Monday, December 9, 2019

PORTLAND, Ore. – The high and low in Fairbanks may be below freezing this time of year, but the Alaska basketball teams were hot as the Nanooks swept the GNAC Basketball Player of the Week awards.

Junior guard Shadeed Shabazz was named the Men’s Basketball Player of the Week after he averaged 35 points per game as the Nanooks swept their two home GNAC games at the Patty Center. Shabazz opened the week with a 27-point performance in Thursday’s 72-66 win over previously undefeated Western Oregon, shooting 12 of 18 from the field to go with three assists, four steals and two rebounds. Shabazz then exploded for 43 points in Saturday’s 116-111 double-overtime win over Concordia. He went 14 of 23 from the field, 4 of 7 from three-point range and 11 of 15 from the free throw line.

In the process, Shabazz became just the 15th player in GNAC history to score 43 or more points in a game. It was the highest offensive output for a UAF player since Parrish West scored 43 against Saint Martin’s on Jan. 20, 2011.

Junior guard Jocelyn Gandara picked up Women’s Basketball Player of the Week honors after she averaged 30.5 points per game in a split of the Nanooks’ opening GNAC games. Gandara opened the week with 27 points in Thursday’s 81-76 overtime win over Western Oregon with six rebounds and three assists. She shot 10 of 18 from the field and 6 of 8 from the free throw line. Gandara then came up with 36 points in Saturday’s 73-70 loss to Concordia. She also had eight rebounds and two steals as she shot 10 of 22 from the field, 6 of 9 from three-point range and 8 of 11 from the free throw line.

The opening GNAC Track Athletes of the Week for the season were all rewarded for performances at the Candy Cane XII Meet in Cheney, Washington. Western Oregon freshman Maya Hopwood was named the Women’s Track Athlete of the Week after she won the 55 meters in 7.05 seconds. Her time in the preliminaries of 7.02 seconds broke a 21-year-old school record. When converted to 7.55 seconds for the 60 meters, Hopwood owns an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier and is tied for sixth in Division II.

Central Washington junior Sidney Trinidad earned the Women’s Field Athlete of the Week award after she placed second in the pentathlon with a score of 3,263 points. The performance is an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier, ranking her 21st nationally. Trinidad won both the 55-meter hurdles and 800 meters in the pentathlon and went on to win the 200 meters in the open portion of the meet.

Western Washington senior Tupre Wickliff was named the Men’s Field Athlete of the Week after he won the high jump with a clearance of 6 feet, 6.75 inches. He had two inches on the second-place finisher, Killon McGinnis of Eastern Washington.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 15
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Shadeed Shabazz (Alaska, G, 6-1, Jr., Seattle, Wash. – Iowa Western Coll.): Shabazz led the Nanooks to a sweep of their opening GNAC games with 70 points, five assists and eight steals. He shot 63.4 percent from the field, 41.6 percent from three-point range and 73.3 percent from the free throw line. In Thursday’s 72-66 win over Western Oregon, Shabazz poured in 27 points on 12 of 18 from the field to go with two rebounds, three assists and four steals. In Saturday’s 116-111 double-overtime win over Concordia, Shabazz exploded for 43 points on 14 of 23 from the field, 4 of 7 from three-point range and 11 of 15 from the free throw line to go with two rebounds, two assists and five steals. He became just the 15th player in GNAC history to score 43 or more in a game. Also Nominated: Tyrus Hosley (Alaska Anchorage), Kevin Baker (Central Washington), Hunter Sweet (Concordia), George Reidy (Northwest Nazarene), Marky Adams (Saint Martin’s), Wilfried Balata (Simon Fraser), Dalven Brushier (Western Oregon), Jalen Green (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Jocelyn Gandara (Alaska, G, 5-9, Jr., El Paso, Texas – Lassen CC): Gandara averaged 30.5 points per game as the Nanooks split their GNAC opening contests at home. She shot 50 percent from the field, 63.6 percent from three-point range and 73.6 percent from the free throw line to go with 14 rebounds, four assists and three steals. Gandara scored 27 points and had eight rebounds in Thursday’s 81-76 overtime win over Western Oregon, making 10 of 18 from the field. She then had almost half of the Nanooks’ points in Saturday’s 73-70 loss to Concordia, scoring 34 points on 10 of 22 from the floor, 6 of 9 from three-point range and 8 of 11 from the free throw line. Also Nominated: Yazmeen Goo (Alaska Anchorage), Kaelie Flores (Central Washington), Olivia Vezaldenos (Concordia), Hannah Collins (Montana State Billings), Marina Valles (Northwest Nazarene), Bria Thames (Saint Martin’s), Jessica Jones (Simon Fraser), Keyonna Jones (Western Oregon), Emma Duff (Western Washington).

TRACK & FIELD
Men’s Track: No Nominees.

Men’s Field: Tupre Wickliff (Western Washington, Sr., Vancouver, Wash. – Clark CC): Wickliff opened the 2019-20 indoor season by winning the high jump at the Candy Cane XII meet with a leap of 6 feet, 6.75 inches. He jumped two inches higher than his nearest competitor, second-place Killon McGinnis of Eastern Washington. Also Nominated: Luke Simonson (Central Washington), Owen Collins (Western Oregon).

Women’s Track: Maya Hopwood (Western Oregon, Fr., Bend, Ore. – Bend): Hopwood started her collegiate career off in grand fashion, winning the 55 meters at the Candy Cane XII Meet in a time of 7.05 seconds. Her prelims time of 7.02 seconds broke the WOU record of 7.12 seconds set by Rachel Morris in 1998. Hopwood is provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships with a conversion to 7.57 seconds for 60 meters, ranking her in a tie for sixth in Division II. Also Nominated: Erykah Weems (Central Washington).

Women’s Field: Sidney Trinidad (Central Washington, Jr., Arlington, Wash. – Arlington): Trinidad opened her season by placing second in the pentathlon at the Candy Cane XII Meet. Her score of 3,263 points is an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier and ranks 21st in Division II this season. Of the five events, Trinidad won the 55-meter hurdles (8.46) and the 800 meters (2:17.1). In the open meet on Saturday, Trinidad proceeded to win the 200 meters in 26.69 seconds. Also Nominated: Moana Gianotti (Western Oregon), Aliyah Dawkins (Western Washington).