Friday, February 17, 2017
NAMPA, Idaho – The defending outdoor national champion in the men’s high jump made himself a favorite at indoor nationals Friday.
Saint Martin’s senior Mikel Smith surpassed his own GNAC record and the Division II national lead Friday as he defended his championship in the event at the GNAC Men’s Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Jacksons Track at the Ford Idaho Center.
Smith cleared 7 feet, 3 inches on his third attempt at the height to surpassed his own conference record of 7 feet, 0.5 inches, which he set in 2015, and the conference meet record of 6 feet, 9 inches, set by Brennan Boyes of Central Washington in 2012 and tied by two other competitors. It also gives Smith a NCAA Championships automatic qualifier and the top mark in Division II.
Two other athletes tied or surpassed the old meet record. Northwest Nazarene’s Cole Hoberg finished second with a mark of 6 feet, 10.25 inches, while Alaska Anchorage’s Tevin Gladden was third at 6 feet, 9 inches.
Alaska Anchorage emerged as the first day leader with a score of 53 points, thanks to Gladden and Seawolves’ distance corps. In addition to the points in the high jump, Gladden finished second in the long jump at 24 feet, 1.25 inches.
Senior Dominik Notz defended his 5,000-meter and led a top-three sweep for the Seawolves. Notz won the tactical race in 15:00.80. Edwin Kangogo was second in 15:01.46 and Justin Carrancho placed third in 15:02.13.
Northwest Nazarene is in second at 35 points thanks to the pole vault, where Payton Lewis became a three-time champion. The junior won with a mark of 16 feet, 1.75 inches, while teammate Zach McClanahan was second at 15 feet, 9.75 inches.
Simon Fraser senior Vladislav Tsygankov repeated as the conference champion in the long jump, capturing the title on his final attempt with a leap of 24 feet, 2.25 inches. The senior also has the top time entering the finals of the 400 meters, having cleared the preliminaries with a time of 47.95 seconds.
The Clan also repeated as men’s distance medley relay champions with the team of Carlos Vargas, Yonathan Abebe, Dylan Freinhofer and Rowan Doherty winning in 10:15.57, just .03 seconds ahead of Alaska Anchorage.
Central Washington’s Armando Tafoya earned his first GNAC indoor championship as he captured the weight throw with a mark of 57 feet, 0.25 inches.
The Wildcats’ Kodiak Landis finished as the leader after the first four events of the pentathlon with 2,893 points. The senior won the first three events of the competition: the 60 meters (7.13 seconds), long jump (22-8) and the shot put (39-7.75). Alaska Anchorage’s Travis Turner sits in second with 2,781 points and the Seawolves’ David Sramek is third with 2,672 points.
Northwest Nazarene’s Micah Tranch set the meet heptathlon record in the high jump with his clearance of 6 feet, 7 inches, surpassing the mark of 6 feet, 6 inches set by Saint Martin’s Jaysen Yoro in 2015.
Top qualifiers for Saturday’s running event finals include Montana State Billings’ Sam Zook in the 60 meters at 6.91 seconds, Northwest Nazarene’s Ebu Camara in the 200 meters in 21.99 seconds, Western Oregon’s Dustin Nading in the 800 meters in 1:53.80 and Turner in the 60-meter hurdles in 8.34 seconds.
The final day of the meet will begin at 9:30 a.m., with the hepthahlon 60-meter hurdles. Field events commence at 10:30 a.m. with the men’s triple jump and running evebts begin at 11 a.m.