Tuesday, February 4, 2014

PORTLAND, Ore. - Led by Alaska Anchorage with seven, GNAC athletes posted a total of 25 new or improved national qualifying marks last week in indoor track-and-field meets at Seattle, Nampa, Pocatello and Pullman.

The Seawolf men accounted for three of UAA’s marks, while the women had four.

Western Washington had six PNQs (5 men, 1 women).  Simon Fraser (2 men, 1 women), Seattle Pacific (3 women) and Central Washington (3 women) had three each.  Western Oregon (1 men), Montana State Billings (1 men) and Northwest Nazarene (1 women) had one each

Four female athletes -  Jamie Ashcroft of Alaska Anchorage (60, 200), Lynelle Decker of Seattle Pacific (800, mile), Karolin Anders of Alaska Anchorage (pentathlon, high jump) and Tayler Fettig of Central Washington (pentathlon, high jump) – had two each.

Ashcroft and Western Washington’s Brett Watson set GNAC records.  Ashcroft established a conference record in the women’s 200 (24.89).  Watson set a conference record in the high jump (6-10 ¼) .

Six athletes posted individual marks that currently rank in the Top 10 nationally led by Seattle Pacific’s McKayla Fricker’s No. 1 time of 2:09.04 in the 800 meters.  

Anders’ pentathlon score (3774) ranks third and her high jump (5-7 ¾) ranks 10th. Fettig’s high jump mark (5-9 ¼) ranks fifth nationally. Decker’s time in the 800 (2:12.22) currently ranks seventh.  Northwest Nazarene’s Alison Silva moved into seventh place on the national list with a pole vault of 12-5 ½.   

Chip Jackson of Western Washington took over sixth place on the national leader board in the men’s mile (4:07.95). Three men’s distance medley relay teams – Alaska Anchorage (8th, 10:02.54), Simon Fraser (9th, 10:04.15) and Western Oregon (10th, 10:04.79) – also posted national Top 10 times.

Including the records by Ashcroft and Watson, GNAC athletes posted 16 marks that rank on the conference’s All-Time Top 10 lists last weekend. 

Four of those marks rank second –Jackson in the mile (4:07.95), Fettig in the high jump (5-9 ¼), Anders in the pentathlon (3774) and Western Washington in the men’s 4x400 relay (3:16.81). 

Three more rank third – WWU’s Logan Myers in the 60 hurdles (8.30), Ashcroft in the 60 (7.72) and Silva in the pole vault (12-5 ½).

This weekend just five of the GNAC’s nine squads are in action.

Central Washington, Saint Martin’s and Western Oregon travel to Moscow, Idaho, for a pair of meets Friday (the Idaho Indoor) and Saturday (the Idaho Intercollegiate).

Northwest Nazarene will compete in the Boise State Bronco Invitational in Nampa.  Meanwhile Montana State Billings heads to Gillette, Wyo., for the Black Hills/Chadron State Open.

GNAC RED LION ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

MEN: Track - Chip Jackson, Western Washington (Sr., Shoreline, WA - Shorewood) ran the second fastest mile in GNAC history in winning the open division at the UW Invitational in a provisional national qualifying time of 4:07.95.  His time was less than four seconds off the NCAA automatic standard (for banked tracks) of 4:04.01. Field - Brett Watson, Western Washington (Jr., Ferndale, WA) broke a 22-year Viking school record and also bettered the eight-year-old GNAC record in finishing fifth in the high jump at UW.  His jump of 6-10 1/4 bettered the previous GNAC record of 6-9 3/4 by Cresap Watson of Central Washington in 2006 and the WWU school record of 6-9 by Ron Olson in 1992. 

HONORABLE MENTION: Ethan Hewitt, Alaska Anchorage (Sr., Eagle River, AK - Chugiak) finished second in the 400 meters at the Ed Jacoby Invitational at Nampa with a provisional national qualifying time of 48.65.  His time ranks fourth on the GNAC Top 10 all-time list ... Jamon Rodriguez, MSU Billings (Fr., Gillette, WY) finished third in the 3,000 meters (8:54.04) and seventh in the 5,000 (in a school-record time of 15:37.32) at the Mountain State Games in Pocatello.  His 5,000 time ranks third this winter in the GNAC ... Rimar Christie, Northwest Nazarene (Jr., St. Michael, Barbados) finished third in the 60 in a time of 6.95 ... Micah Spatz, Northwest Nazarene (Fr., Melba, ID) posted the second best score in school history in the heptathlon  (4,359), including a time of 9.00 in the 60 hurdles.  That is a NNU school record for a  heptathlon and was just 23 points shy of cracking the GNAC All-Time Top 10 in the event.

WOMEN: Track - McKayla Fricker, Seattle Pacific (Sr., Canby, OR) and Jamie Ashcroft, Alaska Anchorage (Fr., Shawnigan Lake, BC - Frances Kelsey) ... Fricker grabbed the national lead in the 800 meters away from Sarah Sawatzky of Simon Fraser finishing ninth in the 800 invitational at the University of Washington Invitational in a provisional national qualifying time of 2:09.04. Fricker's time is the fourth best in GNAC history and missed the NCAA automatic standard by just .04 seconds ... Ashcroft posted two PNQs at the Ed Jacoby Invite in Nampa. She finished third in both events, posting a time of 7.72 in the 60 and a GNAC-record time of 24.89 in the 200.  Her 60 time ranks third in GNAC history.  Field - Karolyn Anders, Alaska Anchorage (So., Berlin, Germany) finished second at Nampa in the pentathlon. Her score of 3,774 points ranks second in GNAC history and currently ranks third on the NCAA Division II national performance list.  Among her marks was a leap of 5-7 3/4 in the high jump.  That ranks sixth all-time in the GNAC and ninth on the current national performance list. 

HONORABLE MENTION: Tayler Fettig, Central Washington (Jr., Olympia, WA) broke her own school record and matched the second best high jump in GNAC history clearing 5-9 ¼ in the pentathlon at the WSU Cougar Indoor.  Fettig finished second in the pentathlon with a score of 3,384, moving into seventh place on the GNAC all-time chart ...  Rio Frame, MSU Billings (Fr., Glendive, MT - Dawson County) won the 3,000 meters at Pocatello in a school-record time of 10:41.52.

MORE MENTIONABLES: Emmi Collier, Western Oregon (So., Warrenton, OR) finished 14th in the shot put at UW with a GNAC season-best put of 41-11 ½ ... Jordan Rehfeld, Northwest Nazarene (Sr., Nampa, ID – Nampa Christian) had a career-best time of 5:04.50 in the mile and anchored the NNU distance medley relay team to a winning  time of 12:17.11, running the mile leg in an unofficial time of 5:06 ... Alison Silva, Northwest Nazarene (Fr., Nampa, ID – Nampa Christian) pole vaulted 12-5 ½ to finish third.  Her mark is a school record and also equaled the third best mark in GNAC history.  It also ranks seventh on the NCAA national performance list.

BY THE NUMBERS

GNAC ALL-TIME TOP 10 PERFORMANCES (for Week of Jan. 20-26):  Men: 400 – 4. Ethan Hewitt, UAA, 48.65. Mile – 2. Chip Jackson, WWU, 4:07.95. 60 Hurdles – 3. Logan Myers, WWU, 8.30.  4x400 Relay – 2. Western Washington 3:16.81.  Distance Medley Relay – 5. Alaska Anchorage 10:02.54; 8. Simon Fraser 10:04.15; 10. Western Oregon 10:04.79.  Pole Vault – 1. Brett Watson, WWU, 2.09 – 6-10 ¼.  Women: 60 – 3. Jamie Ashcroft, UAA, 7.72.  200 – 1. Jamie Ashcroft, UAA, 24.89. 800 – 4. McKayla Fricker, SPU, 2:09.04. High Jump – 2. Tayler Fettig, CWU, 1.76 – 5-9 ¼; 6. Karolin Anders, UAA, 1.72 – 5-7 ¾.  Pole Vault – 3. Alison Silva, NNU, 3.80 – 12-5 ½.  Pentathlon – 2. Karolin Anders, UAA< 3774; 7. Tayler Fettig, CWU, 3404.

LAST WEEK’S NCAA QUALIFIERS (for Week of Jan. 27-Feb. 2):  Men, 400 – *Ethan Hewitt, UAA, 48.65; Jonathon Poolman, WWU, 49.00. Mile – Chip Jackson, WWU, 4:07.95; James Young, SFU, 4:12.66. 60 Hurdles – Logan Myers, WWU, 8.30. 4x400 Relay – Western Washington 3:16.81. Distance Medley – *Alaska Anchorage 10:02.54; Simon Fraser 10:04.15; Western Oregon 10:04.79; +MSU Billings 10:08.68. High Jump – Brett Watson, WWU, 2.09 – 6-10 ¼. Heptathlon – *Cody Thomas, UAA, 4805.   Women, 60 – *Jamie Ashcroft, UAA, 7.72.  200 – *Jamie Ashcroft, UAA, 24.89.  800 – McKayla Fricker, SPU, 2:09.04; Lynelle Decker, SPU, 2:12.22.  Mile – Lynelle Decker, SPU, 5:00.78.   Distance Medley Relay – Simon Fraser 12:08.03; Central Washington 12:10.19.  High Jump – **Tayler Fettig, CWU, 1.76 - 5-9 ¼; *Karolin Anders, UAA, 1.72 - 5-7 ¾.  Pole Vault – *Alison Silva, NNU, 3.80 – 12-5 ½; Cheyanna Pinley, WWU, 3.66 – 12-0. Pentathlon – *Karolin Anders, UAA, 3774; **Tayler Fettig, CWU, 3404. (Note: Marks posted at UW except where indicated:  *Nampa  +Pocatello **Pullman).

GNAC NCAA TOP 20 NATIONAL QUALIFIERS (As of Feb. 4): Men:  60 – 3. Alex Donigian, WWU, 6.76. Mile – 6. Chip Jackson, WWU, 4:07.95. 3000 – 3. Micah Chelimo, UAA, 8:10.99. 4x400 Relay – 14. Western Washington 3:16.81. Distance Medley – 8. Alaska Anchorage 10:02.54; 9. Simon Fraser 10:04.15; 10. Western Oregon 10:04.79; 16. MSU Billings 10:08.68.  High Jump – 12. Brett Watson, WWU, 2.09 – 6-10 ¼.  Shot Put – 12. Frank Catelli, WWU, 17.03 – 55-10 ½.  Heptathlon – 14. Cody Thomas, UAA, 4805.  Women: 60 – 18. Jamie Ashcroft, UAA, 7.72. 200 – 12. Jamie Ashcroft, UAA, 24.89.  800 – 1. McKayla Fricker, SPU, 2:09.04; 2. Sarah Sawatzky, SFU, 2:09.42; 7. Lynelle Decker, SPU, 2:12.22. 3000 – 4. Joyce Kipchumba, UAA, 9:46.71; 20. Jordan Rehfeld, NNU, 9:58.87.  Distance Medley – 11. Simon Fraser 12:08.03; 12. Central Washington 12:10.19.  High Jump – 5. Tayler Fettig, CWU, 1.76 – 5-9 ¼; 10. Karolin Anders, UAA, 1.72 – 5-7 3/4. Pole Vault – 7. Alison Silva, NNU, 3.80 – 12-5 ½. Pentathlon – 3. Karolin Anders, UAA, 3774; 20. Tayler Fettig, CWU, 3404. 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.

Boise State Jacoby Invite (Jan. 31-Feb. 1 at Nampa): Men (Top 3): 60 – 3. Rimar Christie, NNU, 6.95. 400 – 2. Ethan Hewitt, UAA, 48.65.  Mile – 1. Micah Chelimo, UAA, 4:15.86; 3. Isaac Kangogo, UAA, 4:23.08.  4x400 Relay – 3. Northwest Nazarene 3”22.73.  Distance Medley – 1. Alaska Anchorage 10:02.54.   Women (Top 3): 60 – 3. Jamie Ashcroft, UAA, 7.72.  200 – 3. Jamie Ashcroft, UAA, 24.89.  800 – 3. Jessica Pahkala, UAA, 2:18.75.  Mile – 1. Jordan Rehfeld, NNU, 5:04.50; 2. Joyce Kipchumba, UAA, 5:07.30.  60 Hurdles – 2. Rosie Smith, UAA, 8.92; 3. Marie Smith, NNU, 9.02.  Distance Medley – 1. Northwest Nazarene (Evans, Kilgore, Fleming, Rehfeld) 12:17.11; 2. Alaska  Anchorage 12:18.38.  Pole Vault – 3. Alison Silva, 3.80 – 12-5 ½.  Pentathlon – 2. Karolin Anders, UAA, 3774.

UW Invitational (Jan. 31-Feb. 1 at Seattle): Men (Top 6): 60 – 5. Alex Donigian, WWU, 6.79.  400 Invitational – 5. Jonathon Poolman, WWU, 49.00. 400 – 4. Daniel Kelloway, SFU, 49.02.  800 – 1. Travis Vugteveen, SFU, 1:54.56; 4. Josh Hanna, WOU, 1:55.74; 5. Ryan McArthur, WWU, 1:57.07.  Mile – 1. Chip Jackson, WWU, 4:07.95.  60 Hurdles – 5. Logan Myers, WWU, 8.30.  4x400 – 3. Western Washington 3:16.81; 6. Simon Fraser 3:19.81.  Distance Medley – 4. Simon Fraser 10:04.15; 5. Western Oregon 10:04.79.  High Jump – 5. Brett Watson, WWU, 2.09 – 6-10 ¼.  Shot Put – 6. Frank Catelli, WWU, 16.82 – 55-2 ¼. Women (Top 6): 800 – 3. Lynelle Decker, SPU, 2:12.22.  Distance Medley – 5. Simon Fraser 12:08.03.  High Jump – 6. Alexis Anderson, WOU, and Katelyn Wright, WWU, 1.60 – 5-3. Pole Vault – 5. Cheyanna Pinley, WWU, 3.66 – 12-0.

Mountain State Games (Jan. 31-Feb. 1 at Pocatello): Men (Top 6): 3000 – 1. Robert Peterson, MSUB, 8:48.34; 3. Jamon Rodrigues, MSUB, 8:54.04; 5. Chase Robinson, MSUB, 9:00.17.  4x400 Relay – 2. MSU  Billings 3:28.18.  Distance Medley – 2. MSU Billings 10:16.86.  Shot Put – 2. Anthony Montanez, MSUB, 15.12 – 49-7 ¼. Weight Throw – 1. Dylan Buehler, MSUB, 15.13 – 49-7 ¾; 2. Anthony Montanez, MSUB, 15.10 – 49-6 ½; 3. Kyle DuCharme, MSUB, 13.81 – 45-3 ¾.   Women (Top 6): Mile – 1. Nocona Frame, MSUB, 5:18.24.  3000 – 1. Rio Frame, MSUB, 10:41.52; 4. Jinise Osborne, MSUB, 10:55.75; 5. Mary Owen, MSUB, 10:57.81.  60 Hurdles – 2. Hope Reid, MSUB, 9.60; 5. Shelby Martinell, MSUB, 10.18; 6. Kaytlin Halle, MSUB, 10.21.  4x400 Relay – 5. MSU Billings 4:30.24.  Distance Medley Relay – 5. MSU Billings 12:59.03.  High Jump – 2. Hope Reid, MSUB, 1.40 – 4-7.  Weight Throw – 5. Corrie Holm, MSUB, 11.66 – 38-3.

WSU Cougar Indoor (Jan. 31-Feb. 1): Women: Pentathlon – 2. Tayler Fettig, CWU,  3384 (60 Hurdles – 9.18; High Jump – 1.76 – 5-9 ¼; Shot Put – 10.12 – 33-2 ½; Long Jump – 5.22 – 17-1 ½; 800 – 2:53.67.  Men: Shot Put – 4. Kevin Stanley, CWU, 14.44 – 47-4 ½.