Monday, April 29, 2019

PORTLAND, Ore. – Western Oregon junior Austin Crowson and Montana State Billings junior Daniel Cipriano were almost impossible to beat over the weekend as the pair lead the latest GNAC Player of the Week selections.

Crowson was named the Baseball Pitcher of the Week after he threw the fifth no-hitter in GNAC history on Thursday, beating Concordia 2-0 in the second game of the doubleheader, Crowson allowed four walks and struck out one in the seven-inning no-hitter. He did not allow a base runner until two outs in the third inning and retired 11 straight to end the game.

Cipriano was named the Baseball Player of the Week after he went 9 for 13 with nine runs, eight RBI, a double and three home runs to lead MSUB to a four-game sweep of Central Washington. Cipriano had two hits in both of Friday’s games, which included a two-run homer in the second game. He then went 3 for 4 in Saturday’s opener with a solo home run before hitting a pair of solo homers in the nightcap.

Central Washington senior Kayla Smith is the last Softball Player of the Week for 2019 after she led the Wildcats at the plate as they secured the GNAC regular-season title. Smith went 7 for 11 in the four road games with three RBI and a pair of stolen bases. Smith went 2 for 3 in both games against Concordia on Saturday and finished by going 2 for 3 with an RBI single in the second game at Western Oregon on Sunday.

Western Oregon senior Haley Fabian was named the Softball Pitcher of the Week after she threw for two wins to help the Wolves secure the No. 2 seed in the GNAC Championships. Fabian allowed one run on five hits with seven strikeouts to beat Saint Martin’s on Saturday, 7-1, and then allowed three runs, two earned, on nine hits with a walk and two strikeouts in Sunday’s 4-3 win over Central Washington.

Northwest Nazarene senior Jake Knight earned the GNAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week for the third consecutive week after he set the GNAC record in the discus at the Idaho/Utah Border Clash. Knight won with a mark of 183 feet, surpassing the previous record of 182 feet, 8 inches set by Concordia’s Caleb Bridge in 2017.

Central Washington junior Halle Irvine picked up the Women’s Field Athlete of the Week award for her win in the pole vault at the Ralph Vernacchia Invitational. Her winning mark of of 12 feet, 9.5 inches, moves her into a tie for 14th in Division II this season and ranks her No. 2 on the GNAC All-Time List.

Concordia sophomore Macie Allen was named the Women’s Track Athlete of the Week after she moved to No. 2 on the GNAC All-Time List in the 100 meters with her win at the OSU High Performance Meet. Her time of 11.78 seconds leads the GNAC and is tied for 21st in Division II this season.

Simon Fraser senior Josh Adehmar was selected as the Men’s Track Athlete of the Week after he won the 400-meter hurdles at the Ralph Vernacchia Invitational with a time of 54.75 seconds. The time is an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier and ranks second in the GNAC this season.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 35
BASEBALL PLAYER
Daniel Cipriano (Montana State Billings, IF/P, 6-3, Jr., Agoura Hills, Calif. – Moorpark Coll.): Cipriano finished with a .692 batting average in a four-game sweep of Central Washington, going 9 for 13 with nine runs, eight RBI, a double and three home runs. He amassed a 1.462 slugging percentage and a .800 on-base percentage as he reached on 10 of 16 plate appearances. Cipriano went 2 for 4 in Friday’s opener and went 2 for 2 in the nightcap, scoring two runs along with a two-run homer in the fifth. Cipriano opened Saturday by going 3 for 4 with an RBI single and a solo home run in the 29-4 opener and then went 2 for 3 with a pair of solo home runs in the nightcap. Also Nominated: Micah McNicoll (Saint Martin’s).

BASEBALL PITCHER
Austin Crowson (Western Oregon, P, 6-5, Jr., Monroe, Ore. – Lane CC): Crowson pitched the fifth no-hitter in GNAC history and the first since 2015, going the distance in the Wolves’ 2-0 seven-inning win at Concordia on Thursday. He allowed four walks and struck out nine. Crowson did not allow a base runner until the two outs in the third inning and retired 11 straight to end the game. Also Nominated: Dylan Diaz (Concordia), Sterling Lay (Montana State Billings), Clark Streby (Saint Martin’s).

SOFTBALL PLAYER
Kayla Smith (Central Washington, P, 5-4, Sr., Buckley, Wash. – White River): Smith finished with a .636 batting average, a .615 on-base percentage and a .636 slugging percentage as she helped the Wildcats clinch the GNAC regular-season title. She went 7 for 11 in the four road games with a run, three RBI and two stolen bases. Smith went 2 for 3 in both of Saturday’s wins over Concordia and scored a run in the second game. Smith went 1 for 2 in Sunday’s opener at Western Oregon, which included an RBI single in the first and a sacrifice fly, and went 2 for 3 with an RBI single in the nightcap. Also Nominated: Marisa Stockton (Concordia), Hailee Gregerson (Montana State Billings), Anna Williams (Northwest Nazarene), Alyssa French (Saint Martin’s), Ayanna Arceneaux (Western Oregon), Paityn Cyr (Western Washington).

SOFTBALL PITCHER
Haley Fabian (Western Oregon, P, 5-9, Sr., East Wenatchee, Wash. – Eastmont): Fabian pitched the Wolves to two wins to help WOU secure the No. 2 seed in the GNAC Championships. Fabian went the distance in a 7-1 win over Saint Martin’s on Saturday, allowing one run on five hits with seven strikeouts. She then tossed a complete-game 4-3 win over Central Washington on Sunday, allowing three runs, two earned, on nine hits with a walk and two strikeouts. Also Nominated: Lexie Strasser (Central Washington), Mckenzie Smith (Concordia), Alyssa Etheridge (Montana State Billings), Brandi Schoessler (Saint Martin’s), Shearyna Labasan (Western Washington).

MEN’S TRACK
Josh Adehmar (Simon Fraser, Sr., Abbotsford, B.C. – WJ Mouat): Adehmar won the 400-meter hurdles at the Ralph Vernacchia Invitational. His time of 54.75 seconds is an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier and ranks second in the GNAC this season. Also Nominated: Rajesh Gill (Central Washington), Andrey Gamza (Concordia), Sam Zook (Montana State Billings), Andrew Oslin (Saint Martin’s), Codi Blodgett (Western Oregon), Karlington Anunagba (Western Washington).

MEN’S FIELD
Jake Knight (Northwest Nazarene, Sr., Meridian, Idaho- Boise State Univ.): Knight moved up the record board once again, setting the GNAC record in the discus at the Idaho/Utah Border Clash. His winning mark of 183 feet surpassed the previous GNAC record of 182 feet, 8 inches, set by Caleb Bridge of Concordia in 2017. The mark ranks Knight sixth in Division II and is just short of the NCAA Championships automatic qualifying mark of 184 feet, 1 inch. Also Nominated: Aidan Cain (Central Washington), Caleb Bridge (Concordia), Brady Ostermiller (Montana State Billings), Craig Boyle (Saint Martin’s), Zackary Kuzyk (Simon Fraser), Sam Cole (Western Oregon), Mason Salley (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Macie Allen (Concordia, So., Gresham, Ore. – Western Washington Univ.): Allen won the 100 meters at the OSU High Performance Meet, bettering a group of primarily Division I competitors. Her time of 11.78 seconds is No. 2 on the GNAC All-Time List, leads the GNAC this season and is tied for 21st in Division II this season. Also Nominated: Alexa Shindruk (Central Washington), Anne Lory Chevalier (Montana State Billings), Artresa Nickelson (Saint Martin’s), Renate Bluschke (Saint Martin’s), Grace Knapp (Western Oregon).

WOMEN’S FIELD
Halle Irvine (Central Washington, Jr., Yakima, Wash. – West Valley): Irvine won the pole vault at the Ralph Vernacchia Invitational with a personal best mark of 12 feet, 9.5 inches. The performance moves Irvine up to No. 2 on the GNAC All-Time List and improves her to a tie for 14th in Division II this season. Also Nominated: Elizabeth Stottlemyre (Concordia), Janessa Williams (Montana State Billings), Ellie Logan (Northwest Nazarene), Liz Larson (Saint Martin’s), Moana Gianotti (Western Oregon), Amanda Short (Western Washington).