Wednesday, January 15, 2020

GNAC ATHLETES OF THE WEEK  (DEC. 16)
MEN’S TRACK
Logan Blake, Northwest Nazarene
Senior • Bend, Ore.

Blake opened his indoor season by winning the 600 meters at the Jackson’s Open with a time of 1:24.45. He went on to place third in the 200 meters in a time of 22.43 seconds.

Also Nominated: Bobby Widmar (Central Washington), Michael Russell (Saint Martin’s).

MEN’S FIELD
Aidan Cain, Central Washington
Senior • Monroe, Wash.

Cain opened his 2019-20 season by winning the weight throw at the Jackson’s Open on Saturday, finishing with a throw of 55 feet, 3.5 inches. Cain also took second in the shot put with an effort of 51 feet, 4.25 inches.

Also Nominated: Josh Schulz (Saint Martin’s).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Sidney Trinidad, Central Washington
Junior • Arlington, Wash.

Trinidad earned an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark with a second-place finish in the 400 meters at the Jackson’s Open. Her time of 56.19 seconds ranks No. 9 on the GNAC All-Time List and is No. 6 in Division II this season. The performance is Trinidad’s second provisional qualifier in the season after hitting a qualifying mark in the pentathlon at the Candy Cane XII Meet.

WOMEN’S FIELD
Keshara Romain, Saint Martin’s
Sophomore • Lacey, Wash.

Romain opened the season by automatically qualifying for the NCAA Championships in the long jump and triple jump at the Jackson’s Open. She won the event with a mark of 41 feet, 6 inches. The mark ranks No. 1 in Division II this season by 16 inches and is No. 7 in all divisions. It also moves her to No. 2 on the GNAC All-Time List. Romain also won the long jump with a school-record mark of 18 feet, 10.75 inches, ranking her No. 7 on the GNAC All-Time List and ninth in Division II.

Also Nominated: Halle Irvine (Central Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage will open the 2020 indoor season this Saturday, competing in the UW Preview in Seattle.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington has already competed in two meets this season, taking part in the Candy Cane XII on Dec. 6 and 7 in Cheney, Washington, and the Jackson’s Open on Dec. 14.

• Junior Sidney Trinidad has earned GNAC Athlete of the Week honors twice this season for NCAA  Championships provisional qualifying performances. Trinidad was second in the pentathlon at the Candy Cane XII meet with a score of 3,282 points that is 21st in Division II. She also won the open 200 meters at the meet. Trinidad then placed second in the 400 meters at the Jackson’s Open with a time of 56.19 seconds that is seventh in Division II and is No. 9 on the GNAC All-Time List.

• Senior Erykah Weems won the women’s 55-meter hurdles at the Candy Cane XII meet in a time of 8.29 seconds. She was just faster in the preliminaries with a time of 8.26 seconds. Weems went on to finish third in the 200 meters at the Jackson’s Open with a time of 26.07 seconds.

• Junior Halle Irvine won the women’s pole vault at the Jackson’s Open with a clearance of 12 feet, 1.5 inches.  That mark ranks 11th in Division II this season.

• Senior Aidan Cain was named the GNAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week on Dec. 16 after he won the weight throw at the Jackson’s Open with a mark of 55 feet, 3.5 inches and placed second in the shot put with a mark of 51 feet, 1 inch.

• Junior Ethan Tonder placed flip opposite of Cain at the Jackson’s Open, winning the shot with a mark of 51 feet, 4.25 inches and placing second in the weight throw with a mark of 50 feet, 6 inches.

• Other event winners at the Jackson’s Open included junior Luke Simonson in the men’s high jump (6-2.25), senior Zach Whittaker in the men’s triple jump (46-10) and senior Samantha La Rue in the women’s shot put (44-9.5).

• Central Washington opens the 2020 portion of the schedule by taking part in the UW Preview on Saturday in Seattle.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia will open the 2020 indoor season this Saturday, competing in the UW  Preview in Seattle.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings opened the 2020 portion of the schedule by competing in the Snake River Open last Saturday in Pocatello, Idaho.

• Senior Isaiah Girard led the way for the Yellowjackets, placing second in the men’s high jump with a mark of 6 feet, 6 inches. Girard opened his season by placing second in the event at the Bobcat Preview on Dec. 6 at 6 feet, 5 inches.

• Senior Forrest Cross added a third-place finish at the Snake River Open in the men’s shot put with a mark of 48 feet, 4.5 inches. Earlier, senior Marcus Lindquist placed third in the triple jump at the Bobcat Preview with a mark of 43 feet, 4.5 inches.

• In the men’s sprints, senior Mason Schram placed third in the 60 meters with a time of 7.06 seconds after having run 7.02 seconds in the preliminary heats. Freshman Tyler Rued opened his collegiate career placing third in the 200 meters with a time of 23.25 seconds.

• Senior Brenna Beckett led the MSUB women at the Snake River Open, placing fourth in the long jump with a mark of 16 feet, 3 inches. She was also fourth in the triple jump with a mark of 34 feet, 2 inches.

• The Yellowjackets head southeast for their next meet, competing Saturday in the Chadron State Open in Chadron, Nebraska.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene opened the 2019-20 season close to home, competing at the Jackson’s Open in Nampa on Dec. 14.

• Senior Logan Blake earned GNAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week on Dec. 16 after he won the 600 meters with a time of 1:24.45 and placed third in the 200 meters in 22.43 seconds.

• Junior Katie Heckathorn led the Nighthawks’ women at the Jackson’s Open, placing second in the triple jump with a mark of 33 feet, 11.25 inches. Senior transfer Lauren Wuertz led the women’s efforts on the track, placing sixth in the 600 meters in 1:38.83.

• Sophomore Colton Burr added a sixth-place finish in the men’s weight throw with a mark of 46 feet, 6 inches.

• Northwest Nazarene is back at the Jackson’s Indoor Center this weekend, competing in the Bronco Invite on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s opened the indoor season with some impressive performances at the Jackson’s Open in Nampa, Idaho on Dec. 14.

• Sophomore Keshara Romain led the way by automatically qualifying for the NCAA Championships in the triple jump, winning with a mark of 41 feet, 6 inches. The performance is just short of the GNAC record of 41-7.25 set by Western Washington’s Jasmine McMullin in 2018. Romain also won the long jump with a mark of 18 feet, 10.75 inches that ties her for 10th in Division II this season and ranks seventh on the GNAC All-Time List. The performance earned Romain the GNAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week award on Dec. 16.

• Junior Ashley Vest added a field-event victory of her own, taking first in the women’s long jump with a mark of 5 feet, 1 inch.

• Senior Josh Schulz led the SMU men with his victory in the long jump with a mark of 21 feet, 9.5 inches. He also placed second in the triple jump with a mark of 42 feet, 4.25 inches.

• Sophomore Michael Russell placed second in the men’s 200 meters, clocking a time of 22.37 seconds, while sophomore Braden Stowers was third in the 800 meters in 2:14.08.

• Saint Martin’s will be among the GNAC teams competing in the UW Preview on Saturday in Seattle.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific will open the indoor season on Saturday at the UW Preview in Seattle.

• The Falcons’ women open the season ranked No. 20 in the USTFCCCA Preseason Division II National Team Rankings.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser made a quiet start to the season, sending a select number of athletes to the Michigan Indoor Track Series Meet One on Dec. 21 in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

• The full SFU squad will be in action this Saturday at the UW Preview in Seattle.

• The Clan women enter the season ranked No. 12 in the USTFCCCA Division II National Team Rankings. They are the second-highest ranked West Region team.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon opened the indoor season by sending a handful of athletes to the Candy Cane XII Meet in Cheney, Washington on Dec. 6  and 7.

• Freshman Maya Hopwood led the way by setting a WOU record in the women’s 55 meters in her first collegiate meet. She clocked 7.02 seconds in the preliminaries before winning the final in 7.05 seconds. The effort earned Hopwood selection as the GNAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week on Dec. 9. After conversion to 7.57 seconds to account for the five-meter distance, Hopwood is tied for ninth in Division II in the 60 meters and has provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships.

• Junior Moana Gianotti placed third in the women’s shot put with a personal-best mark of 42 feet, 2 inches. She missed a personal best in the weight throw with a mark of 47 feet, 6.5 inches. On the men’s side, sophomore Owen Collins was fourth in the shot put with a personal best of 48 feet, 2.75 inches.

• Junior Makenzie Smith placed eighth in her first pentathlon, finishing with a score of 2,769 points.

• Western Oregon puts its full team in action this weekend with the UW Preview on Saturday in Seattle.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington opened the indoor season by competing in the Candy Cane XII Meet on Dec. 6 and 7.

• Senior Tupre Wickliff led the way, winning the men’s high jump with a clearance of 6 feet, 6.75 inches. The effort earned Wickliff selection as the GNAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week on Dec. 9.

• Junior Heather Faretta made it a sweep of the high jump for the Vikings, winning the women’s event with a clearance of 5 feet, 3 inches.

• Sophomore Aliyah Dawkins led three WWU multi-eventers to compete in Cheney. She placed fifth in the pentathlon with a score of 3,073 points. Sophomore Leanna Kibbee finished ninth with a score of 2,525 points. For the men, sophomore Cooper Cummings placed seventh in the heptathlon with a score of 4,149 points.

• The Vikings will see the season fully swing into action on Saturday, competing in the UW Preview in Seattle.