Thursday, February 7, 2019

THIS WEEK'S GNAC ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MEN’S TRACK
Aaron Ahl, Simon Fraser
Sophomore • Calgary, Alta.

Running amidst a Division I field at the Bruce Lehane Scarlet & White Invitational in Boston, Ahl ran the fourth-fastest time in Division II this season in the mile. Ahl was 12th in a time of 4:06.92, which is the fastest in the GNAC this season and No. 4 on the GNAC All-Time List.

Also Nominated: Daniel Calderon (Central Washington), Logan Blake (Northwest Nazarene), Kyler Sager (Western Washington).

MEN’S FIELD
Isaiah Giard, Montana State Billings
Junior • Dillon, Mont.

Girard set the MSUB record in the high jump at the Jacksons/Nike Boise Indoor, placing second in the event with a clearance of 6 feet, 9 inches. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark is tied for No. 18 in Division II this year and lists Girard in a tie for seventh on the GNAC All-Time List.

Also Nominated: Aidan Cain (Central Washington), Canyon Anderson (Northwest Nazarene).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Addy Townsend, Simon Fraser
Junior • Coquitlam, B.C.

Townsend turned in a lifetime best in the mile at the Bruce Lehane Scarlet & White Invitational, running 4:44.81 to finish fourth in the Division I laden field. The time moves her up to No. 2 in Division II this season and just missed the NCAA Championships automatic qualifying mark of 4:44.72. The performance also ranks No. 2 on the GNAC All-Time List. Townsend also the third leg of the Clan’s 4x400-meter relay team that finished fifth in 3:48.38.

Also Nominated: Sidney Trinidad (Central Washington), Lexi Tubbs (Northwest Nazarene), Kate Lilly (Seattle Pacific).

WOMEN’S FIELD
HarLee Ortega, Central Washington
Senior • Payette, Idaho

Ortega was the winner in the pentathlon at the Cougar Indoor, finishing with a score of 3,651 points. She placed just 31 points ahead of Washington State’s Lindsey Schauble to claim first multi-event win of the season. Ortega finished in the top-four in all five events, winning the high jump (5-3.75), shot put (36-3) and long jump (17-11.75).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage did not compete last weekend. The Seawolves will complete their regular season on Friday and Saturday at the Husky Classic.

• Another national all-time best for Caroline Kurgat led Alaska Anchorage’s performances at the UW Invitational. The senior won the women’s 5,000 meters in a Division II all-time all-conditions best time of 15:28.46 (run on an oversized track). That time is 33 seconds better than the official Division II record of 16:01.09 set by Neely Spence of Shippensburg in 2011. The NCAA Championships automatic qualifying time earned Kurgat selection as that week’s GNAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week and the USTFCCCA Division II Women’s Athlete of the Week.

• The Seawolves netted two NCAA provisional qualifiers in the men’s 5,000 meters. Junior Wesley Kirui placed eighth in 14:18.62, moving to No. 6 on the GNAC All-Time List and No. 15 in Division II this season. Senior Edwin Kangogo ran 14:39.15, placing 18th and ranking 39th in Division II.

• Senior Danielle McCormick, the defending national champion in the women’s 800 meters, improved her NCAA provisional mark. McCormick ran 2:10.90, placing 25th (second Division II placer) is now No. 8 in Division II this season.

• Without competing, Alaska Anchorage dropped one spot to No. 8 in this week’s USTFCCCA Division II Women’s Indoor Index.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Winning performances in the multi-events once again led Central Washington as the Wildcats competed at the Cougar Indoor in Pullman, Wash.

• Senior HarLee Ortega was named the GNAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week after she won the pentathlon with a score of 3,651 points. She won two of the event’s five disciplines: the high jump (5-3.75, tie for first) and the long jump (17-11.75). The point total was just below her season best of 3,729 points, which ranks fourth in Division II.

• Senior Kodiak Landis won the men’s heptathlon with a score of 5,218 points, moving him to third in Division II this season. Landis won the 60 meters (7.00) and the pole vault (14-5.25) and was second in the 1,000 meters (2:45.88) and long jump (22-5.25). Senior Michael Forster finished third in the heptathlon with a score of 4,812 points.

• Sophomore Sidney Trinidad was the Wildcats’ lone event winner on the track, capturing the women’s 400 meters in a time of 58.86 seconds. Senior Aujanique Doss finished second in the 200 meters in a time of 26.54 seconds.

• Junior Aidan Cain was the lone men’s individual event winner, taking the men’s shot put with a mark of 51 feet, 1 inch. The season-best ranks No. 6 in the GNAC this season.

• The men’s 4x400 relay team of Daniel Calderon, Trevaughn Scott, Ryan Gunther and Doc Porter won with a time of 3:26.13, a full five seconds ahead of second-place Seattle.

• Central Washington dropped four spots to No. 12 in this week’s USTFCCCA Division II Women’s Indoor Team Index.

• Central Washington will complete the run-up to next week’s GNAC Championships in Seattle, competing in the Husky Classic on Friday and Saturday.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia did not compete this week. The Cavaliers will join other GNAC squads this week in Seattle at the Husky Classic.

• Senior Giovanni Brown led the way at the UW Invitational on Jan. 25 and 26, finishing eighth in the heptathlon. His score of 4,985 points ranks 19th in Division II this season and places him at No. 7 on the GNAC All-Time List. In individual events, Brown won the 1,000 meters (2:35.26) and placed second in the shot put (44-4).

• Sophomore Chelsea Bone set the Concordia record in the pentathlon for the second time in as many weeks, placing 13th with a score of 3,514 points. She moved up to No. 7 on the GNAC All-Time List and to No. 16 in Division II this season.

• Sophomore Kori Sprague established an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark in the women’s weight throw. Her fifth-place mark of 55 feet, 10.25 inches is 36th in Division II this season, leads the GNAC and is sixth on the GNAC All-Time List.

• Sophomore Macie Allen had a fifth-place finish in the qualifying rounds of the women’s 60 meters, clocking 7.74 seconds. Senior Josh Koch took seventh in the invitational section of the men’s shot put with his mark of 53 feet, 9 inches, while senior Sam Nichols took seventh in the open men’s shot put with a mark of 51 feet, 3.75 inches.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• After two weeks of tying the school record, junior Isaiah Girard finally captured it outright in the men’s high jump to lead Montana State Billings’ performances at the Jacksons/Nike Boise Indoor.

• Girard placed second as he cleared a height of 6 feet, 9 inches. That bettered the record of 6 feet, 8 inches set by Chuck Carr in 2017 and equaled by Girard this season. In the process, Girard provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships with a tie for the 18th-best mark in Division II and tied for No. 7 on the GNAC All-Time List. His effort earned Girard selection as GNAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week.

• Senior Tyus Mendoza led the Yellowjackets in the track events, placing fourth in the men’s 5,000 meters in 15:30.02. The time is the fourth-fastest in the GNAC this season. In the sprints, senior Sam Zook took seventh in the men’s 60 meters with a time of 7.15 seconds after running a season-best 7.01 seconds in Friday’s preliminaries.

• Senior Brady Ostermiller was the other top performer for MSUB in the field events, placing fifth in the men’s shot put with a mark of 50 feet, 9.25 inches.

• The distance medley relay team of Kailee Stoppel, Anne Lory Chevalier, Sierra Durbin and Nikki Aiken led the MSUB women, placing fifth in 13:07.42.

• The Jackson/Nike Boise Indoor was the Yellowjackets’ last meet before the GNAC Championships, which take place next Feb. 15 and 16 at the Jacksons Indoor Center in Nampa, Idaho.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Canyon Anderson’s lifetime best in the men’s weight throw led Northwest Nazarene’s efforts at the Jacksons/Nike Boise Indoor.

• The sophomore finished second in the event with a mark of  55 feet, 6.5 inches, despite nearly being scratched out of the competition. It is the second-best mark in the GNAC this season.

• Senior Lexi Tubbs led the Nighthawks’ efforts on the track, finishing second in the women’s 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.94 seconds. The 2017 GNAC champion in the event and two-sport standout (she also plays basketball) has the No. 3 time in the GNAC this season at 8.89 seconds.

• Junior Logan Blake placed in the top-eight in both the men’s 200 and 400 meters despite an ankle injury. Blake placed fourth in the 400 meters in 49.33 seconds and was seventh in the 200 meters in 22.35 seconds after running 22.21 in the preliminaries.

• Senior Jake Knight placed third in the men’s shot put with a mark of 54 feet, 11.25 inches. In the women’s field events, sophomore Jackie Mahowald was fourth in the triple jump with her leap of 37 feet, 1.25 inches.

• The Nighthawks will close their regular season with one more meet on the site of the GNAC Championships, taking part in Friday’s Bronco Challenge at the Jacksons Indoor Center.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s did not compete last week. The Saints will complete their tune-ups for the GNAC Championships at the Husky Classic on Friday and Saturday.

• Another stellar effort for freshman Tyler Cronk in the men’s high jump led Saint Martin’s performances at the UW Invitational on Jan. 22 and 23.

• Cronk, one of three non-Division I competitors in the event, finished second with a clearance of 6 feet, 9.75 inches. He tied with Utah State’s Leaugen Fray-Benoit in terms of clearance, but Fray-Benoit was awarded first based on fewer misses.

• Freshman Keshara Romain turned in a ninth-place finish in the women’s triple jump with a mark of 37 feet, 4.5 inches, the best mark by a non-Division I athlete.

• In the men’s weight throw, senior Kauanoe Vanderpoel finished 12th in the weight throw with a mark of 52 feet. Senior Liz Larson added a 23rd place mark in the women’s weight throw with a mark of 47 feet, 8 inches.

• Senior Jackson Hand and sophomore Michael Russell led the Saints’ efforts on the track. Hand placed 11th in the men’s 200 meters with a time of 22.40 seconds while Russell was 14th in a time of 22.51 seconds.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• A pair of victories for junior Kate Lilly and the first competition of the season for junior Scout Cai headlined Seattle Pacific’s efforts at the Cougar Indoor.

• Lilly won the first two races of her collegiate career, taking the mile in 5:09.89 and the 3,000 meters in 10:21.93. Freshman Kelsey Washenberger was second in both races, clocking 5:11.43 in the mile and 10:23.04 in the 3,000.

• After missing the first few weeks of the season due to injury, Cai placed third in the pentathlon with a score of 3,536 points. She finished in a three-way tie for first in the high jump (5-3.75) and was third in the 800 meters (2:26.55). Cai’s point total is an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier and ranks 14th in Division II this season.

• Sophomore Renick Meyer was fourth in the pentathlon. Her season-best score of 3,326 points is the 27th best in Division II this season. Meyer won the opening event of the competition, the 60-meter hurdles, in 8.77 seconds. That time is an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier and is 21st in Division II this season.

• Freshman Peace Igbonagwam took the victory in the triple jump with a lifetime best of 36 feet, 7.5 inches. She also placed third in the long jump at 17 feet, 11 inches, and fourth in the 60 meters in 7.88 seconds.

• Freshman Silas Newby led the Seattle Pacific men, placing second in the long jump at 20 feet, 10.75 inches, and third in the triple jump with a mark of 41 feet, 5.75 inches.

• Sophomores Shad Galloway and Colin Boutin took second and third in the men’s 5,000 with times of 15:53.79 and 15:56.66, respectively.

• Seattle Pacific will close the indoor regular season at the Husky Classic on Friday and Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Big performances in Beantown for Simon Fraser’s top athletes led the Clan’s performances in both the Bruce Lehane Scarlet & White Invitational and the Cougar Indoor.

• Senior Addy Townsend was named the GNAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week after she placed fourth in the women’s mile in a time of 4:44.81. That time is No. 2 in Division II this season and No. 3 on the GNAC All-Time List. The mark just missed the NCAA Championships automatic qualifying time of 4:44.72.

• Townsend also combined with Bryce West, Sophie Dodd and Renate Bluschke to take fourth in the women’s 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:48.38. The NCAA provisional qualifying time is 13th in Division II this season.

• Sophomore Aaron Ahl was selected as the GNAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week after placing 12th in the men’s mile with a time of 4:06.92. The performance ranks No. 4 on the GNAC All-Time List and the NCAA provisional qualifying mark is No. 4 in Division II this season.

• Two other SFU men established NCAA provisional marks in the mile. Sophomore Pierre-Louis Detourbe is 10th in Division II after running 4:07.80 while senior Rowan Doherty is 12th with a time of 4:08.27.

• At the Cougar Indoor, junior Paige Nock led the Clan as she won the women’s 800 meters in a time of 2:20.06. Sophomore Meyer Quaynor took third in the women’s 60 meters with a time of 7.82 seconds.

• The Simon Fraser women moved up seven spots to No. 7 in the USTFCCCA Division II Women’s Team Index. The SFU men arrived in the top-25 for the first time this season, ranking No. 17.

• Simon Fraser will be among the GNAC teams competing at the Husky Classic on Friday and Saturday in Seattle.

WESTERN OREGON
• Paced by solid efforts in the sprints, Western Oregon continued its season by sending athletes to the Cougar Indoor in Pullman, Wash.

• Senior Cody Warner led the way as he placed fifth in the men’s 60 meters with a time of 7.07 seconds. The time is just slower than his season best of 6.99 seconds, which ties him for second in the GNAC this season.

• Freshman Ana Popchock finished seventh in the women’s 60-meter hurdles in 9.56 seconds and later went on to place fourth in the triple jump with a mark of 35 feet, 11.5 inches.

• Senior Hailey Sears emerged with a season-best in the women’s 60 meters, clocking 8.37 in preliminaries. Junior Natalie Legras did as well as she finished with a time of 8.38 seconds.

• Junior Mariah Gronbach was the Wolves’ top finisher overall, placing second in the weight throw with her mark of 52 feet, 2.5 inches. The season-best effort ranks third in the GNAC this season.

• Freshman Simon Walsh notched his first top-three finish as a collegian, placing third in the men’s 800 meters in a time of 1:59.54.

• Western Oregon will take its longest trip of the indoor season this weekend, traveling to Allendale, Michigan to take part in the GVSU Big Meet.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• A first-place finish for senior Kyler Sager in the men’s mile led the performances of a small contingent of Western Washington athletes at the Cougar Indoor.

• Sager led the first of 35 competitors in the event, crossing the line in 4:22.63. He just edged out Willamette’s Michael Montague by a second for the win. Junior James Jasperson was third in a time of 4:24.91 and junior Liam Cossette was fourth in 4:24.95.

• Senior Dylan Hayes scored a second-place finish in the men’s 3,000 meters, running a time of 8:50.80 in the 31-runner field. The season-best ranks Hayes No. 9 in the GNAC this season after conversion to 8:44.70 for track size. Sophomore Ed Kiolbasa added a ninth-place finish in a time of 9:02.16.

• The Vikings will be among the GNAC teams competing this weekend at the Husky Classic in Seattle.