Friday, March 1, 2019

THIS WEEK'S GNAC ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MEN’S TRACK
Max Carmona, Western Oregon
Freshman • Ojai, Calif.

Carmona closed his indoor season with a second-place finish in the 800 meters at the SPU Final Qualifier. His time of 1:54.56 is the third-fastest time in the GNAC this season.

Also Nominated: Rowan Doherty (Simon Fraser), Seren Dances (Western Washington).

MEN’S FIELD
Jake Knight, Northwest Nazarene
Senior • Meridian, Idaho

Knight reset his own Northwest Nazarene record in the shot put at the SPU Final Qualifier, winning the event with a mark of 57 feet, 11.25 inches. The performance bettered his previous record of 56 feet, 8.25 inches set back in December. The mark moves Knight to No. 3 on the GNAC All-Time List and No. 19 in Division II this season.

Also Nominated: Braydon Maier (Central Washington), Mont Child (Western Oregon), Tupre Wickliff (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Alexa Shindruk, Central Washington
Senior • Bellingham, Wash.

Shindruk closed the indoor regular season with a victory in the 3,000 meters at the SPU Final Qualifier. She clocked a time of 9:52.57 to win the race by 13 seconds.

WOMEN’S FIELD
Anna Paradee, Western Washington
Senior • Tacoma, Wash.

Ortega placed in all four field events she participated in and placed in five overall. She won the triple jump with a mark of 39 feet, 3.75 inches, took second in the pentathlon at 3,664 points, placed third in the high jump at 5 feet, 4.5 inches and sixth in the long jump at 18 feet, 3.25 inches. In addition, Ortega also placed eighth in the 60-meter hurdles.

Also Nominated: Brooke Williams (Central Washington), Moana Gianotti (Western Oregon).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage athletes took one more crack at those NCAA Championships indoor qualifying marks at the SPU Final Qualifier on Saturday.

• Senior Danielle McCormick solidified her spot at nationals in the women’s 800 meters, winning with a time of 2:10.63. The mark is 15th in Division II this season and assured the defending champion a spot in the field. Junior Ruth Cvancara was third in 2:12.92.

• Freshman Nancy Jeptoo earned a spot in the women’s mile field with her victory in Seattle. Her time of 4:51.09 ranks her 13th in Division II this season.

• The men’s distance medley relay team of sophomore Felix Kemboi, freshman Nathanial Brunett, junior Eduardo Orozco and freshman Drew Johnson earn a spot in the national meet, placing second with a time of 9:50.19. That ranks 10th in Division II this season and No. 7 on the GNAC All-Time List.

• Junior Vanessa Aniteye won the women’s 400 meters in 56.28 seconds, improving her to 38th in Division II this season. In the men’s sprints, freshman Enrique Campbell won the 60 meters in a time of 7.02 seconds.

• Alaska Anchorage qualified three individuals and two DMR teams for the NCAA Indoor Championships. In addition to McCormick and Jeptoo, senior Caroline Kurgat enters with the top times in Division II in the 3,000 meters (9:07.05) and the 5,000 meters (15:28.46). The Seawolves also own the top time nationally in the women’s DMR (11:23.47).

• The Alaska Anchorage women are ranked No. 7 in this week’s USTFCCCA Division II Indoor Team Index.

• Alaska Anchorage will not begin its outdoor season until Sat., Mar. 23, competing at the Willamette Invitational in Salem, Ore.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• A nationals clinching race for Mariyah Vongsaveng and a distance victory for Alexa Shindruk led Central Washington at the SPU Final Qualifier on Saturday.

• Vongsaveng clocked her fastest time of the season in the women’s 60-meter hurdles, winning with a time of 8.62 seconds. The mark ranks the senior 12th in Division II this season and earned an invitation to the national meet.

• Shindruk was named the GNAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week after she won the 3,000 meters in a time of 9:52.57. The senior is invited to the NCAA Championships in both the 3,000 meters (9:42.19, 15th) and the 5,000 meters (16:48.43, 16th), one of two GNAC athletes that will compete in both events.

• Senior Brooke Williams won the women’s triple jump with a mark of 38 feet, 10.5 inches and placed third in the long jump at 18 feet, 3.25 inches. Junior Samantha La Rue won the women’s shot put with a mark of 43 feet, 5 inches.

• Sophomore Braydon Maier took top honors in the men’s pole vault, improving his season-best with a clearance of 15 feet, 11.75 inches. Senior Zach Whittaker won the triple jump with a mark of 47 feet, 1.75 inches.

• The Wildcats will send seven athletes to the indoor national meet. In addition to Vongsaveng and Shindruk on the women’s side will be junior Halle Irvine in the pole vault (12-10.75, 9th) and senior HarLee Ortega in the heptathlon (3,729, 7th). Competing for the men will be Maier in the heptathlon (5,198, 12th), Whittaker in the triple jump (48-8.75, 17th) and senior Kodiak Landis in the heptathlon (5,228, tie 7th).

• Central Washington will open the outdoor season this weekend, competing at the Ed Boitano Invitational in Tacoma, Wash.

CONCORDIA
• Junior Joe Denniston’s victory in the men’s weight throw led a limited Concordia roster competing at the SPU Final Qualifier on Saturday.

• Denniston finished with the seventh-best throw in CU history, winning with a mark of 56 feet, 0.5 inches. Sophomore Seth Bridge finished fifth with a mark of 52 feet, 6.5 inches.

• Senior Josh Koch placed second in the shot with his mark of 54 feet, 4.75 inches. He was unable to improve his season-best of 56-7.5, which finishes at No. 25 in Division II this season.

• Concordia’s top women’s finisher in the meet was junior Karlie Hurley, who placed fourth in the 200 meters with a time of 26 seconds.

• Sophomore Chelsea Bone will be Concordia’s lone entrant in the NCAA Indoor Championships. Bone enters the meet ranked 16th in the pentathlon with a season-best score of 3,607 points.  

• Concordia will open the outdoor season on Sat., Mar. 9, at the Saints Open at Mt. Hood CC in Gresham, Ore.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Junior Isaiah Girard took one more run at a qualifying mark in the high jump at the SPU Final Qualifier in Seattle.

• Girard placed second with a mark of 6 feet, 5.5 inches. The effort was not enough to improve on his season-best of 6 feet, 9 inches, which ties him for 28th in Division II this season.

• Montana State Billings will not advance any competitors to the NCAA Indoor Championships. The Yellowjackets open the outdoor season on Sat., Mar. 23, at the Yellow Jacket Spring Open in Spearfish, S.D.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Senior Jake Knight solidified his trip to the NCAA Indoor Nationals with a record performance at the SPU Final Qualifier.

• Knight was named the GNAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week after he reset his own school record in the men’s shot put. His winning mark of 57 feet, 11.25 inches ranks him No. 3 on the GNAC All-Time List and No. 19 in Division II this season, earning him an invitational to nationals. He was the only NNU athlete to compete in the meet.

• Knight will be joined at the indoor national meet by senior Lexi Tubbs. The GNAC champion in the women’s 60-meter hurdles is tied for the 13th fastest time in Division II this season at 8.83 seconds.

• Northwest Nazarene is scheduled to open its outdoor schedule on Mar. 15 and 16 at the Hornet Invitational in Sacramento, Calif.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Sophomore Artresa Nickelson’s school record in the women’s 60 meters led Saint Martin’s performances at the SPU Final Qualifier.

• Nickelson’s fifth-place time of 7.87 seconds bettered the previous record mark of 7.94 seconds set by Chelsi Claussen in 2005.

• Sophomore Michael Russell had the Saints’ lone win of the afternoon, taking the men’s 400 meters in a time of 50.21 seconds. In the men’s field events, senior Chris Rickard finished third in the pole vault with a mark of 14 feet, 6 inches,

• Senior Sadie Dalgleish led the SMU women with her fourth-place finish in the mile, running a time of 6:17.69. Freshman Keshara Romain placed fifth in the long jump with a mark of 16 feet, 11.25 inches.

• Freshman Tyler Cronk will be the Saints’ lone representative at the NCAA Indoor Championships. An automatic qualifier in the men’s high jump, Cronk is fifth in Division II this season with a clearance of 7 feet, 1 inch.

• Saint Martin’s will open the outdoor schedule this weekend in Tacoma, Wash., competing on Saturday at the Ed Boitano Invitational.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• An NCAA Championships qualifying time for junior Kate Lilly and a school record for freshman Colby Otero led Seattle Pacific’s efforts at the SPU Final Qualifier.

• Lilly finished a strong second in the women’s mile, clocking a time of 4:52.21. That moved the junior up to No. 15 in Division II this season and into the qualifying field for the national meet.

• Otero, meanwhile, captured the SPU record in the men’s 3,000 meters with a third-place time of 8:29.42. That bettered the previous record of 8:30.32 set by Will Harrison in 2005.

• Junior Scout Cai posted a season-best in the women’s pole vault to assure her a second event at the national meet. Cai tied for fourth with a mark of 12 feet, 8.25 inches, which moved her into a tie for 11th in Division II this season and into the national meet field. Cai will also compete at nationals in the pentathlon, where she has the No. 3 best point total in Division II at 3,815 points.

• Freshman Peace Igbonagwam led a 1-2 finish for the Falcons in the women’s long jump. Igbonagwam won with a mark of 18 feet, 9 inches, while sophomore Renick Meyer was second with a mark of 18 feet, 5.25 inches.

• The SPU women enter the national meet ranked at No. 20 in the USTFCCCA Division II Team Index.

• The Falcons will open the outdoor portion of their schedule on Saturday, competing in the Ed Boitano Invitational in Tacoma, Wash.

SIMON FRASER
• A school-record performance for the men’s distance medley relay team led Simon Fraser’s performances at the SPU Final Qualifier.

• The quartet of Pierre-Louis Detourbe, Nate St. Romain, Carlos Vargas and Rowan Doherty won in a time of 9:49.47, breaking the SFU record of 9:52.97 set in 2016. The mark is No. 5 on the GNAC All-Time List and moved the Clan to No. 8 in Division II this season, earning a nationals invitation.

• Senior Sophie Dodd solidified her nationals qualifying time in the women’s 800 meters as she placed second in a time of 2:10.99. The time ranks 18th in Division II this season, good enough for a national meet invitation.

• The women’s 4x400-meter relay team of Bryce West, Dodd, Addy Townsend and Renate Bluschke won with a time of 3:48.43.

• The Clan will send five individuals along with both distance medley relay teams to the national meet. Joining Dodd on the women’s side will be Townsend in the 800 meters (4th, 2:08.70). For men, sophomore Aaron Ahl will compete in the mile (4:06.92, 11th) as well Detourbe (4;07.80, 17th). Senior Rowan Doherty is qualified in the 3,000 meters (8:12.35, 13th).

• The Simon Fraser women are ranked No. 15 in this week’s USTFCCCA Division II Team Index.

• Simon Fraser is scheduled to open its outdoor season on Mar. 15 and 16 at the Hornet Invitational in Sacramento, Calif.

WESTERN OREGON
• A nationals clinching performances the men’s distance medley relay team led Western Oregon’s performances at the SPU Final Qualifier.

• The team of Justin Crosswhite, Gabe Arce-Torres, Curt Knott and Tyler Jones placed third behind two other GNAC teams in 9:50.69. The mark is the 11th best in Division II this season, earning a spot in the nationals field, and is No. 8 on the GNAC All-Time List.

• Freshman Max Carmona was named the GNAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week after he placed second in the 800 meters in a time of 1:54.56, clocking the third-fastest time in the GNAC this season.

• The women’s 4x400-meter relay team of Bethanie Altamirano, Grayson Burke, Taryn Wilson and Olivia Woods ran the third-fastest time in WOU history in the event, finishing third in a time of 3:52.91.

• In addition to the men’s DMR, Woods will make the trip to nationals as one of four GNAC athletes in the women’s 800 meters. Woods has the seventh-fastest time in Division II this season at 2:09.35.

• Western Oregon will open the outdoor season this weekend, competing on Saturday at the Willamette Opener in Salem.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Outstanding efforts by senior pole vaulter Anna Paradee and the men’s distance medley relay team led Western Washington’s performances at the SPU Final Qualifier.

• Paradee secured her spot in the indoor national meet as she placed third in the women’s pole vault with her clearance of 12 feet, 8.25 inches. The mark ties her for 11th in Division II this season and earned Paradee selection as the GNAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week.

• The men’s DMR of Liam Cossette, Mark Daniels, Kyler Sager and James Jasperson placed fourth in a time of 9:57.56, which is the second-fastest time in Western Washington history.

• Freshman Seren Dances was a winner in a pair of events, taking the men’s long jump with a mark of 22 feet, 6.25 inches and the 60-meter hurdles in 8.48 seconds.

• Senior Tupre Wickliff won the men’s high jump with a mark of 6 feet, 7.5 inches. Freshman Maddie Taylor made it a sweep in the event as she won the women’s high jump with a mark of 5 feet, 7.75 inches.

• Paradee and Taylor will be the Vikings’ representatives at the Division II Indoor Championships. Taylor enters the meet with a season-best of 5 feet, 8 inches in the high jump, ranking her eighth in Division II.

• Western Washington will open the outdoor season this weekend, taking part in the Ed Boitano Invitational in Tacoma.