Monday, December 12, 2022

PORTLAND, Ore. – The beginning of the season is not usually the place to coast into the record books, but apparently nobody told Northwest Nazarene’s Steven Schmidt that.

The sophomore broke a pair of NNU records and moved himself up on two GNAC top 10 lists at the BYU Indoor Invitational over the weekend and leads the first GNAC Indoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week for the season.

Schmidt was named the Men’s Field Athlete of the Week after taking fourth in the heptathlon with a score of 5,203 points, which set a Nighthawks record and moved the defending conference champion to No. 6 on the GNAC all-time list. In the course of the competition, Schmidt set the NNU record in the high jump with a mark of 6 feet, 11 inches, which ranks No. 3 on the GNAC all-time list and is tied for No. 5 in Division II this season. Both marks are NCAA Championships provisional qualifying marks.

Western Washington junior Raine Westfall claimed a school record to earn Women’s Field Athlete of the Week honors. Westfall placed fifth in the weight throw at the Spokane Invitational with a record mark of 54 feet, 11.5 inches to set a WWU record and moved to No. 10 on the GNAC all-time list.

A week after placing sixth at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, Alaska Anchorage sophomore Coleman Nash earned Men’s Track Athlete of the Week honors for his second-place finish in the 5,000 meters at the UC-Colorado Springs Pre-Holiday Meet in a time of 14:42.69. When converted to 13:59.55 for altitude, the performance ranks No. 8 in Division II this season.

Seattle Pacific senior Vanessa Aniteye was selected as the Women’s Track Athlete of the Week after she ran the best time in Division II in her first-ever indoor 800 meters at the Spokane Invitational. Aniteye won the event with a time of 2:13.04 which also ranks No. 10 this season across all college divisions. It was just Aniteye’s fourth collegiate race at the distance, indoors or outdoors.

Montana State Billings senior guard Carrington Wiggins earned his second straight Men’s Basketball Player of the Week award after he averaged 22 points per game in a 1-1 week for the Yellowjackets. He led the team in scoring in both games, finishing with 21 points in Wednesday’s 96-76 win over Providence (Mont.) and with 23 points in Saturday’s 74-73 overtime loss to crosstown rival Rocky Mountain.

Saint Martin’s junior guard Anjel Galbraith was named the Women’s Basketball Player of the Week after she flirted with a triple-double in Saturday’s 101-60 win over Thurston County rival Evergreen State. Galbraith finished with 30 points on 11 of 12 from the field and 7 of 8 from the free-throw line to go with five rebounds, nine assists and seven steals. The performance helped lead the Saints to its first 100-plus point contest since 2018.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 16
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Carrington Wiggins (Montana State Billings, G, 6-2, Sr., Flint, Mich. – Mott CC): Wiggins averaged 22 points per game to lead the Yellowjackets to a 1-1 week. On Wednesday, Wiggins lead MSUB to a 96-76 win over Providence (Mont.) with 21 points on 6 of 12 from the field, 5 of 10 from three-point range and 4 of 4 from the free-throw line. He also came up with six assists and a steal. Wiggins also led MSUB in its 74-73 overtime loss to crosstown rival Rocky Mountain on Saturday, finishing with 23 points on 7 of 18 from the field and 6 of 7 from the free-throw line to go with six rebounds. Also Nominated: Ryzin Bergersen (Saint Martin’s), Clayton Whitman (Seattle Pacific).

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Anjel Galbraith (Saint Martin’s, G, 5-5, Jr., Vallejo, Calif. – Purdue Univ. Northwest): Galbraith flirted with a triple-double in the Saints’ 101-60 win over Evergreen State on Saturday. Galbraith finished with 30 points on 11 of 12 from the field and 7 of 8 from the free-throw line to go with five rebounds, nine assists and six steals. The performance led Saint Martin’s to its first 100-plus point performance since 2018. Also Nominated: Ellen Silva (Alaska), Jahnna Hajdukovich (Alaska Anchorage), Samanatha Bowman (Central Washington), Aspen Giese (Montana State Billings), Maya Hoff (Seattle Pacific), Princy Paaluhi-Chalk (Western Oregon).

MEN’S TRACK
Coleman Nash (Alaska Anchorage, So., Littleton, Colo. – Chatfield): A week after placing sixth at the Division II Cross Country Championships, Nash opened the season by placing second in the 5,000 meters at the UC-Colorado Springs Pre-Holiday Meet in a time of 14:42.69. When converted to 13:59.55 for altitude, Nash ranks eighth in Division II this season and earned a provisional qualifying time for the NCAA Championships. Also Nominated: Johan Correa (Central Washington), Ben Ralston (Montana State Billings), Brayden Durfee (Northwest Nazarene), Jack Farrell (Saint Martin’s).

MEN’S FIELD
Steven Schmidt (Northwest Nazarene, So., Battle Ground, Wash.): Schmidt broke the NNU record in the heptathlon at the BYU Indoor Invitational. His fourth-place score of 5,203 points set the school record, ranks No. 6 on the GNAC all-time list, is an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying score and is No. 12 in Division II this season. In the process, Schmidt cleared 6 feet, 11 inches in the high jump to break the NNU record and move to No. 3 on the GNAC all-time list. The mark is tied for No. 5 in Division II this season. Schmidt also recorded NNU top 10 marks in both the long jump (21 feet, 8.75 inches) and the 60-meter hurdles (8.56 seconds). Also Nominated: Dayne Gordien (Western Oregon), Miller Campbell (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Vanessa Aniteye (Seattle Pacific, Sr., Chugiak, Alaska – Univ. of Alaska Anchorage): Running 800 meters indoors for the first time and for just the fourth time in her collegiate career, Aniteye won the event at the Spokane Invitational in a time of 2:13.04. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark leads Division II this season and 10th fastest among all college divisions. Also Nominated: Juliette Williams (Central Washington), Abbey Wood (Northwest Nazarene), Cree Bell (Saint Martin’s), Marian Ledesma (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S FIELD
Raine Westfall (Western Washington, Jr., Port Angeles, Wash. – Crescent): Westfall moved to No. 10 on the GNAC all-time list in the weight throw, placing fifth out of 38 competitors at the Spokane Invitational. Her mark of 54 feet, 11.5 inches set a Western Washington record. Also Nominated: Kendall Lynn (Montana State Billings), Destany Herbert (Northwest Nazarene).