Wednesday, January 29, 2014

PORTLAND, Ore. - Western Washington University’s men's track and field team earned a No. 25 ranking in this week's USTFCCA Team Computer Rankings.  No GNAC women’s team made the Top 25 in the rankings. 

Two Western Washington athletes are ranked in the Top 10 on TFRRS (the NCAA’s official Track & Field Results Reporting system).  Alex Donigian is ranked second in the 60 (6.76) and Frank Catelli is eighth in the shot put (55-10 ½).

The top ranked GNAC athlete is Sarah Sawatzky of Simon Fraser who is first in the women’s 800 (2:09.42).  Micah Chelimo of Alaska Anchorage is second in the men’s 3,000.

With just three GNAC teams in action last week, only two athletes – Northwest Nazarene’s Natalie Evans in the women’s 800 (2:16.13) and Jordan Rehfeld in the 3,000 (9:58.87) – posted NCAA provisional qualifying marks. 

Rehfeld was the lone GNAC athlete to earn a GNAC All-Time Top 10 mark.  Her time ranks seventh in GNAC history. She finished second for NNU’s best placing in the meet.  Both marks came at the Jacksons Invite in Nampa.

Meanwhile at Moscow, Idaho, three Central Washington athletes had first-place finishes.  Kent McKinney won the men’s 60 (7.04) and Luke Plummer won the triple jump (44-5 ¼) in Friday’s Idaho Collegiate.  On Saturday, Rudy Spencer won the men’s 3,000 (9:10.48) in the Idaho Open. 

On the season, 10 GNAC athletes - five men and five women - have posted provision national qualifying marks. 

GNAC NCAA QUALIFIERS AND NATIONAL RANK (As of Jan. 26): Men:  60 – 2. Alex Donigian, WWU, 6.76. Mile –15. Robert Peterson, MSUB, 4:12.97. 3000 – 2. Micah Chelimo, UAA, 8:10.99. 60 Hurdles – 26. Travis Milbrandt, WWU, 8.30. Shot Put – 8. Frank Catelli, WWU, 17.03 – 55-10 ½.   Women: 800 – 1. Sarah Sawatzky, SFU, 2:09.42; 14. Natalie Evans, NNU, 2:16.13. 3000 – 4. Joyce Kipchumba, UAA, 9:46.71; 16. Jordan Rehfeld, NNU, 9:58.87.  High Jump – 4. Tayler Fettig, CWU, 1.73 – 5-8. Note:  Marks listed are based on a 200 meter banked track or an over 200 meter track.  Marks on TFRRS national list are converted to a 200-meter flat track and may differ from those listed here.

GNAC Teams Head to Seattle, Nampa, Pocatello

Eight of the GNAC’s nine track and field teams are in action this weekend at three different venues.

Central Washington, Seattle Pacific, Simon Fraser, Western Oregon and Western Washington will all gather in Seattle to compete in the University of Washington Invitational.

Meanwhile, Alaska Anchorage will join Northwest Nazarene in Nampa for the Ed Jacoby Invite & Combined. 

Montana State Billings will travel to Pocatello for the Idaho State Mountain State Games.  Saint Martin’s is idle.

LAST WEEK:

GNAC RED LION ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

Men: Track – Frank Krause, Saint Martin’s (Jr., Onalaska, WA) finished third in the 800 meters in a GNAC-season best time of 1:55.20 and fourth in the 400 in a time of 50.88 in a pair of meets Friday and Saturday at the University of Idaho.  His 800 time was just 1.21 seconds off the NCAA provisional national qualifying time and his 400 time  fell just .05 seconds shy of a 12-year school-record.  Field – Greyson Kilgore, Northwest Nazarene (Sr., Kuna, ID) pole-vaulted a GNAC season-best 14-9, placing ninth in the Jacksons Invite at Nampa. 

Honorable Mention – Rimar Christie, Northwest Nazarene (Jr., St. Michael, Barbados) placed third in the 60 at the Jacksons Invite in the 60 in a time of 6.99 ...  Joey Keeton, Saint Martin’s (Jr., Yakima, WA – Eisenhower) cleared a school-record 14-7 ¼  in the pole vault, placing fourth at the Idaho Collegiate.  His vault is the best in the GNAC this winter.

Women’s Track and Field:  Track – Jordan Rehfeld, Northwest Nazarene  (Sr., Nampa, ID - Columbia) placed second in the 3,000 meters in a provisional national qualifying time of 9:58.78 Friday at the Jacksons Invite.  Rehfeld’s time is the seventh fastest in GNAC history and was one of two PNQs established by the Crusaders in the meet along with a 800-meter time of 2:16.13 by Natalie Evans.  Rehfeld's time also broke the Crusader school record by more than 10 seconds.  Field -  Angel Rodgers, Saint Martin’s (Jr., Everett, WA - Everett CC), competing in her first meet for the Saints, broke the school record by nearly seven feet with a 20-pound weight throw of 47-1, earning her a seventh place finish at the Idaho Collegiate. 

Honorable Mention – Jessica Johns, Northwest Nazarene (Jr., Petaluma, CA – Ventura CC) had career-best throws of 46-9 in the weight throw and 41-2 ¼ in the shot put at the Jacksons Invite.

Idaho Collegiate (Jan. 24 at Moscow): Men (Top 6): 60 – 1. Kent McKinney, CWU, 7.04. 800 – 3. Frank Krause, SMU, 1:55.20. 4x400 Relay – 3. Saint Martin’s  3:32.77; 4. Central Washington 3:40.49. High Jump – 4. Justin Peterson, CWU, and Ethan Meikle, CWU, 1.90 – 6-2 ¾ .  Pole Vault – 4. Joseph Keeton, SMU, 4.45 – 14-7.   Triple Jump – 1. Luke Plummer, CWU, 13.52 – 44-5 1/4. Women (Top 6): 60 – 4. Renee Hudson, SMU, 8.12. 4x400 Relay – 4. Saint Martin’s  4:30.66.

Jacksons Invite (Jan. 24-25 at Nampa): Men (Top 8): 60 – 7. Rimar Christie, NNU, 6.99.   600 – 5. Nick Martin, NNU, 1:25.18.  4x400  Relay – 5. Northwest Nazarene 3:30.18.  Distance Medley – 3. Northwest Nazarene 10:48.40. High Jump – 8. Cole Hoberg, NNU, 1.95 – 6-4 ¾.  Triple Jump – 7. Stephen Larlee, NNU, 13.89 – 45-7.  Shot Put – 7. John VanBeuren, NNU, 14.12 – 46-4. Women (Top 8): 600 – 6. Kaydee Kulm, NNU, 1:50.65; 7. Emily Merioles, NNU, 1:54.24.  800 – 4. Natalie Evans, NNU, 2:16.13.  3000 – 2. Jordan Rehfeld, NNU, 9:58.87.  Pole Vault – 6. Alison Silva, NNU, 3.40 – 11-1 ¾.  Shot Put – 8. Jessica Johns, NNU, 12.55 – 41-2 ¼.

Idaho Open (Jan. 25 at Moscow): Men (Top 6): 400 – 4. Frank Krause, SMU, 50.88.  Mile – 4. John Wojtech, CWU, 4:23.75.  3000 – 1. Rudy Spencer, CWU, 9:10.48.  5000 – 3. Joe Berger, SMU, 15:24.91; 5. Nathan Morgan, SMU, 16:18.33. High Jump – 4. Ethan Meikle, CWU, 1.85 – 6-0 ¾ .  Pole Vault – 3. Matt Hankins, SMU, 3.80 – 12-2 ¼ .  Long Jump – 7. Justin Peterson, CWU, 6.07  - 19-11.  Shot Put – 6. Troy Martin, CWU, 14.72 – 48-3 ½ .  Weight Throw – 5. Kevin Standley, CWU, 16.54 – 54-3; 6. Vincent Fualefau, SMU, 14.66 - 48-1.  Women (Top 6): Weight Throw – 4. Dorothy Moore, CWU, 14.46 – 47-5 ¼ ; 6. Ami Wick, SMU, 14.03 – 46-0 ¼.