Championships provisional qualifier, fifth best in Division II this season and No. 5 on the GNAC All-Time List. He won four of the 10 individual events.

Central Washington’s Mariyah Vongsaveng was named the Women’s Track Athlete of the Week after she won the 100-meter hurdles at the Buc Scoring Meet, a time that is an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier and tied for fifth best in Division II this season. Western Oregon’s Codi Blodgett was named the Men’s Track Athlete of the Week after he won the 100 meters and placed second in the 200 meters at the Lane Preview in Eugene.

On the diamond, Northwest Nazarene’s Billy King was selected as the Baseball Player of the Week after he batted 8 for 16 with three home runs, two doubles and four RBIs to lead the Crusaders to the series victory over Saint Martin’s. He had six of his hits on Saturday’s doubleheader, which included two home runs. Central Washington’s Mackenzie Gaul was named Baseball Pitcher of the Week for the third time this season, allowing just four hits in a complete-game seven-inning win in Sunday’s 4-0 win over Western Oregon.

Montana State Billings’ Cameron Cassinelli earned Softball Player of the Week honors after she batted .444 in the Yellowjackets’ three wins over Western Oregon in MSUB’s home opener. She went 4 for 9 with five walks, four runs, three homers, 10 RBIs, a .625 on-base percentage and a 1.556 slugging percentage. Northwest Nazarene’s Rylee Thomas was named the Softball Pitcher of the Week after she earned two wins for the Crusaders over Concordia. She allowed eight runs, six earned, with two walks and seven strikeouts in 12 innings.

Simon Fraser swept this week’s golf weekly awards. Chris Crisologo was named the Men’s Golf Player of the Week after he tied for third place at the Notre Dame de Namur Invitational, carding a three-round score of 1-under-par 215. He tied for the tournament’s lowest single round score with a 4-under-par 68 on the second round. Emily Leung earned her second Women’s Golf Player of the Week of the spring after she tied for third at the Interwest Chico State Invite with a two-round score of 9-over-par 153. She shot the tourney’s lowest round, a 1-under-par 71, on the second day of competition.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 29
BASEBALL PLAYER
Billy King (Northwest Nazarene, 1B/OF, 6-2, Sr., Anacortes, Wash. – Oregon State Univ.): King finished batting .500 as he went 8 for 16 with three home runs, two doubles and four RBIs as NNU took three of four games from Saint Martin’s. He went 3 for 4 with a double, a home run, three RBIs and a run scored in Saturday’s opener, an 11-8 victory, and then went 3 for 5 with a homer, two RBIs and two runs in the 13-5 win in the nightcap. Also Nominated: Austin Feist (Saint Martin’s), Kade Hall (Montana State Billings).

BASEBALL PITCHER
Mackenzie Gaul (Central Washington, P, 6-0, Jr., Winlock, Wash. – Univ. of Washington): Gaul threw his third complete-game seven-inning shutout of the season to lead the Wildcats to a 4-0 win over Western Oregon on Sunday. He allowed just four hits while striking out one. Of his 90 pitches in the game, 63 were strikes. Also Nominated: Nick Bland (Northwest Nazarene), Bryon Baker (Montana State Billings), Ryan Dorney (Saint Martin’s).

SOFTBALL PLAYER
Cameron Cassinelli (Montana State Billings, P/1B, 5-8, Jr., Santan Valley, Ariz. – Poston Butte): Cassinelli finished the four-game series with Western Oregon batting .444, going 4 for 9 with five walks, four runs, three home runs, 10 RBIs, a .625 on-base percentage and a 1.556 slugging percentage. She opened the series by going 2 for 4 with a two-run RBI and a two-run homer in Saturday’s 7-3 win, added a two-run homer in the nightcap and added a solo shot in Sunday’s opener, a 5-3 victory. Also Nominated: Corrie Wilson (Saint Martin’s), Emily Benson (Western Washington), Kylie Orr (Northwest Nazarene), Meghan Luebbert (Concordia).

SOFTBALL PITCHER
Rylee Thomas (Northwest Nazarene, P, 5-7, So., Spanaway, Wash. – Everett CC): Thomas picked up two of three wins for the Crusaders in their series win over Concordia. In 12 innings, Thomas allowed eight runs, six earned, on 14 hits with two walks and seven strikeouts. She allowed two runs on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts in Friday’s nightcap, a 11-2 victory. She also won Sunday’s night, 7-6, allowing six runs, four earned, on nine hits with five strikeouts. Also Nominated: Kim Nelson (Saint Martin’s), Anna Kasner (Western Washington), Maddy Lincoln (Montana State Billings).

MEN’S TRACK
Codi Blodgett (Western Oregon, So., Clatskanie, Ore. – Eastern Oregon Univ.): Blodgett placed first in the 100 meters at the Lane Preview with a time of 11.13 seconds and followed up with a second place finish in the 200 meters, clocking 22.85 seconds. Also Nominated: Latrelle Swayne (Saint Martin’s).

MEN’S FIELD
Travis Turner (Alaska Anchorage, Sr., Stockton, Calif. – Bear Creek) Competing near his hometown, Turner won his first decathlon of the season with a NCAA Championships provisional qualifying score of 6,761 points at the Sacramento State Hornet Invitational. The total currently ranks fifth in Division II this season and is No. 5 on the GNAC All-Time List. Turner was the winner of four of the 10 individual events, including the 100 meters (11.21), the shot put (40-0), 400 meters (50.01) and the 110-meter hurdles (14.85). Also Nominated: Jakob Chamberlin (Concordia), Kauanoe Vanderpoel (Saint Martin’s), Brandon Pless (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Mariyah Vongsaveng (Central Washington, So., Federal Way, Wash. – Federal Way): Vongsaveng opened her outdoor season by winning the 100-meter hurdles at the Buc Scoring Meet in a time of 14.26 seconds. She had over a second over the rest of the field as she hit a NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark as she is tied for the fifth best mark in Division II this season. Also Nominated: Brittany Grant (Western Washington), Alexi Whatley (Saint Martin’s).

WOMEN’S FIELD
McKenzie Warren (Concordia, Sr., Sandy, Ore. – Sandy): In her first outdoor track and field meet as a GNAC athlete, Warren set conference records in both the shot put and hammer at the L&C Spring Break Open. She won the shot put with a mark of 52 feet, 11 inches, breaking the GNAC record of 49-1 set by Central Washington’s Krissy Tandle in 2009. The marks leads Division II by over three feet. Warren won the hammer with a mark of 185 feet, 10 inches (second in Division II), breaking the GNAC record of 184 feet, 7 inches, set by Western Oregon’s Jennifer Dunkin in 2003. In addition, Warren placed second in the discus at 155 feet, 3 inches, placing her No. 5 on the GNAC All-Time List. Also Nominated: Deanna Avalos (Saint Martin’s), Jasmine McMullin (Western Washington).

MEN’S GOLF
Chris Crisologo (Simon Fraser, Jr., Richmond, B.C. – Vancouver Coll.): Crisologo tied for third individually at the Notre Dame de Namur Invitational with a three-round score of 1-under-par 215, leading the Clan to a seventh place team finish. He tied for the tournament’s low round with a 4-under-par 68 in the second round. Also Nominated: Jack Strickland (Northwest Nazarene).

WOMEN’S GOLF
Emily Leung (Simon Fraser, So., Richmond, B.C. – Yew Chung International): Leung tied for third place individually at the Interwest Chico State Invite, finishing at 9-over-par 153. She shot the tournament’s low round at 1-under-par 71 on the second day. Leung led Simon Fraser to a fifth place team finish. Also Nominated: Samantha Miller (Northwest Nazarene).