Tuesday, February 27, 2024
by Evan O'Kelly, Assistant Commissioner For Communications

INDIANAPOLIS – A total of 13 student-athletes from Great Northwest Athletic Conference schools qualified for the 2024 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, as the list of entries was announced by the organization on Tuesday.

Alaska Anchorage, Central Washington, Seattle Pacific, Simon Fraser and Western Washington each have student-athletes set to participate, with the Wildcats and Vikings sending both men’s and women’s athletes to the meet.

The 2024 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships run March 8-9 at the Robert W. Plaster Center in Pittsburg, Kan.

The conference’s best chance for an indoor national champion lies in the hands of Simon Fraser’s Marie-Eloise Leclair, whose GNAC-record 200 meters time of 23.39 seconds ranks second nationally behind only Denisha Cartwright of Minnesota State (23.32). Leclair, who won her second GNAC indoor title in the 200 meters last week, also checks in at No. 4 nationally in the 60 meters with a time of 7.30 seconds.

The Western Washington women had a GNAC-high five different individuals selected to the national championship list, including its distance medley relay team that is fresh-off the third-fastest time in GNAC history. The quartet of Caitlyn Cheney, Ila Davis, Emmy Kroontje and Sophie Wright clocked in at 11:27.45 at the Ken Shannon Last Chance meet, which was good for the sixth-fastest time in Division II this winter. Marian Ledesma will also represent the Vikings, after turning in the 15th-best 800 meters time in Division II this year at 2:10.13.

Central Washington had the most different events represented, with Lauryn Chandler, E’lexis Hollis and Emy Ntekpere all earning spots in the national championship meet. Chandler won the gold medal in the 60-meter hurdles, running a PR time of 8.55 seconds at last week’s indoor championships. That is tied for 14th nationally entering the championship meet, and was the fourth-fastest time in GNAC indoor history.

Hollis joins Leclair as another legitimate contender for a national title, as her GNAC-record 60 meters time of 7.29 seconds ranks third nationally behind only Denisha Cartwright of Minnesota State (7.23) and Alexis Brown of Lenoir-Rhyne (7.25). Hollis was awarded the GNAC Female Performance of the Meet after edging Leclair by 0.01 seconds to claim her second-career gold medal last week.

Ntekpere was named the GNAC Female Field Athlete of the Meet, after taking home gold medals in the high jump and triple jump and a silver medal in the long jump. Ntekpere enters her first national meet No. 13 in Division II in the triple jump at 40’ 4.25” (12.30 meters) and No. 7 in the high jump at 5’ 8.5” (1.74 meters).

Annika Esvelt of Seattle Pacific claimed her national championship berth after winning her second GNAC indoor title in the 5,000 meters. Esvelt’s top time of the season of 16:31.43, which ranks No. 17 nationally, came a the UW Husky Classic on Feb. 9.

Kevin McDermott, who became just the second man in GNAC indoor history to win the gold medal trifecta of the mile, the 3,000 meters and the 5,000 meters, will represent Western Washington in two of those events at the NCAA Championships. McDermott’s 5,000 meters time of 13:50.77 ranks seventh entering the national meet, while his 3,000 meters time of 7:59.27 ranks 10th. Those times are also third and fourth, respectively, on the GNAC all-time top-10 indoor lists.

After a record-breaking start to his collegiate career, Alaska Anchorage’s Joshua Caleb will represent his team in both the 60 meters and 200 meters. He enters the meet ranked No. 6 nationally with his GNAC-record 60 meters time of 6.70 seconds, and No. 16 nationally with his GNAC-record 200 meters time of 21.18 seconds. Caleb earned the GNAC Men’s Performance of the Meet award at last week’s GNAC Indoor Championships, after winning gold medals in both events and leading UAA to a runner-up finish in the 4x400 meters.

CWU’s Drew Klein, fresh off GNAC titles in both the heptathlon and the pole vault, enters the national championship meet with the No. 14 score this winter with 5,198 points. That total was good for seventh-most points in GNAC indoor history.