Wednesday, April 27, 2016

THIS WEEK'S GNAC TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MEN’S TRACK
Travis Milbrandt, Western Washington
Senior • Longview, Wash.

Milbrandt improved his Western Washington and GNAC record in 110-meter hurdles at the Central Washington Spike Arlt Invitational, winning the event in a time of 14.19 seconds. That bettered his previous record of 14.21 seconds set at the 2015 GNAC Championships. The time currently ranks 12th in Division II.

MEN’S FIELD
Armando Tafoya, Central Washington
Junior • George, Wash.

Tafoya won all three throws he competed in at the Spike Arlt Invitational. He won the discus in a season-best 165 feet, 11 inches, ranking him 20th best in Division II. He also won the shot put with a mark of 49 feet, 6.25 inches and the hammer with a mark of 187 feet.

Also Nominated: Josh Brown (Western Oregon), Mark Seely (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Jamie Ashcroft, Alaska Anchorage
Junior • Shawnigan Lake, B.C.

Ashcroft set the Alaska Anchorage record in the 200 meters at the Triton Invitation in San Diego, placing sixth in a time of 24.07 seconds. The time is 12th best in Division II this season and No. 2 on the GNAC all-time list. Ashcroft also finished 11th in the 100 meters.

WOMEN’S FIELD
Kyra Brannan, Seattle Pacific
Junior • Kennewick, Wash.

Fettig took third in the second flight of the high jump at the Bryan Clay Invitational. Her mark of 5 feet, 7.25 inches ties her for first in the GNAC and ties for her seventh among Division II athletes this season.

Also Nominated: Rachael Huffman (Western Oregon), Jessica Johns (Northwest Nazarene).

AROUND THE GNAC
ANOTHER CHANGE TO THE RECORD BOOK: For the fifth time this season, the GNAC record book has been changed. And for the second time this season, it was changed by a Western Washington athlete.

At the CWU Spike Arlt Invitational on Saturday, Travis Milbrandt broke his own record in the men’s 110-meter hurdles, winning in a time of 14.19 seconds. The performance bettered his own record of 14.21 seconds set at the 2015 GNAC Championships. The mark is 12th best in Division II this season and earned Milbrandt selection as the GNAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week.

Milbrandt joins two other GNAC men’s athletes who have set conference records this season. Teammate Alex Donigian broke the 200-meter record with his time of 20.93 seconds at the Bryan Clay Invitational last weekend and Western Oregon’s David Ribich set the 1,500-meter record with his time of 3:43.61 at the Mt. SAC Relays. In addition, Alaska Anchorage 4x100 relay team bettered their own record with a mark of 3:10.60 at the Bryan Clay Invitational.

On the women’s side, Joyce Chelimo set the GNAC record in the 10,000 meters with her time of 33:14.41 at the Stanford Invitational.

ONE SOLID THROWER: Central Washington’s Armando Tafoya has been one of the most consistent throwers in the conference all season, and consistent in a winning way.

Tafoya was named the GNAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week after he won all three of the throwing events he competed in at the Wildcats’ own Spike Arlt Invitational. His biggest win came in the discus where he threw a league-leading 166 feet. The performance also improved Tafoya to 20th on the Division II best list.

Tafoya also scored a win in the hammer with a throw of 187 feet and won the shot put with a mark of 49 feet, 6.25 inches.

Tafoya also owns a NCAA Championships provisional qualifing mark in the hammer, ranking 17th in Division II with a mark of 190 feet, 5 inches. He enters the week with the league’s second best mark in the hammer and fourth best mark in the shot put (50-11).

SEAWOLVES’ HALF LAP RECORD FALLS: One of the top women’s sprinters in the GNAC, Jamie Ashcroft succeeded in dropping her own Alaska Anchorage record in the 200 meters at the Triton Invitational at UC San Diego.

Ashcroft finished sixth in the race in a time of 24.07 seconds. That bettered the mark of 24.08 seconds that she ran last year. The time ranks Ashcroft 14th on the Division II best list and moves the junior into No. 2 on the GNAC all-time list. The effort earned Ashcroft selection as the GNAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week.

Ashcroft was one of three Alaska Anchorage athletes to better their NCAA Championships provisional qualifying marks. Tamara Perez improved to No. 15 on the Division II best list with her time of 2:10.74 in the women’s 800 meters, placing 10th. On the men’s side, Tevin Gladden improved to No. 21 in the high jump with his leap of 6 feet, 9 inches.

A LONG STRING OF PERSONAL BESTS: Personal bests are becoming a regular occurence for Seattle Pacific’s Kyra Brannan, who earned GNAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week honors after she leapt to the conference’s top mark in the long jump.

Brannan became the first GNAC women’s athlete this season to clear 19 feet in the event, winning at the Spike Arlt Invitational with a mark of 19 feet, 1.5 inches. The performance is a NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark and ranks her 24th in Division II this season. In addition to the long jump, Brannan finished second in the 100 meters with a time of 12.18 seconds and third in the 200 meters with a time of 25.21 seconds. All three marks were personal bests and marked the second straight meet that Brannan had set personal bests in all three meets.

A potential point-scorer at the GNAC Championships in all three events. She enters the week with the third best mark in the GNAC in the 100 meters and eighth in the 200 meters.

MULTI-EVENT CHAMPIONSHIPS ON THE HORIZON: The beginning of the GNAC outdoor track and field season is here as the GNAC Multi-Event Championships take place Monday and Tuesday at Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, Wash. Action will commence at 10 a.m. (Pacific) on Monday and 9 a.m. on Tuesday.

The men’s decathlon competition looks to be quite competitive with three of the top four finishers in last year’s championship returning. Northwest Nazarene’s Payton Lewis won the event as a freshman with a score of 6,595 points. The GNAC indoor champion in the heptathlon, Lewis has only competed outdoors since the end of March. This will be his first decathlon of the season.

Alaska Anchorage’s Travis Turner placed third last year with a score of 6,362 points. He was runner-up to Lewis in the GNAC indoor heptathlon with a score of 4.983 points. Central Washington’s Justin Peterson was fourth in last year’s championship and fifth in the GNAC indoor heptathlon. Like Lewis, Turner and Peterson have yet to compete in an outdoor multi-event this season.

Two of the favorites, however, did not appear in last year’s championship. Alaska Anchorage’s Cody Thomas redshirted last year, but owns the sixth best mark in Division II this season with a score of 7,079 points. Thomas also owns No. 2 spot on the GNAC all-time list with a score of 7,189 points set in 2014. Central Washington’s Kodiak Landis finished third in the GNAC indoor heptathlon and is currently 22nd in Division II with a score of 6,228 points.

Two other GNAC athletes have competed in the decathlon this season: Saint Martin’s David Durden (5,770 pts.) and Central Washington’s Michael Forster (5,547 pts.).

In the heptathlon, there will be a new champion as the 2015 winner, Karolin Anders of Alaska Anchorage, is redshirting during the outdoor season.

Seattle Pacific’s Maliea Luquin is the top returner from last year’s championship after she placed third with a score of 4,584 points. Luquin has not competed in a multi-event competition this season, but has emerged as a top-ranked hurdler. She has NCAA Championships provisional qualifying marks in both the 100-meter hurdles (14.13) and the 400-meter hurdles (1:01.93). Alaska Anchorage’s Rosie Smith was fourth last year with 4,559 points. At the GNAC indoor meet, Smith finished second to Anders in the pentathlon with a score of 3,483 points. Smith has not competed in an outdoor multi-event this season.

Six GNAC athletes have marks in the heptathlon this season. Central Washington’s Ali Anderson leads the way with a score of 4,103 points. Northwest Nazarene’s Jordan Morris is second with 3,830 points and the Crusaders’ Kawena Walker is third in the league with 3,818 points.

IN THE NATIONAL POLLS: Alaska Anchorage continues to hold the top spots for the GNAC in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Division II Team Computer Rankings. The Seawolves’ women moved up one spot to No. 9 in this week’s rankings while the men moved up one spot to No. 14. Western Washington dropped two spots in the women’s rankings to No. 20 and Seattle Pacific dropped six spots to No. 23.

In the West Region Team Computer Rankings, Alaska Anchorage is the top GNAC team in the men’s rankings at No. 4. The Seawolves are followed by Western Washington (7th), Western Oregon (8th) and Central Washington (10th).

Seattle Pacific tops the women’s West Region Computer Rankings at No. 2, followed by Alaska Anchorage (3rd), Central Washington (6th) and Western Washington (8th).