Saturday, May 23, 2015

ALLENDALE, Mich. – Led by 800 meter national champion Lindsey Butterworth of Simon Fraser, 12 Great Northwest Athletic Conference athletes earned All-Americans honors Saturday in Day 3 of the NCAA Division II National Track and Field meet at the Grand Valley State University Stadium.

Butterworth won the 800 in a near-record time of 2:02.88.  Her time was just 78/100ths of a second off the GNAC record of 2:02:10 set by SFU’s Helen Crofts in 2013. 

She missed the 25-year meet record by just four-tenths of a second.  The win gave Butterworth a sweep of the 800 meter titles this year as she also won the indoor race in February at Birmingham, Ala.

Butterworth, the season-long national leader ran even with Cedarville (Ohio) freshman Carsyn Koch through the bell and into the final lap. She then turned it on with about 300 meters to go, leaving no doubt about it as she came across 2.43 seconds ahead of Koch.

Butterworth’s performance was one of many outstanding ones by GNAC athletes Saturday in the final day of the national championships.   

Among the others was a third-place finish in the women’s 5,000 meters by Katelyn Steen of Western Washington.  Steen earned her second All-American award in two days with a time of 16:46.36 as she finished the meet with 14 points.

Western Washington’s women, which placed 12^th  overall, also got four points for a fifth-place finish by Katie Reichert in the javelin.  Reichert’s best throw on the day was 161-8.

The All-American award was the third for Reichert, who placed seventh in 2012 (152-5) and second (165-2) last year.

Three other women earned points Saturday, including Seattle Pacific’s Lynelle Decker who finished seventh in the 800 in a time of 2:08.42.

Two UAA women also earned All-American honors.   Sprinter Jamie Ashcroft had a historic finish, at least for the GNAC, placing sixth in the 100 meters in a time of 11.65.  In Thursday’s prelims, she ran a GNAC record time of 11.64 in the event.

Ashcroft is the first GNAC woman to ever score a point (i.e, finish in the Top 8) in the 100 meter event at the national meet. 

UAA’s Haleigh Lloyd placed fourth in the 400 hurdles in a time of 59.17, breaking her own GNAC record of 59.20.  She’s the only GNAC woman to ever break the 60 second barrier in the event.

In addition to their 12^th place women’s finish, Western Washington also led the GNAC men scoring 14 team points, good for 23^rd place.

Javelin thrower Slater Hirst accounted for eight of those points placing second with a throw of 230-5, bettering his own school record by nearly 14 feet, and jumping from fifth place into first on his last attempt, at least momentarily.

Texas A&M – Kingsville’s Javan Gray, however, quickly regained the lead with a winning mark of 233-8 on his final effort.  Hirst’s throw was the third longest in GNAC history.  His previous best of 216-7 came in last year’s national meet when he placed fourth.

“Making Slater’s throw even more amazing was that his calf had cramped up a bit earlier in the competition,” Viking coach Pee Wee Halsell said. 

WWU’s other six team points were produced by Alex Donigian, who finished third in the 100 meters in a time of 10.38.  It was the highest-ever finish for a GNAC athlete in the national meet in the 100.

Four other GNAC men earned points Saturday, including two others in the javelin.   Justin Larson of Western Oregon saved his best throw for his last attempt, jumping from ninth – only eight earn All-American recognition – all the way to sixth.  He now ranks sixth all-time in the GNAC with a best of 218-9.

Placing fifth in the javelin was Franz Burghagen of Alaska Anchorage with a best of 223-11.  Burghagen is now a three-time All-American in the event  He finished second last year (227-7) and claimed third (230-4) in 2013.

Saint Martin’s transfer Mikel Smith and Northwest Nazarene freshman Payton Lewis had season-best performances in finishing third and tying for fourth, respectively, in the high jump and pole vault.

Smith broke his own GNAC record of 6-10 ¾  adding an inch to the record with a jump of 6-11 ¾.  Lewis matched his season-best with a vault of 16-10 ¾, which ranks second in GNAC history.

COUNTING THE ALL-AMERICANS: Saturday’s 12 All-Americans increased the GNAC’s total for the meet to 16 by 15 different athletes and eight different teams.  Eight came in the men’s division and GNAC women also produced eight.  Alaska Anchorage (2 men, 3 women) and Western Washington (2 men, 3 women) each had five.  Simon Fraser, Seattle Pacific, Central Washington, Western Oregon, Northwest Nazarene and Saint Martin’s each had one.

NCAA DIVISION II TRACK AND FIELD NATIONALS (May 21-23 at Allendale, Mich.)

WOMEN: Team Scores – 12. Western Washington 18, 26. Simon Fraser 10, 30. Alaska Anchorage 9, 58. Seattle Pacific 2, 67. Central Washington 1.

Thursday: Heptathlon - 11 . Karolin Anders, UAA, 3,062 (Day 1: 100 Hurdles - 15.37 w2.1; High Jump - 1.67 - 5-5 3/4;  Shot Put - 11.59 - 38-0 1/4;  200 - 25.77).   Pole Vault - 9.  McKenna Emmert, CWU, 3.80 – 12-5 1/2. 1500 Prelims - 11. Haley O’Connor, WWU, 4:32.21 (advances); 14. Beatrice Decker, UAA, 4:35.07.  100 Prelims - 6.  Jamie Ashcroft, UAA, 11.64 (advances). Steeplechase Prelims - 1. Katelyn Steen, WWU, 10:25.32 (advances); 8. Dani Eggleston, CWU, 10:35.21 (advances); 17. Erin Chinchar, CWU, 11:02.31.  400 Hurdles Prelims - 4. Haleigh Lloyd, UAA, 1:00.29 (advances). 10,000 - 9. Shannon Porter, SMU, 35:01.04; 11. Amy Johnston, UAA, 35:12.41; 13. Caroline Kurgat, UAA, 35:42.53.

Friday:  Heptathlon - 8. Karolin Anders, UAA, 5092 (Long Jump - 5.33 - 17-6; Javelin - 35.84 - 117-7; 800 - 2:22.40).  200 Prelims  - 16. Jamie Ashcroft, UAA, 24.69.   800 Prelims - 2. Lindsey Butterworth, SFU, 2:06.87 (advances); 8. Lynelle Decker, SPU, 2:09.36 (advances); 18. Jessica Pakhala, UAA, 2:13.47.   Steeplechase - 2. Katelyn Steen, WWU, 10:13.93; 8. Dani Eggleston, CWU, 10:28.79.

Saturday: 100 - 6. Jamie Ashcroft, UAA, 11.65.  800 - 1. Lindsey Butterworth, SFU, 2:02.88; 7. Lynelle Decker. SPU, 2:08.42.   1500 - 10. Hailey O’Connor, WWU, 4:35.66.   5000 - 3. Katelyn Steen, WWU, 16:46.36; 13. Jennifer Johnson, SFU, 17:13.68; 19. Anna Patti, SPU, 17:27.45; 20. Amy Johnston, UAA, 17:30.31; 22. Shannon Porter, SMU, 17:41.75.  400 Hurdles - 4. Haleigh Lloyd, UAA, 59.17. Javelin - 5. Katie Reichert, WWU, 49.28 - 161-8; 17. Sheila Limas De La Cruz, WOU, 39.19 - 128-7; 18. Kalli Walker, SMU, 39.17 - 128-6; 19. Amanda Short, WOU, 38.76 - 127-2. 

MEN: Team Scores  - 23. Western Washington 14, 30. Alaska Anchorage 9, 37. Saint Martin's 6, 40. Northwest Nazarene 4 1/2, 43. Western Oregon 3.

Thursday: Hammer – 17. Kevin Stanley, CWU, fouled.  1500 Prelims - 12. Travis Vugteveen, SFU, 3:54.04 (advances); 17. Marc-Antoine Rouleau, SFU, 3:59.77.  100 Prelims - 7.  Alex Donigian, WWU, 10.50 (advances).  10,000 - 4.  Dominik Notz, UAA, 30:01.43.

Friday: Discus - 10. Ryan Macdonald, WWU, 53.81 - 176-6.  800 Prelims - 11. Cameron Proceviat, SFU, 1:51.28.  110 Hurdles Prelims - 16. Travis Milbrandt, WWU, 14.36.

Saturday:  100 - 3. Alex Donigian, WWU, 10.38. 1500 - 9. Travis Vugteveen, SFU, 3:50.29.  5000 - 11. Dominik Notz, UAA, 14:54.90; 12. Henry Cheseto, UAA, 14:59.33. Pole Vault - 4. Payton Lewis, NNU, 5.15 – 16-10 ¾. High Jump - 3. Mikel Smith, SMU, 2.13 – 6-11 ¾.   Javelin - 2. Slater Hirst, WWU, 70.23 - 230-5; 5. Franz Burghagen, UAA, 68.26 - 223-11; 6. Justin Larson, WOU, 66.68 – 218-9);  9. Cody Parker, UAA, 65.89 - 216-2; 13. Brian Chalkley, SMU, 61.90 - 203-1; 18. John Haskin, WWU, 56.61 - 185-8.