Wednesday, March 2, 2016
PORTLAND, Ore. – A total of 40 athletes, representing eight of the GNAC’s 10 programs, will represent the conference at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships, which take place Mar. 11 & 12 at the Plaster Center on the campus of Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kan.
Alaska Anchorage led the way for the GNAC with eight individual entries in addition to two relays. Simon Fraser will send six athletes and three relays to the meet while Seattle Pacific’s women’s program will enter six athletes and both relays.
The 14 total athletes for the Seawolves headed to Pittsburg is the most in program history. The men’s competitors are led by senior Cody Thomas, who enters the meet with the No. 4 mark in the nation in the heptathlon (5,324 points). Senior Dominik Notz and sophomore Henry Cheseto will compete in both the 3,000 meters and the 5,000 meters. Notz won both events at the GNAC Indoor Track and Field Championships.
For the women, senior Joyce Chelimo was one of three automatic meet qualifiers from the GNAC. She owns Division II’s best time in the 3,000 meters at 9:17.97 and has the second best time in the 5,000 meters at 16:22.93. Senior Karolin Anders is entered in both the pentathlon and the high jump. The GNAC champion in the pentathlon, her season best of 3,813 is sixth best in Division II.
The senior 400-meter tandem of Jahzelle Ambus and Jalen Tims lead Seattle Pacific. The top two placers in the event at the GNAC Championships, Ambus broke the GNAC record with her time of 54.87 seconds, ninth best in Division II. Tims also went under the previous GNAC record at 55.21 seconds, entering nationals with the 16th best time. Senior Lynelle Decker is an automatic qualifer in the women’s 800 meters and has the fifth best time in the nation of 2:09.38.
Freshman Geneva Lehnert enters with the 12th best mark in the high jump at 5-7.25 for the Falcons. She will be joined by Western Washington’s Miranda Osadchey, who is tied for third in the nation with her mark of 5-8.5.
Northwest Nazarene’s Payton Lewis was the other GNAC automatic qualifier with his mark of 16-10.75, tied for sixth best in Division II. Lewis is also entered in the heptathlon with his score of 5,163 points, No. 12 in Division II.
Other GNAC champions accepted to the nationals field include Montana State Billings’ Robert Peterson in the men’s mile, Saint Martin’s Mikel Smith in the men’s high jump, Simon Fraser’s Cameron Proceviat in the men’s 800 meters, Joel Webster in the men’s 400 meters, Vladislav Tsygankov in the men’s long jump and Addy Townsend in the women’s 800 meters; and Western Washington’s Travis Milbrandt in the men’s 60-meter hurdles and Jasmine McMullin the women’s triple jump.