Wednesday, April 16, 2014

PORTLAND, Ore. - Great Northwest Athletic Conference track-and-field athletes established a total of 17 NCAA Division II provisional national qualifying marks including one GNAC record last weekend. 

All but three of the qualifying marks - heptathlon and decathlon scores by Alaska Anchorage's Karolin Anders and Cody Thomas and a long jump by Anders at the Sacramento State Mondo Multi-Events - came in meets in the Pacific Northwest.

This week the scene shifts to California - beginning with the Cal State L.A. Invitational and the Mt. Sac Relays Thursday - for many of the top athletes in the conference. GNAC athletes will also compete in the Azusa Pacific Bryan Clay Invitational on Friday and the Long Beach State Invitational Saturday.

Others will stay at home or close to home to compete in meets at Nampa (NNU Invitational), Ellensburg (CWU Spike Arlt Invitational), Eugene (Oregon Relays) and Portland (Lewis & Clark Invitational). 

Montana State Billings, meanwhile, will send athletes to Dickinson, N.D., for the Dickinson State Invitational Thursday.

Central Washington hurdler Bernari Sternen accounted for two of last week's PNQs, including a GNAC record of 14.47 in the men’s 110 hurdles in WAR VII at Spokane.  He also ran the ninth fastest 400 hurdle time in GNAC history (53.36) in the meet. 

Anders moved into seventh place on the NCAA Division II performance list with her 5,048 heptathlon point total at Sacramento.  Also establishing NCAA Division II Top 10 national marks were Western Washington's Frank Catelli in the men’s discus (4th, 173-11) at the University of Washington and Thomas in the decathlon (6th, 6940) at Sac State.

GNAC athletes currently have 24 performances that rank nationally in the Top 10 in Division II. Micah Chelimo of Alaska Anchorage continues to lead the division in the 10,000 (28:37.75) and Bethany Drake of Western Washington held on to her No. 1 ranking in the women’s javelin (169-6).

Holding down No. 2 national rankings are UAA’s Franz Burghagen in the men’s javelin (229-7) and UAA’s Joyce Kipchumba in the women’s 5,000 (16:44.97). 

CURRENT TOP 10 NATIONAL LEADERS (though April 14): Men:  800 – 10. Ryan Hansen, WOU, 1:51.27. 1500 – 5. Isaac Kangogo, UAA, 3:49.60. Steeplechase – 6. Brady Beagley, WOU, 9:07.66.  10,000 – 1. Micah Chelimo, UAA, 28:37.75.  Shot Put –  10. Frank Catelli, WWU, 17.43 – 57-2 ¼.  Discus – 4. Frank Catelli, WWU, 53.00 – 173-11  Javelin – 2. Franz Burghagen, UAA, 69.87 – 229-3; 7. Shane Brooks, WOU, 64.49 – 211-7.  Decathlon – 6. Cody Thomas, UAA, 6940.  WOMEN: 100 –  10. Jamie Ashcroft, UAA, 11.74.  800 – 3. McKayla Fricker, SPU, 2:08.00; 6. Lynelle Decker, SPU, 2:10.58; 10. Natalie Evans, NNU, 2:11.04.  1500 – 8. Ivy O’Guinn, UAA, 4:31.57. Steeplechase – 8. Katelyn Steen, WWU, 10:54.78.  5000 – 2. Joyce Kipchumba, UAA, 16:44.97; 6. Jordan Rehfeld, NNU, 16:57.15; 7. Katelyn Steen, WWU, 16:59.03.  4x100 Relay – 9. Alaska Anchorage  46.56. 4x400 Relay – 8. Seattle Pacific 3:45.63.  Javelin – 1. Bethany Drake, WWU, 51.66 – 169-6; 4. Katie Reichert, WWU, 49.40 – 162-1; 6. Seabre Church, WOU, 47.48 – 155-9. Heptathlon – 7. Karolin Anders, UAA, 5048.

GNAC TOP 10s: Sternen’s two hurdle times and Anders’ performances in the heptathlon and long jump were among 15 performances to crack the GNAC Top 10 All-Time lists last week.  Other Top 10 performances included a 10.49 time by Western Washington’s Alex Donigian in the men’s 100 (3rd), Catelli’s discus throw (3rd) and Thomas’ decathlon score (2nd).  Also joining the Top 10s were WWU’s Logan Myers in the 110 hurdles (4th, 14.65), CWU’s Kevin Stanley in the hammer (8th, 180-10), Kishia Mitchell of Seattle Pacific in the women’s 200 (5th, 24.76), SPU’s McKayla Fricker in the 400 (7th, 55.95), Marie Smith of Northwest Nazarene in the 100 hurdles (9th, 14.41); Irene Moore of Saint Martin’s in the 400 hurdles (7th, 1:02.54) and WOU’s Emmi Collier (8th, 45-3 ¾) and CWU’s Becki Duhamel (9th, 45-0 ½) in the shot.

THE COMPUTER SAYS:  According to the USTFCCCA computer, Alaska Anchorage is the 11th best men’s team and the 17th best women’s team in Division II, at least as far as national meet point potential goes.  Western Washington is ranked 16th and Seattle Pacific is ranked 22nd in this week’s poll.  From a regional point perspective, UAA’s men are ranked third just ahead of fourth-place Western Washington.  The Seawolf women are ranked second.  Chico State is the regional leader in both divisions.

GNAC RED LION ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

MEN: Track – Bernari Sternen, Central Washington (Jr., Lynnwood, WA – Kamiak) ran a pair of provisional national qualifying and GNAC all-time Top 10 times in the Spokane CC WAR VII track-and-field meet.  Sternen set a GNAC record in the 110 high hurdles, clocking  a time of 14.47 and breaking the record of 14.54 set by Damien Davis of Western Oregon in 2003.  In the 400 hurdles, Sternen ran the ninth fastest time in GNAC history (53.36).  He finished second in both events.  Field – Cody Thomas, Alaska Anchorage (Jr., Blenheim, New Zealand) scored 6,940 points to finish second in the decathlon at the Sac State Mondo Multi-Events.  His score is the second highest in GNAC history and currently ranks sixth nationally in Division II.  Among his marks was a long jump of 22-11 ¼, which ranks second this spring in the GNAC.

HONORABLE MENTION (TRACK):  Alex Donigian, Western Washington (Jr., Mission Viejo, CA) set a school record and also ran the third fastest 100 meters in GNAC history in winning the 100 meters at the University of Washington in a time of 10.49 ... Frank Krause, Saint Martin’s (Jr., Onalaska, WA) finished third in the 800 meters with a PNQ of 1:52.04 at the Spokane CC WAR VII.  His time ranks third this spring in the GNAC.  He also led the Saints to a school-record time of 3:22.80 in  the 4x400 relay ... Rimar Christie, Northwest Nazarene (Jr., St. Michael, Barbados) won the 100 (10.71) and placed second in the 200 (21.93).  He also led the Crusaders to a win in the 4x100 relay (41.88). Joining him in the victory were David Harris, Andrew Cutler and Cody Henderson ... Tyrell Williams, Western Oregon (Jr., Salem, OR) broke  a seven-year old meet record in the 400 meters at the John Knight Twilight, posting a time of 48.67.  Williams, who now has GNAC automatic qualifying marks in 100 (10.91), 200 (21.59) and 400, also led the Wolf 4x400 relay team to a first-place finish (3:24.14). All three qualifying times are meet records (the 100 and 200 at the San Francisco State Distance Carnival).

HONORABLE MENTION (FIELD); Zach McClanahan, Northwest Nazarene (Fr., Yuma, AZ) and Greyson Kilgore, Northwest Nazarene (Sr., Kuna, ID) each pole vaulted a GNAC season-best 14-7 ¼ , a height matched by Joseph Keeton of Saint Martin’s at WAR VII ... Justin Larson, Western Oregon (Jr., Dayville, OR) improved his provisional national qualifying mark in the javelin to 206-10, placing second at the John Knight Twilight.  He currently ranks fourth in the GNAC and 13^th in NCAA Division ...  Frank Catelli, Western Washington (So., Sequim, WA) won the shot put (56-0 ½) and discus (173-11) at the University of Washington.  His discus mark is a provisional national qualifying mark and currently ranks fourth in Division II.  Its also the third longest in GNAC history ...  Kevin Stanley, Central Washington (Jr.,  Spokane Valley, WA – Central Valley) won the shot (50-10 ¾) and finished second in the hammer at WAR VII with a PNQ of 180-10.  That is the eighth longest hammer throw in GNAC history.

WOMEN: Track – Irene Moore, Saint Martin’s (Jr., Bremerton, WA – Cross Point Academy) won the 400 hurdles at the Spokane CC WAR VII  in a provisional national qualifying time of 1:02.54.  That time ranks seventh in GNAC history.  She also finished fifth in the 100 hurdles (15.12) and sixth in the long jump (16-8).  Both of her hurdle times were school records.  Field – Karolin Anders, Alaska Anchorage (So., Berlin, Germany) scored 5,048 points to win the heptathlon at the Sac State Mondo Multi-Events.  She is the seventh athlete to score 5,000 or more points in Division II this spring.  Her score also ranks fifth in GNAC history.  Among her marks was a GNAC season-best and a NCAA national qualifying long jump of 18-10 ½.  That is the 10th longest long jump in GNAC history.

HONORABLE MENTION (TRACK): Marie Smith, Northwest Nazarene (Sr., Boise, ID – Capital) broke the school record in the 100 meter hurdles for the second time this spring posting a time of 14.41 at the Spokane CC WAR VII meet. ... Madison McClung, Western Oregon (Sr., Cottage Grove, OR) won the 100  (12.29) and finished second in the 299 (25.10) in the 200 in the John Knight Invitational.  Her 100 time ranks second and her 200 time ranks fourth this spring in the GNAC.  She also led the Wolves to a win in the 4x100 relay (49.93) ... Katelyn Steen, Western Washington (Jr., Sammamish, WA – Eastlake) posted a provisional qualifying mark in winning the 1,500 meters at UW in a time of 4:34.98.  She now has PNQs in three events, including the steeplechase and 5,000 meters ... Kishia Mitchell, Seattle Pacific (Sr., Puyallup, WA – Rogers) finished second in the 200 in a career-best and NCAA PNQ time of 24.76 at UW.  Her time ranks fifth in GNAC history.  She also ran the lead leg as SPU won the 4x400 relay in a time of 3:48.49.

HONORABLE MENTION (FIELD): Caitlin Curtis, Northwest Nazarene (Jr., Portland, OR – David Douglas) finished third in the hammer with a mark of 159-3 at Spokane.  That distance ranks second in the GNAC this spring ... Emmi Collier, Western Oregon (So., Warrenton, OR) improved her career best in winning the shot put to 45-3 ¾.  Her provisional national qualifying mar ranks eighth in GNAC history and 18th on the NCAA performance list. 

BY THE NUMBERS

GNAC ALL-TIME TOP 10 OUTDOOR PERFORMANCES (for April 7-13):  Men: 100 – 3. Alex Donigian, WWU, 10.49.  110 Hurdles – 1. *Bernari Sternen, CWU, 14.47; 4. Logan Myers, WWU, 14.65.  400 Hurdles – 9. *Bernari Sternen, CWU, 53.36.  Discus – 3. Frank Catelli, WWU, 53.00 – 173-11. Hammer – 8. *Kevin Stanley, CWU, 55.11 – 180-10.    Decathlon – 2. Cody Thomas, UAA, 6940.  Women: 200 – 5. Kishia Mitchell, SPU, 24.76. 400 – 7. McKayla Fricker, SPU, 55.95.  100 Hurdles – 9. *Marie Smith, NNU, 14.41.  400 Hurdles – 7. *Irene Moore, SMU, 1:02.54. Long Jump – 10. ++Karolin Anders, UAA, 5.75 – 18-10 ½.  Shot Put – 8. +Emmi Collier, WOU, 13.81 – 45-3 ¾; 9. *Becki Duhamel, CWU, 13.73 – 45-0 ½.  Heptathlon – 5. ++Karolin Anders, UAA, 5048.   (Note: All performances were at UW except where noted: *Spokane  +Monmouth ++Sacramento

LAST WEEK’S NCAA OUTDOOR QUALIFIERS (for April 7-13): Men: 100 – Alex Donigian, WWU, 10.49.  800 – *Frank Krause, SMU, 1:52.04. 1500 – +Ryan Hansen, WOU, 3:52.78. 110 Hurdles – *Bernari Sternen, CWU, 14.47; Logan Myers, WWU, 14.65.  400 Hurdles – *Bernari Sternen, CWU, 53.36.  Discus – Frank Catelli, WWU, 53.00 – 173-11. Hammer – *Kevin Stanley, CWU, 55.11 – 180-10.    Javelin – +Justin Larson, WOU, 63.04 – 206-10; Slater Hirst, WWU, 62.37 – 204-7.  Decathlon – ++Cody Thomas, UAA, 6940.  Women: 400 – McKayla Fricker, SPU, 55.95.  400 Hurdles – *Irene Moore, SMU, 1:02.54. Long Jump –   ++Karolin Anders, UAA, 5.75 – 18-10 ½; *Tayler Fettig, CWU, 5.71 – 18-9.  Shot Put – +Emmi Collier, WOU, 13.81 – 45-3 ¾;  *Becki Duhamel, CWU, 13.73 – 45-0 ½.  Heptathlon – ++Karolin Anders, UAA, 5048.   (Note: All performances were at UW except where noted: *Spokane  +Monmouth ++Sacramento

LAST WEEK'S SUMMARIES:

Idaho State Multi-Events (April 9-10 at Pocatello): Decathlon – 6. Cameron Stanek, MSUB, 5092.  (Day 1: 100 –11.36.  Long Jump – 6.23 – 20-5 ¼.  Shot Put – 10.23 – 33-6 ¾.   High Jump – 1.61 – 5-3 ¼.  400 – 52.47. Day 2: 110 Hurdles – 18.81.  Pole Vault – 3.60 – 11-9 ¾. Discus – 22.32 – 73-3.  Javelin – 35.24 – 115-7.  1500 – 5:40.34.

WOU John Knight Twilight (April 11 at Monmouth):  Men – Western Oregon 217, Concordia 185, Willamette 83, Mt. Hood 52, UO RC 39, Northwest Christian 35, Grape Crush TC 10, Trinity Lutheran 8, New Hope Christian 8, Oregon State 6, Bowerman AC 5, OSU RC 3, Portland 1.  WOU Winners: 100 – Jeff Howard, WOU, 10.88.  400 – Tyrell Williams, WOU, 48.67.  800 – Josh Hanna, WOU, 1:52.75.  110 Hurdles – Kody Rhodes, WOU, 14.86.  4x400 Relay – Western Oregon  3:24.14.  Pole Vault – Eric Gaines, WOU, 3.80 – 12-5 ½.  Long Jump – Matson Hardie, WOU, 6.48 – 21-3 ¼.  Triple Jump – Matson Hardie, WOU, 13.72 – 45-0 ¼. Women – Western Oregon 144, Oregon State 131 1/3, Mt. Hood CC, 93, Concordia 89, Northwest Christian 58, UO RC 19, Spirit of Oregon 18, Trinity Lutheran 18, Southern Oregon 14, New Hope Christian 8.  WOU Winners:  100 – Madison McClung, WOU, 12.29.  100 Hurdles – Rochelle Pappel, WOU, 14.83.  400 Hurdles – Audrey Hellesto, WOU, 1:05.31.  4x100 Relay – Western Oregon 48.93.  4x400 Relay – Western Oregon 4:03.43.  Long Jump – Charlene Harber, WOU, 5.39 – 17-8 ¼.  Shot Put – Emmi Collier, WOU, 13.81 – 45-3 ¾. 

Sac State Mondo Multi-Events (April 10-11 at Sacramento):  Decathlon – 3. Cody Thomas. UAA, 6940 (Day 1: 100 – 10.96.  Long Jump – 6.99 – 22-11 ¼.  Shot Put – 11.35 – 37-3.  High Jump – 1.92 – 6-3 ½.  400 – 49.48.  Day 2: 110 Hurdles – 15.47.  Discus – 35.60 – 116-9.  Pole Vault – 4.10 – 13-5 ¼.  Javelin – 43.39 – 142-4. 1500 – 4:50.37. Heptathlon – 1. Karolin Anders, UAA, 5048 (Day 1: 100 Hurdles – 15.36. High Jump – 1.63 – 5-4 ¼. Shot Put - 10.70 – 35-1 ¼.  200 – 25.95. Day 2: Long Jump – 5.75 – 18-10 ½. Javelin – 33.14 – 108-9. 800 – 2:22.12.

University of Washington Open (April 11-12 at Seattle): Men (GNAC Winners): 100 – Alex Donigian, WWU, 10.49.  400 – Devin Smith, WWU, 48.75.  5000 – Isaac Griffith, WWU, 14:58.84.  Steeplechase – Andrew Wise, WWU, 9:54.08. Shot Put – Frank Catelli, WWU, 17.08 – 56-0 ½.  Discus – Frank Catelli, WWU, 53.00 – 173-11.  Women (GNAC Winners): 400 – McKayla Fricker, SPU, 55.95.  1500 – Katelyn Steen, WWU, 4:34.98.  4x100 Relay – Western Washington (Veronica Ivanacic, Tany Bjornsson, Shawna Troupe, Amber Dodd) 48.70.  4x400 Relay – Seattle Pacific (Kishia Mitchell, Tasia Baldwin,, Jasmine Johnson, McKayla Fricker) 3:48.49.  High Jump – Katelyn Wright, WWU, 1.61 – 5-3 ¼.

SCC WAR 7 (April 12 at Spokane): Men –  Central Washington 108, Northwest Nazarene 101 ½,  Whitworth 92, Gonzaga 69, Eastern Oregon 64 ½ (10. MSU Billings and Saint Martin’s 31; 16. Western Washington 4).  GNAC Winners: 100 – Rimar Christie, NNU, 10.71.  4x100 Relay – Northwest Nazarene (David Harris, Andrew Curtis, Cody Henderson, Rimar Christie) 41.88.  Shot Put – Kevin Stanley, CWU, 15.51 – 50-10 ¾.  Women – Central Washington 104 1/10, Northwest Nazarene 94, Eastern Oregon 84 6/10, Carroll 82 6/10, Spokane CC 72 6/10 (10. Saint Martin 35, 14. MSU Billings 6).  GNAC Winners:  5000 – Dani Eggleston, CWU, 17:47.21.   100 Hurdles – Marie Smith, NNU, 14.41.  400 Hurdles – Irene Moore, SMU, 1:02.54.  Pole Vault – Alison Silva, NNU, 3.65 – 11-11 ¾.  Long Jump – Tayler Fettig, CWU, 5.71 – 18-9.  Shot Put – Becki Duhammel, CWU, 13.73 – 45-0 ½.

Simon Fraser Mondor Invitational (April 12 at Burnaby): Men (SFU Winners): 400 – Daniel Kelloway, SFU, 48.51. 800 – Cameron Proceviat, SFU, 1:52.70. 1500 – Lorenzo Smith, SFU, 4:02.10. 4x100 Relay – Simon Fraser 43.50.   Hammer – Peter Behncke, SFU, 47.08 – 154-5.   Women (SFU Winners): 2000 Steeplechase – Emma Chadsey, SFU, 7:37.26.  Triple Jump – Ella Brown, SFU, 11.41 – 37-5.  Javelin – Selina Byer, SFU, 39.92 – 130-11.

Pacific Luau (April 12 at Forest Grove): Men:  100 – Jeff Howard, WOU, 11.33. 200 – Jeff Howard, WOU, 22.06.   110 Hurdles – 3. Dustin Camarillo, WOU, 16.01.  Women: 200 – 17. Emily Moe, WOU, 29.41.   100 Hurdles – 7. Emily Moe, WOU, 17.34.  Javelin – 9. Emily Moe, WOU, 27.16 – 89-1.

To view or download this week's GNAC Track and Field Weekly Report, click on the link.