Wednesday, January 16, 2019

THIS WEEK'S GNAC ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MEN’S TRACK
Rowan Doherty, Simon Fraser
Junior • West Vancouver, B.C.

Doherty opened the season by running a time of 8:12.35 in the 3,000 meters at the UW Indoor Preview. He was the top Division II finisher, placing 18th. Doherty’s time was a nine-second personal best, an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier, ranks No. 8 on the GNAC All-Time List and ranks No. 3 in Division II this season.

Also Nominated: Daniel Calderon (Central Washington), Adam Brown (Concordia), Tyler Jones (Western Oregon), Bryant Welch (Western Washington).

MEN’S FIELD
Tyler Cronk, Saint Martin’s
Freshman • Kent, Wash.

Cronk made the most of his first collegiate meet, placing second in the high jump at the Lauren McCluskey Memorial Invitational with a clearance of 6 feet, 10.75 inches. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark is tied for sixth-best in Division II this season and is No. 2 on the GNAC All-Time List. Cronk also placed sixth in the long jump with a leap of 21 feet, 7.25 inches.

Also Nominated: Josh Koch (Concordia), Mont Child (Western Oregon), Tupre Wickliff (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Caroline Kurgat, Alaska Anchorage
Senior • Eldoret, Kenya

Running her first collegiate race in seven months, Kurgat set the Division II all-conditions record in the women’s 3,000 meters at the UW Indoor Preview. Kurgat placed third in the race in a time of 9:07.05. The performance is the best run by a woman in Division II history, surpassing the 9:09.5 ran by Amy Harper of Cal Poly in 1983. Kurgat’s mark is the fastest collegiate mark this season (all classifications) and fourth fastest in the world this season.

Also Nominated: Mariyah Vongasveng (Central Washington), Macie Allen (Concordia), Jenna Bouyer (Seattle Pacific), Olivia Woods (Western Oregon), Savannah Smith (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S FIELD
Renick Meyer, Seattle Pacific
Sophomore • Gresham, Ore.

Opening the season at the UW Indoor Preview, Meyer won the long jump with an indoor personal best of 18 feet, 10.75 inches. The NCAA provisional qualifying mark is the eighth-best in Division II this season and is No. 5 on the GNAC All-Time List. It was also SPU’s first event victory at Dempsey Indoor since 2014. Meyer also ran 8.87 in the seconds-qualifying round of the 60-meter hurdles, just missing a spot in the event final.

Also Nominated: Chase Stephens (Concordia), Mariah Gronbach (Western Oregon), Maddie Taylor (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Caroline Kurgat’s Division II all-time best in the 3,000 meters led the Seawolves in their season-opening effort at the UW Indoor Preview.

• Kurgat placed third with a time of 9:07.05 on Dempsey Indoor’s oversized track to set a Division II all-time, all-conditions record. The mark surpassed the previous best of 9:09.50 set by Amy Harper of Cal Poly in 1983 and is the fourth fastest time in the world this season. The effort earned Kurgat selection as both the GNAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week and the USTFCCCA Division II Women’s Athlete of the Week. It also automatically qualifies Kurgat for the NCAA Championships.

• Sophomore Felix Kemboi picked up an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier in the men’s 3,000 meters, placing 30th in 8:20.94. The mark ranks as the fifth fastest in Division II this season.

• Senior Danielle McCormick and junior Ruth Cvancara earned provisional qualifying marks in the women’s 800 meters. McCormick, the defending Division II national champion, placed fourth in 2:11.32, the fourth-best mark in Division II this season. Cvancara placed 12th in a time of 2:14.04, the seventh-best nationally.

• Freshman Tylantia Atlas opened her career by placing sixth in the women’s 400 meters in 58.42 seconds. Senior Yemi Knight was seventh in the women’s 600 meters, clocking 1:33.43, while sophomore Brandon Nicholson was seventh in the men’s triple jump with a mark of 44 feet, 2 inches.

• Alaska Anchorage does not compete again until Jan. 25 & 26, returning to Seattle for the UW Invitational.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington scored a trio of individual event victories at the Lauren McCluskey Memorial Invitational and Multis at the University of Idaho’s Kibbie Dome.

• Junior Erykah Weems won the women’s 400 meters by almost two seconds, finishing in a time of 57.97 seconds. Weems went on to combine with Sidney Trinidad, Jasmyne Neria and HarLee Ortega to win the women’s 4x400-meter relay in 4:00.98.

• Senior Mariyah Vongsaveng won the women’s 60-meter hurdles as she clocked 8.77 seconds, well ahead of the 9.15 run by Portland State’s Alexis Buckhaults. Vongsaveng ran her season-best of 8.66 seconds at the Jackson’s Open in December, which is tied for fifth best in Division II this season.

• Running in her first race since the NCAA Cross Country Championships, senior Alexa Shindruk easily won the 3,000 meters in a time of 10:02.89. She bested the Division I-laden field by over six seconds.

• The Wildcats also picked up two other relay victories. The women’s 4x800-meter relay team of Caitlin Gohr, Madison Child, Molly Mattson and Lily Tyrrell won in 10:25.91. The men’s 4x400-meter relay squad of Daniel Calderon, Trevaughn Scott, Michael Forster and Kodiak Landis score a five-second victory in a time of 3:19.78.

• Sophomore Bobby Widmar picked up CWU’s top men’s individual finish, placing third in the 60 meters in 7.01 seconds. Landis placed fourth in 7.16 seconds.

• The meet was the third for the Wildcats in the young season. To date, CWU has nine NCAA Championships provisional qualifying marks.

• Junior Halle Irvine opened the season by setting the GNAC record in the women’s pole vault at the Jackson’s Open. Her effort of 12 feet, 10.75 inches surpassed the previous record of 12 feet, 10.25 inches set by both McKemma Emmert of CWU and Anna Paradee of Western Washington in 2017.

• Central Washington opened the season ranked at No. 19 in the USTFCCCA Women’s Division II National Team Rankings. The first in-season poll will be released next week.

• Central Washington is right back in action this weekend, taking part in the WSU Cougar Open in Pullman, Wash.

CONCORDIA
• An NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark for senior Josh Koch and a top-three finish for junior Adam Brown led the Cavaliers in their season-opening UW Indoor Preview.

• Koch took third in the men’s shot put with a mark of 53 feet, 8.5 inches. He led a sweep of third through eighth place for Concordia throwers. The mark currently ranks No. 31 in Division II this season. Sophomore Seth Bridge was fourth with a mark of 50 feet, 6.75 inches.

• Brown took second in the men’s 400 meters, trailing only Jacoby McNamara of Oregon as he clocked a time of 49.20 seconds. Brown also competed in the 60 meters, placing 20th in 7.13 seconds.

• The Cavaliers’ top women’s efforts came in a quartet of 10th-place finishes. Junior Joselynn Tensley was 10th in the shot put with a mark of 41 feet, 5 inches while sophomore Kori Sprague was 10th in the weight throw with her mark of 49 feet. 3.5 inches. Junior Chase Stephens added a 10th-place finish in the triple mark with her leap of 35 feet, 6.75 inches. In addition, the Cavaliers’ 4x400-meter relay team of Chelsea Bone, Maddie Misi, Karlie Hurley and Ronni Van Sant was 10th in a time of 4:04.00.

• Sophomore Macie Allen placed 16th in the women’s 60 meters. Her time of 7.86 seconds moves her to No. 3 on the Concordia all-time list.

• Concordia will travel to Nampa, Idaho this weekend to compete in the Ed Jacoby Invitational.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Victories by junior Drake Henson and freshman Ty Stanton led Montana State Billings’ performances against other Montana schools at the MSU Open.

• Henson won the men’s 800 meters in a time of 2:00.00, finishing a half-second ahead of Montana’s Karsten Paese. Stanton, meanwhile took top honors in the men’s triple jump with his mark of 44 feet, 9.75 inches. He bettered Montana State’s Alexander Lewis by almost two inches.

• Seniors Tyus Mendoza and Ivan Colmenero placed second and third, respectively, in the men’s 3,000 meters. Mendoza finished in 9:07.09 while Colmenero finished in 9:07.16.

• In the women’s 3,000 meters, junior Nikki Aiken came close to her personal best to place third in a time of 11:09.89.

• Junior Isaiah Girard had the Yellowjackets’ best finish in the field events. Girard placed second in the high jump with a clearance of 6 feet, 4.75 inches.

• Montana State Billings is right back in action this weekend, traveling to Chadron, Neb., to take part in the CSC Open on Sunday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene has not competed since taking part in the Jackson’s Open on Dec. 8. The Nighthawks will compete the entire season in Nampa, a run which continues with the Ed Jacoby Invitational on Friday and Saturday.

• The Nighthawks enter the week with one NCAA Championships provisional qualifier in senior Jake Knight. He won the shot put at the Jackson’s Open with a mark of 56 feet, 8.5 inches. That set an NNU record, moved him to No. 4 on the GNAC All-Time List and provides the fifth-best mark in Division II this season.

• Knight’s performance was one of four men’s winners for NNU at the Jackson’s Open. Sophomore Elijah Castro won the men’s long jump with a mark of 23 feet, 2.75 inches, and also won the 60-meter hurdles in 8.37 seconds. Junior Micah Tranch won the men’s high jump with a clearance of 6 feet, 4.25 inches.

• Senior Lexi Tubbs opened her season with a third-place finish in the women’s 60-meter hurdles, clocking 8.89 seconds. The 2017 GNAC champion in the event, Tubbs did not compete in track in 2018.

• The Nighthawks also received third-place finishes from junior Miranda Hagadorn in the women’s weight throw with a mark of 43 feet, 7.25 inches, and sophomore Jackie Mahowald in the women’s triple jump with her mark of 38 feet, 1.5 inches.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• An NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark in an outstanding collegiate debut for freshman Tyler Cronk led the Saints’ efforts at the Lauren McCluskey Memorial Invitational & Multis.

• Cronk was named the GNAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week after he finished second in the high jump. His opening mark of 6 feet, 10.75 inches is tied for tie sixth-best in Division II this season. It is also No. 2 on the GNAC All-Time List, trailing former Saints’ national champion Mikel Smith’s best of 7 feet, 3.25 inches. Cronk also finished sixth in the long jump with a mark of 21 feet, 7.25 inches.

• Sophomore Michael Russell placed third in the men’s 200 meters out of 49 competitors in the event, clocking a time of 22.38 seconds. Junior Josh Schultz added a third-place finish in the heptathlon, scoring 4,338 points in the seven-event discipline.

• Junior Ariya Kendrick was the Saint’s top women’s placer, taking third in the 60-meter hurdles in a time of 9.27 seconds.

• Freshman Keshara Romain took fourth in the women’s triple jump with her mark of 37 feet, 1.75 inches, and took fifth in the long jump with a leap of 17 feet, 3.5 inches. Romain has already provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships in the triple jump. Her best of 39 feet, 5 inches, at the Jackson’s Open in December is No. 10 in Division II this season No. 6 on the GNAC All-Time List.

• Saint Martin’s is off until the weekend of Jan. 25 and 26 when the Saints will take part in the UW Invitational.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Sophomore Renick Meyer’s victory in the long jump at the UW Indoor Preview headlined Seattle Pacific’s season-opening performances at the UW Indoor Preview.

• Meyer was named the GNAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week after she won the long jump over a field of 31 competitors. She finished with an indoor personal best of 18 feet, 10.75 inches. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark is eighth in Division II this season and No. 5 on the GNAC All-Time List. Meyer also competed in the 60-meter hurdles, just missing the finals with her time of 8.87 seconds in the second preliminary round.

• Freshman Peace Igbonagwam was not far behind Meyer in fourth place in the long jump with her mark of 17 feet, 9 inches, in her collegiate debut.

• Junior Kate Lilly ran a respectable 10:02.40 in the women’s 3,000 meters to open the season. Freshman Kaylee Mitchell finished in a time of 10:07.45 in her first collegiate race on the boards.

• Senior Jesse Phan had the top placing performance for the SPU men, finishing ninth in the 800 meters in a time of 1:56.22.

• Seattle Pacific will return to competition at Dempsey Indoor on Jan. 25 and 26, competing in the UW Invitational.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser opened the indoor season with a trio of NCAA Championships provisional qualifying performances at the UW Indoor Preview.

• Junior Rowan Doherty was named the GNAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week after he finished 18th in the men’s 3,000 meters. His personal best time of 8:12.35 was the best among Division II competitors in the race and is the third fastest time nationally this season. The mark also ranks Doherty No. 8 on the GNAC All-Time List.

• Senior Carlos Vargas also hit a provisional qualifying mark in the same race, racing a time of 8:22.33. That time ranks No. 7 in Division II this season. Doherty and Vargas are among four GNAC runners to notch provisional qualifying marks in the event at the meet.

• Senior Sophie Dodd earned the Clan’s first women’s NCAA Championships provisional qualifier of the season. She placed 11th in the 800 meters with a time of 2:13.86, which ranks No. 6 in Division II this season. She was one of three GNAC competitors to notch provisional qualifiers in the event.

• Freshman Renate Bluschke was the top individual placer for the Clan, taking fourth in the 400 meters in a time of 56.86 seconds. She also teamed with Dodd, Nicole Lindsay and Addy Townsend to place fourth in the 4x400-meter relay in a time of 3:53.63.

• Simon Fraser will return to Dempsey Indoor on Jan. 25 and 26 to compete in the UW Invitational.

WESTERN OREGON
• An NCAA Championships provisional qualifier for senior Tyler Jones and a school record for senior Olivia Woods led Western Oregon at the UW Indoor Preview.

• Jones finished 23rd in the men’s 3,000 meters and was second among Division II competitors in the field. His time of 8:17.20 ranks fourth in Division II this season and just missed a spot on the GNAC All-Time List.

• Woods, meanwhile, set the Western Oregon record in the women’s 600 meters. She placed 10th in the race with a time of 1:34.51, which cut a second off her own previous record in the event.

• Sophomore Curt Knott had the highest individual finish for the WOU men, placing seventh in the 800 meters in a time of 54.23 seconds. Freshman Max Carmona finished eighth in the 600 meters in 1:22.84. The men’s 4x400-meter relay team of Gabe Arce-Torres, Lashaun Emile, Adam Alnazer and Knott placed fifth in a time of 3:24.56.

• Freshman Ana Popchock turned in the only other top-10 performance for the WOU women, placing eighth in the triple jump with a mark of 36 feet, 2 inches.

• Western Oregon will return to Seattle in two weeks, taking part in the UW Invitational on Jan. 25 and 26.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• A trio of solid efforts in the high jump led the Vikings as they began the season at the UW Indoor Preview.

• Junior Maddie Taylor cleared 5 feet, 8 inches, to finish second out of 32 competitors in the women’s high jump. It is tied for second-best clearance in WWU history and is tied for sixth on the GNAC All-Time List. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark is tied for sixth in Division II this season.

• Senior Tupre Wickliff and sophomore Garrett Davies finished sixth and seventh, respectively, in the men’s high jump. Both athletes cleared 6 feet, 6.75 inches, with Wickliff taking sixth on fewer total misses.

• Senior Anna Paradee notched an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark in the women’s pole vault, clearing 12 feet, 3.5 inches. The mark is tied for seventh in Division II this season.

• Freshman Seren Dances took second in the men’s long jump with a leap of 22 feet, 7.25 inches. Freshman Ethan Sterkel placed fifth with his mark of 22 feet, 1 inch. Dances is provisionally qualified for nationals in the heptathlon, having scored 4,795 points at the Candy Cane XI meet in December.

• In addition to Dances, senior Ian Rinefort is provisionally qualified in the heptathlon. His score of 4,829 points at the Candy Cane XI meet is 19th in Division II this season.

• On the track, sophomore Bryant Welch led the way as he placed fourth in the 400 meters in 49.92 seconds. The Vikings’ men’s 4x400-meter relay team of Mark Daniels, Koby Okezie, Reid Lovercamp and Myles Smith was the top-placing non-Division I team, clocking 3:23.01 to place fourth.

• Western Washington returns to the track on Jan. 25 and 26, competing in Seattle at the UW Invitational.