Saturday, May 25, 2013

PUEBLO, Colo. - Alaska Anchorage sophomore Cody Parker unleashed a mammoth throw of 255-10 to win the men's javelin title Saturday in the NCAA Division II Outdoor National Track and Field meet.

Helen Crofts of Simon Fraser also won a national title Saturday, finishing first in the 800 meters in a time of 2:08.18.  That gave her an indoor/outdoor sweep of the event.  She won the indoor title last March in a time of 2:05.96.

Parker nearly set a NCAA meet record in his event.

After throwing 241-2 on his first attempt - and breaking his own GNAC record by nearly seven feet - Parker nearly broke the NCAA meet record on his second attempt falling three inches shy of the mark of 256-1 set by Kirt Thompson of Ashland in 1996. He fouled on his third attempt before passing on all three rounds in the finals.

In all, Parker added 21 1/2 feet to his previous GNAC record of 234-4 in becoming the first conference athlete to win the javelin at the NCAA meet.  The win was also the eighth by a GNAC male athlete in NCAA meet history; the third by a UAA athlete. 

Previous UAA champions have included David Registe in the long jump in 2008 and Micah Chelimo in the 5,000 last season.

Parker earned his second All-American award.  He finished third last year in his freshman season with a toss of 193-2.

This year third place went to another Seawolf athlete- Franz Burghagen - who recorded a best throw of 230-4 as UAA earned all 16 of its team points - good for 16th place in the meet - in the javelin.

In the women's 5,000, Alaska Anchorage scored 11 points as Ruth Keino finished third in a time of 17:11.14 and Susan Tanui was fourth in a time of 17:12.78. 

Both athletes won two All-American awards in the meet.  Keino also finished third in the 10,000 on Thursday, while Tanui was second in the steeplechase on Friday.

They accounted for 25 of UAA's 29 team points - Tanui had GNAC-meet high 13 and Keino had 12 - as the Seawolves finished seventh in the women's standings.

Simon Fraser picked up 18 team points and three All-American awards in the women's 800. That enabled SFU to finish in a tie for 14th in the final team standings.

In addition to Crofts' winning effort, Lindsey Butterworth finished fourth in a time of 2:10.03 and Sarah Sawatky finished sixth in a time of 2:10.87.

Seattle Pacific ended up 19th with 15 points, earning two points in the 4x400 relay as the team of Kishia Mitchell, Emily Quatier, McKayla Fricker and Jasmine Johnson placed seventh in a time of 3:43.40.  Those are the first points a GNAC relay team - male or female - has ever earned in a relay in the 12-year history of the conference.

In the women's javelin, Amanda Schumaker of Western Oregon earned All-American honors for the fourth year in a row, placing sixth with a throw of 152-0.  She previously placed  sixth in 2010 (144-5), eighth in 2011 (137-10) and third in 2012 (158-5). 

Schumaker is the first athlete in GNAC history to earn All-American honors four years in a row in the outdoor meet in the same event.  Schumaker earned three points earning the Wolves a tie for 48th place in the final team standings.

FROM THE RECORD BOOK: GNAC athletes won three national titles.  In addition to Parker and Crofts, Ali  Worthen of Seattle Pacific won the heptathlon Friday. That brings the conference's all-time win total in 12 years to 19 (8 by men, 11 by women)  ... The three javelin All-American awards brings the GNAC all-time total in that event to 35, 29 by women and six by men.

WOMEN

Team Scores (Final) - 1. Academy of Art 60, 2. Johnson C. Smith 54, Lincoln, Mo., and Grand Valley State 51, 5. Adams State 42, 7. Alaska Anchorage 29, 14. Simon Fraser 18, 19. Seattle Pacific 15, 48. Western Oregon 3.  Saturday's Results: 800 - 1. Helen Crofts, SFU, 2:08.18; 4. Lindsey Butterworth, SFU, 2:10.03; 6. Sarah Sawatzky, SFU, 2:10.87. 1500 - 10. Ivy O'Guinn, UAA, 4:47.11.  5000 - 3. Ruth Keino, UAA, 17:11.14; 4. Susan Tanui, UAA, 17:12.78. 4x400 Relay - 7. Seattle Pacific (Kishia Mitchell, Emily Quatier, McKayla Fricker, Jasmine Johnson) 3:43.40. High Jump - 18. Tayler Fettig, CWU, 1.65 - 5-5.  Javelin - 6. Amanda Schumaker, WOU, 46.32 - 152-0; 13. Bethany Drake, WWU, 42.13 - 138-2; 14. Seabre Church, WOU, 42.10 - 138-1; 21. Katy Gross, SPU, 36.65 - 120-3.

Friday's Results:  Heptathlon - 1. Ali Worthen, SPU, 5340; 5. Karolin Anders, UAA, 5000; 6. Katy Gross, SPU, 4986. (Long Jump - 1. Worthen 5.68 - 18-7 3/4; 2. Gross 5.66 - 18-7; 7. Anders 5.38 - 17-8. Javelin - 1. Gross 41.41 - 135-10; 7. Anders 34.53 -113-3; 8. Worthen 33.97 - 111-5. 800 - 3. Worthen 2:21.06, 8. Anders 2:25.89. 13. Gross 2:36.15).  800 Prelims - 2. Lindsey Butterworth, SFU, 2:10.46 (advances); 3. Helen Crofts, SFU, 2:10.55 (advances); 6. Sarah Sawatzky 2:11.16 (advances), 11. McKayla Fricker, SPU, 2:11.86; 12. Ivy O'Guinn, UAA, 2:12.22; 13. Michaela Kane, SFU, 2:12.89; 17. Susan Bick, UAA, 2:15.56; 18. Emily Quatier, SPU, 2:17.06. Steeplechase - 2. Susan Tanui, UAA, 10:38.36.  Discus - 9. Jade Richardson, SFU, 45.26 - 148-6.   4x400 Prelims  - 8. Seattle Pacific (Kishia Mitchell, Emily Quatier, Jasmine Johnson, McKayla Fricker) 3:45.11 (advances); 11. Simon Fraser (Chantel Desch, Sarah Sawatzky, Michaela Kane, Helen Crofts) 3:49.38.

Thursday's Results:  Heptathlon (Day 1) -  1. Jesseka Raymond, Academy of Art, 3292; 2. Kendra Bassitt, Ashland, 3248; 3. Ali Worthen, SPU, 3226; 9. Karolin Anders, UAA, 3027; 13. Katy Gross, SPU, 2927. Day 1: 100 Hurdles – 4. Worthen 14.08, 10. Gross 14.66, 15. Anders 15.37.  High Jump – 2. Anders 1.72 – 5-7 ¾. 5. Worthen 1.66 – 5-5 ¼, 11. Gross 1.60 – 5-3.   Shot Put – 8. Anders 11.03 – 36-2 ¼, 9. Worthen 10.99 – 36-0 ¾, 12. Gross 10.45 – 34-3 ½. 200 – 4. Worthen 25.31, 14. Anders 26.45, 15. Gross 26.60.   1500 Prelims – 7. Ivy O’Guinn, UAA, 4:35.60 (advances); 20, Lynelle Decker, SPU, 4:49.03.  Steeplechase Prelims – 1. Susan Tanui, UAA, 10:50.98 (advances).  400 Hurdle Prelims – 11, Haleigh Lloyd, UAA, 1:01.44.  10,000 – 3. Ruth Keino, UAA, 36:17.26.

MEN

Team Scores (Final) - 1. Saint Augustine's 105, 2. Ashland 57, 3. Adams State 44, 4. Grand Canyon 40, 5. Western State 36, 16. Alaska Anchorage 16.  Saturday's Results: Triple Jump - 19. Bryan Mack, CWU, 14.07 - 46-2. Javelin  - 1. Cody Parker, UAA, 77.98 - 255-10; 3. Franz Burghagen, UAA, 70.20 - 230-4; 12. Shane Brooks, WOU, 60.62 - 198-11; 17. Braden Keller, CWU, 57.84 - 189-9; Justin Larson, WOU, foul.

Friday's Results: Decathlon  - 13. Cody Thomas, UAA, 6373 (110 Hurdles - 7th, 15.11. Discus - 11th, 34.32 - 112-7. Pole Vault - 14th, 10-9 3/4. Javelin - 11th, 146-8. 1500 - 8th, 5:05.42). 200 Prelims - 17. Rimar Christie, NNU, 21.41.

Thursday's Results: Decathlon (Day 1) – 11. Cody Thomas, UAA, 3516 (100 – 4th, 10.92.  Long Jump – 16th, 5.93 – 19-5 ½.  Shot Put – 12th, 11.33 – 37-2 ¼.  High Jump – 9th,  1.84  6-0 ½.  400 – 5th, 49.45.).  100 Prelims – Rimar Christie, NNU, false start.  1500 Prelims – 13. Isaac Kangogo, UAA, 4:01.16; 18. Seth Pierson, SPU, 4:06.52. 10,000 – 17. Dylan Anthony, UAA, 33:26.69.