Friday, March 11, 2016
by Mark Moschetti, Seattle Pacific Sports Information

PITTSBURG, Kan. – For a guy who started his track career jumping vertically, the decision to go horizontally instead is working out well for Vladislav Tsygankov.
 
The Simon Fraser sophomore broke his own Great Northwest Athletic Conference record on Friday night with a leap of 24 feet, 5.75 inches for an All-American seventh-place finish in the long jump at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships.
 
Tsygankov broke his own GNAC record 24 feet, 2.5 inches that he set in winning the conference crown last month in Nampa, Idaho.
 
“I didn’t really expect it,” said Tsygankov, who came in as the No. 15 seed. “I’m very excited that I finished seventh. All-American is a great achievement for myself and for the university.”
 
Tsygankov’s mark Friday came on his second attempt.
 
“I never have a goal. I just try to do my best and improve with each competition,” he said. “and that worked for me today.”
 
Tsygankov was a 400-meter hurdler before coming to Simon Fraser.
 
“It was just something in my mind that I (thought) I should try,” he said. “I’m happy with my decision. It took me awhile to adapt to a specific training program and to college, because I changed coaches when I came here. But I really like the coaching style. But they’ve done a lot for me. I wouldn’t be able to compete at that kind of level without them.”
 
CAT-AND-MOUSE FOR ALL 5,000
It was a scintillating 5,000 meters between Alaska Anchorage senior Joyce Chelimo and Lewis (Ill.) junior Amanda Farrough on Friday.
 
Farrough led the race most of the way as Chelimo patiently moved her way up from sixth to fourth with 12 laps left, third with 10 to go, and finally second with nine remaining.
 
Then she and Farrough gradually opened some distance on the rest of the field. Farrough was always within reach, but would not be caught, as she came through the finish line in 16 minutes, 9.10 seconds – a drop of more than 45 seconds from her entry time.
 
Chelimo was right there at 16:10.32, taking nearly 13 seconds off her entry time of 16:22.93. Chelimo’s time was a new GNAC record, erasing the old standard of 16:12.65 set by Seattle Pacific’s Jessica Pixler in 2009.
 
“In the middle, it just went fast and fast and fast, and I was like, ‘I have to stay with them, I have to stay with them,’” Chelimo said. “The last lap, she just went. I was trying chase and get up some speed. But it was my PR, and a school record, too. I didn’t know I was going to run that fast.
 
Chelimo will run the 3,000 on Saturday, where she enters with the fastest time in Division II this season and the fourth fastest time in Division II history under all conditions.
 
DOIN’ IT FOR THE OTHER GUYS
Western Oregon sophomore David Ribich had quite a day for himself. He qualified for the finals I the mile, then anchored the Wolves’ distance medley relay to an All-American fifth-place finish with a time of 9:50.07. That was just two seconds behind victorious American International.
 
Ribich ran the 1,600-meter anchor leg, following senior Sam Naffziger, junior Aaron Whitaker, and Josh Dempsey. He had some ground to make up, starting in 10th place. Leadoff man Naffziger got bumped at the start, and his baton fell to the track. He recovered quickly and got himself going again right away, then his three teammates took it from there.
 
“He had to close so hard to get back up with the rest of the group,” Ribich said. “By the time I got it, I was in 10th place, and I didn’t hear any splits the whole time I was going. I was just like, ‘All right, 10th place; all right, ninth place; I’m picking them off. We’ve got to get All-American and get this for Sam.’”
 
By the bell lap, Ribich had Western Oregon into a top-8 All-American spot, “and then it was time to kick like I can in the mile. I just gave it all I could for Sam and the other two guys on our team.”

LOST A SHOE, BUT DIDN’T LOSE MOMENTUM
Seattle Pacific sophomore Chynna Phan makes sure she’s well prepared before every race – including tying her shoes in triple knots.
 
But that didn’t keep one of them from flying off on Friday with about 200 meters to go on her 800-meter leg of the distance medley really.

Phan, who was battling for the lead for all 800 of those meters, didn’t so much as hesitate. She just kept going, then handed the baton safely off to Anna Patti.
 
“I kind of just tried to pretend I still had a shoe,” Phan said with a laugh. “I was just trying to focus on finishing as hard as I could.”
 
Because Phan kept her wits about her, the Falcons were able to secure fifth place and an All-American award.