Wednesday, March 16, 2016
THIS WEEK'S GNAC TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MEN’S TRACK
Dominic Notz, Alaska Anchorage
Senior • Dettingen, Germany
Notz picked up two All-American trophies at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships. He placed fourth in the 3,000 meters with a time of 8:24.81, just over a second behind national champion Sydney Gidabuday, and also placed fourth in the 5,000 mrters in a time of 14:09.26, moving him to No. 2 on the GNAC all-time list.
David Ribich, Western Oregon
Sophomore • Enterprise, Ore.
Ribich broke out after being boxed in for most of his race to place fourth in the mile final at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships in a time of 4:14.22. Ribich ran a time of 4:06.36 in the preliminaries, which bettered the GNAC record by just under a second.
Also Nominated: Kyle McLaughlin (Northwest Nazarene).
MEN’S FIELD
Mikel Smith, Saint Martin’s
Junior • Muskogee, Okla.
Smith was the national runner-up in the high jump at the NCAA Division II indoor Track and Field Championships with his clearance of 6 feet, 11 inches. Smith emerged from a three-way tie at the height on fewest misses, clearing on his first attempt at the three previous heights. The finish makes Smith Saint Martin’s first three-time All-American.
Also Nominated: Cole Hoberg (Northwest Nazarene), Robert Watson (Concordia).
WOMEN’S TRACK
Lynelle Decker, Saint Martin’s
Senior • Vancouver, Wash.
In her final collegiate indoor meet, Decker earned All-American honors with her second place finish in the 800 meters at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships with a lifetime best time of 2:07.52. The performance moves Decker to No. 3 on the GNAC all-time list. Decker also earned All-American trophies as the second leg of the Falcons’ third place 4x400 relay team and the leadoff leg on the their fourth place distance medley relay team.
Joyce Chelimo, Alaska Anchorage
Senior • Kapsowar, Kenya
Chelimo ended her collegiate indoor career with a pair of All-American trophies. She was the runner-up in the 5,000 meters, placing second in 16:10.32 and was just over a second behind champion Amanda Farrough of Lewis. She finished the meet with a sixth place finish in the 3,000 meters with a time of 9:35.09.
Also Nominated: Shannon Porter (Saint Martin’s), Taylor Deskins (Northwest Nazarene).
WOMEN’S FIELD
Karolin Anders, Alaska Anchorage
Senior • Berlin, Germany
Anders closed her collegiate indoor career by winning two All-American trophies at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships. She finished tied for sixth in the high jump, clearing 5 feet, 6.5 inches, and placed seventh in the pentathlon with a score of 3,806 points, just five points off of her lifetime best.
Also Nominated: Lauren Duval (Northwest Nazarene), Jasmine McMullin (Western Washington), Miranda Osadchey (Western Washington).
AROUND THE GNAC
GNAC EARNS 18 ALL-AMERICAN TROPHIES AT INDOOR NATIONALS: It was a great weekend for the GNAC in Pittsburg, Kan., as conference athletes posted a total of 18 All-American performances at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Plaster Center.
Alaska Anchorage led the way with a total of eight All-American performances and a school record 11 trophies. Seniors Joyce Chelimo, Dominik Notz and Karolin Anders each finished with two top-eight finishes apiece. Chelimo ran to a national runner-up finish in the 5,000 meters with a time of 16:10.32, setting a GNAC indoor record, and finished sixth in the 3,000 meters with a time of 9:35.09.
Notz finished in fourth in both of his races, finishing the 3,000 meters in 8:24.81 and the 5,000 meters in 14:09.26, which moves him to No. 2 on the GNAC all-time list. Anders closed her collegiate indoor career with a sixth place finish in the high jump at 5 feet, 6.5 inches, and seventh in the pentathlon with a score 3,806 points.
Cody Thomas finished off his indoor career with a GNAC record performance in the pentathlon, placing third with a score of 5,538 points. The Seawolves’ fourth place women’s distance medley relay team of Jessica Pahkala, Mary Kathleen Cross, Tamara Perez and Caroline Kurgat rounded out the All-Americans with a time of 11:31.21, third best in GNAC history.
Seattle Pacific senior Lynelle Decker closed her indoor career with three All-American trophies. She placed second in the women’s 800 meters with a time of 2:07.52, third best in GNAC history. She also won All-American honors as part of both of the Falcons’ relays. The 4x400-meter relay team of Jalen Tims, Decker, Cheryl Hong and Jahzelle Ambus placed third in a GNAC record 3:42.44 while the distance medley relay team of Decker, Ambus, Chynna Phan and Anna Patti placed fifth in 11:32.17.
Simon Fraser returned north with three All-American awards. Vladislav Tsygankov placed seventh in the lomg jump, extending his GNAC record with a mark of 24 feet, 5.75 inches while Cameron Proceviat placed sixth in the men’s 800 meters in 1:49.95. The women’s distance medley relay team of Addy Townsend, Chantel Desch, Alana Mussatto and Rebecca Bassett placed seventh in 11:36.86.
Junior Mikel Smith led two All-Americans for Saint Martin’s, placing second in the men’s high jump with his clearance of 6 feet, 11 inches. Senior Shannon Porter placed eighth in the 3,000 meters in a time of 9:35.31.
Western Oregon had an individual and a relay earn All-American honors. Wolves’ sophomore David Ribich placed fourth in the mile with time of 4:14.22. He also joined Sam Naffziger, Aaron Whitaker and Josh Dempsey to place fifth in the men’s distance medley relay with a GNAC record of 9:50.07.
Alaska Anchorage finished with the highest team score in both geneders. The Seawolves’ women placed ninth with 20.50 points while the men placed 14th with 16 points.
WARREN COMPETES AT USATF INDOOR NATIONALS: The GNAC record holder in the shot put placed 11th among a field of some of the best in the nation at the USA Track & Field Indoor Track and Field Championships last Friday at the Oregon Convention Center.
Warren finished with a mark of 53 feet, 1.5 inches, amidst a field made it almost exclusively of professional athletes. She was the top collegian, bettering James Madison’s Amber Monroe by a foot. Michelle Carter. competing for the New York Athletic Club and Nike, won the competition with a mark of 63 feet, 11.5 inches.
Warren competed at the USATF Nationals as Concordia is inelegible to compete at the Division II Championships due to the school’s transition from NAIA membership to NCAA Division II membership. The program is unable to compete at the NCAA nationals until the 2017-18 academic year.
As she enters the outdoor season. Warren has already qualified for the US Olympic Track & Field Team Trials that will take place at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., on July 1-10. 2016.
OUTSIDE IN: Six GNAC programs used the weekend to get those who weren’t competing at the indoor nationals a chance to get their first steps in for the outdoor season.
Central Washington opened their weekend with 21 event winners at the PLU Open in Parkland, Wash. Madison Garcia led the Wildcats’ women with wins in both the 100 meters (12.18) and 200 meters (25.34). Luke Plummer was a two-event winner, capturing the men’s long jump (22-3.75) and the triple jump (47-1.5) while Armando Tafoya scored victories in the men’s shot put (49-10.5) and the hammer (184-5).
Northwest Nazarene finished with seven event winners while Concordia had two at the Mt. Hood Track and Field Open in Gresham, Ore. The Crusaders were led by Taylor Deskins, who won the women’s 100 meters (12.58) and second in the 200 meters (26.85), and Lauren Duval and Kawena Warren, who tied for first in the women’s high jump (4-11.75). Both of Concordia’s wins came in the men’s throws: Robert Watson in the shot put (51-3.75) and Tyler Lamott in the hammer (179-3).
Western Oregon had five individual event winners at the Pacific Preview in Forest Grove, Ore. Bailey Beeson had the top women’s performance in the 800 meters 92:19.15) while AJ Holmberg led the Wolves’ men in the 400-meter hurdles (56.04).
ALASKA ANCHORAGE IN PROGRAM OF YEAR CONVERSATION: Thanks to their placings at both the cross country and indoor track nationals, Alaska Anchorage finds themselves in the top-five of the USTFCCCA’s Program of the Year standings for Division II.
The Seawolves’ men are fourth in Division II after the two seasons while the women are in fifth. Both teams have 17.5 points in a system that is based on a team’s finish at each NCAA championship in cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field (first place is one point, second place is two points, etc.).
Seattle Pacific’s women are the only other GNAC program on the Program of the Year list, currently seventh with 27 points.
NATIONALS QUALIFIERS: Within the first two weeks of the outdoor season, a total of 14 GNAC athletes have procured qualifying marks for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Western Washington’s Bethany Drake has the only automatic qualifier, going 164 feet, 7 inches in the javelin at the Mar. 5 Puget Sound Quad Meet. Drake leads a total of nine GNAC athletes (seven women, two men) with qualifying marks in the javelin. There were three additions to the list this week: Alaska Anchorage’s Tevin Gladden in the men’s high jump (6-8), Central Washington’s Armando Tafoya in the hammer (184-5) and the Wildcats’ Megan Rogers in the women’s 10,000 meters (36:45.26).
GNAC WELL REPRESENTED IN NATIONAL POLLS: Four GNAC teams are among the top-25 in both of the first USTFCCCA Division II Top-25 Outdoor Rankings. Alaska Anchorage tops the four men’s teams, currently ranked sixth. Western Washington is 18th, followed by Central Washington at 20th and Western Oregon at 25th. The Vikings lead GNAC women’s teams at No. 18, followed by Central Washington at No. 20, Western Oregon at No. 22 and Saint Martin’s at No. 25.