Thursday, May 5, 2016

THIS WEEK'S GNAC TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MEN’S TRACK
Robert Peterson, Montana State Billings
Senior • Billings, Mont.

The senior won the 800 meters at Saturday’s Montana Open in just his second time running the event collegiately. His time of 1:53.18 set the MSUB school record, surpassing the previous mark of 1:55.09 by Drew Galahan in 2014. Peterson also won the 3,000-meter steeplechase in a time of 9:28.07, third best in the GNAC this season after altitude conversion.

Also Nominated: Jasper Heckman (Saint Martin’s), Kyle McLaughlin (Northwest Nazarene), Jared Seckel (Concordia).

MEN’S FIELD
Payton Lewis, Northwest Nazarene
Sophomore • Nampa, Idaho

Lewis set the NNU record in the pole vault and hit an automatic qualifying mark for the NCAA Division II Championships, placing second at the Idaho/Utah Border Clash with a mark of 17 feet, 0.75 inches. He became just the second athlete in GNAC history to clear 17 feet and currently ranks third in Division II this season.

Also Nominated: Nels Flanagan (Montana State Billings), J.T. Konrad (Western Washington), Mikel Smith (Saint Martin’s), Jimmy Wheeler (Concordia).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Taylor Deskins, Northwest Nazarene
Junior • Corvallis, Ore.

Deskins became the first NNU athlete to ever run under 12 seconds in the women’s 100 meters, setting the school record at 11.95 seconds at the Idaho/Utah Border Clash. She finished in fifth place overall and moved up to No. 3 on the GNAC all-time list. Deskins went on to place ninth in the 200 meters in 25.04 seconds and ran on the Crusaders’ fourth place 4x400-meter relay team.

Also Nominated: Jahzelle Ambus (Seattle Pacific), Makenzee Cleveland-Aguirre (Concordia), Shannon Porter (Saint Martin’s), Josey Smiedala (Montana State Billings).

WOMEN’S FIELD
Bethany Drake, Western Washington
Junior • Sandy, Ore.

Drake reset her own Western Washington and GNAC records in the javelin on her home field, winning at WWU’s Ralph Vernacchia Invitational with a mark of 171 feet, 7 inches. The mark surpassed her previous record of 169 feet, 6 inches, set in 2014, is third best in Division II this season and is 10th best all-time in Division II history.

Also Nominated: Ellie Logan (Northwest Nazarene), Kirby Neale (Saint Martin’s), Rachel Siltman (Concordia).

ANOTHER RECORD BREAKING WEEKEND: It was a record-breaking weekend for GNAC athletes with at least five school records and one conference record falling, including marks by all four GNAC Track Athlete of the Week selections.

Western Washington’s Bethany Drake tops the list as she toppled her own record in the women’s javelin. At the Vikings’ lone home meet of the season, the Ralph Vernnachia Invitational, Drake popped a throw of 171 feet, 2 inches. That easily surpassed her own Western Washington and GNAC record of 169 feet, 6 inches, which was set in 2014. To top it off, the mark is also the 10th best in Division II history and improves her No. 3 mark in Division II this season.

Montana State Billings’ Robert Peterson set the Yellowjackets’ record in an event he rarely competes in. Peterson won the men’s 800 meters at the Montana Open on Saturday. His time of 1:53.18 surpassed the previous school record of 1:55.09 set by Drew Galahan in 2014. Peterson went on to also win the steeplechase with a time of 9:28.07.

Northwest Nazarene saw three athletes set school records at the Idaho/Utah Border Clash. Payton Lewis became just the second GNAC athlete to clear 17 feet in the men’s pole vault, setting a school record with his clearance of 17 feet, 0.75 inches. The performance automatically qualified the sophomore for the NCAA Division II Championships.

Taylor Deskins became the first NNU athlete to go under 12 seconds in the women’s 100 meters, placing fifth at the Border Clash in a time of 11.95 seconds. The time also ranks No. 4 on the GNAC all-time list. Ellie Logan broke her own NNU record in the javelin, placing third with a mark of 151 feet, 11 inches. The performance ranks Logan 10th in Division II this season.

GNAC MULTI-EVENT CHAMPIONSHIPS: Alaska Anchorage’s Cody Thomas and Seattle Pacific’s Maliea Luquin completed a pair of unchallenged performances as the duo won their respective events at the GNAC Multi-Event Championships, which concluded Tuesday at Saint Martin’s University’s Track and Field Complex.

Thomas became just the second three-time champion in the decathlon and did so in record fashion. The senior blew away his own GNAC Championships record with a score of 7,201 points, surpassing the mark of 6,617 that he set at the 2014 Multi-Event Championships. The total is No. 3 in Division II this season and automatically qualifies Thomas for the NCAA Division II Championships.

In addition to the overall point record, Thomas set GNAC Championships decathlon records in the high jump, 400 meters and the 110-meter hurdles.

Thomas was 590 points better than 2015 GNAC champion Payton Lewis of Northwest Nazarene, who finished in second place with 6,611 points. Central Washington’s Kodiak Landis finished third with a total of 6,469 points. Both athletes hit provisional qualifying marks for the NCAA Championships.

Luquin, meanwhile, succeeded in holding on to her first place lead to capture the title with a score of 4,738 points. The total provisionally qualifies Luquin for the NCAA Championships. It also marks the eighth time in the 15-year history of the conference that a Seattle Pacific athlete has won the heptathlon title.

Northwest Nazarene’s Ellie Logan placed second and also hit a provisional qualifying mark for the NCAA Championships with her score of 4,541 points. Central Washington’s Ali Anderson placed third with a score of 4,372 points.

Thomas took a 620-point lead into the second day of the decathlon by winning all five first day events. He opened the second day with his record win in the 110-meter hurdles, crossing the line in 14.81 seconds. The string of straight wins ended in the seventh event, the discus, which was won by Lewis with a mark of 126 feet. Lewis also won his specialty event, the pole vault, with a clearance of 15 feet, 11.75 inches.

Saint Martin’s David Durden won the javelin with a mark of 165 feet, 2 inches, and Central Washington’s Justin Peterson closed the day with a win in the 1,500 meters in a time of 4:34.03.

Luquin did not win an event on day two, but managed to keep no less than a 200-point cushion in the competition over Logan. Anderson won the first event of the day, the long jump, with a mark of 18 feet, 2.5 inches. Logan won her specialty event, the javelin, with a mark of 147 feet, 2 inches. Anderson closed the competition with a win in the 800 meters in 2:20.01.

Team points earned in the GNAC Multi-Event Championships will carry over to the GNAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

NATIONALS QUALIFIERS: The list of GNAC qualifers for the NCAA Division II Championships continues to grow. Conference athletes created or improved 30 qualifying marks over the last week. To date, the GNAC has 10 automatic qualifiers for the NCAA Championships and 120 provisional qualifying marks.

The most change for the GNAC this week came in the women’s 1,500 meters where four marks were added or changed. Saint Martin’s Shannon Porter improved to 20th on the list with her time of 4:29.82 from the Ken Shannon Invitational. Also adding their names to the list are Seattle Pacific’s Mary Charleson (28th) and Simon Fraser’s Julia Howry (30th) and Rebecca Bassett (37th).

The GNAC added two men’s automatic qualifiers. Payton Lewis automatically qualified in the pole vault with his mark of 17 feet, 0.75 inches at the Idaho/Utah Border Clash, currently third in Division II. Simon Fraser’s Marc-Antoine Rouleau automatically qualified in the 1,500 meters with his time of 3:45.45 at the Oregon State High Performance Meet. While the league added no women’s automatic qualifiers, Western Washington’s Bethany Drake improved her mark in the javelin with her throw of 171 feet, 7 inches, at the Ralph Vernacchia Invitational.

Other GNAC men’s athletes improving top-15 marks included Simon Fraser’s Cameron Proceviat, who is now ninth in the 800 meters with his time of 1:49.96, and Saint Martin’s Mikel Smith, who is tied for 10th in the high jump with his mark of 6 feet, 10.75 inches.

Improving top-15 mark for the women include Seattle Pacific’s Jahzelle Ambus, who improved to 11th in the 400 meters with a time of 54.68, Central Washington’s Tayler Fettig with her mark of 5 feet, 7.75 inches in the high jump (tied for seventh) and Northwest Nazarene’s Ellie Logan with her mark of 151 feet, 11 inches in the javelin (10th).

GNAC CHAMPIONSHIPS UPCOMING: This weekend’s meets will be the last in which athletes can qualify for the GNAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which take place next Friday and Saturday at Western Oregon University in Monmouth. The top-20 performers on the season in each event will qualify in addition to any other athletes who meet the GNAC qualifying standard. Entries will be finalized by Wednesday.

Advance tickets for the GNAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships can be purchased through Wednesday. Tickets are $7 per session for adults and $4 for seniors and students. Tickets at the gate will be $8 for adults and $5 for seniors and students. Click Here To Purchase Tickets

IN THE NATIONAL POLLS: Alaska Anchorage continues to be the GNAC’s top team in both the USTFCCCA Division II Men’s and Women’s Computer Rankings. The Seawolves are the only GNAC team in the men’s top-25, dropping four spots to No. 19. The Seawolves women dropped two positions in the women’s poll at No. 11. Seattle Pacific climbed four spots to No. 19 and Western Washington dropped one spot to No. 22.

In the West Region Men’s Computer Rankings, Alaska Anchorage is ranked No. 5, Western Washington No. 6, Western Oregon No. 8 and Central Washington No. 10. For the women, Seattle Pacific is ranked No. 3 followed by Alaska Anchorage at No. 4, Central Washington at No. 5 and Western Washington at No. 9.