Friday, March 15, 2024
by Evan O'Kelly, Assistant Commissioner For Communications

PORTLAND, Ore. – Capping their stellar 2024 indoor seasons with All-American performances last week, Western Washington’s Kevin McDermott and Simon Fraser’s Marie-Eloise Leclair took home the top GNAC Indoor Track & Field special awards announced on Friday.

Leclair, who finished as the national runner-up in the 200 meters and took third in the 60 meters, was named the 2024 GNAC Indoor Track & Field Female Athlete of the Year. McDermott, who garnered second-team All-American status in both the 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters, earned the 2024 GNAC Indoor Track & Field Male Athlete of the Year honor.

Leclair capped her record-breaking indoor season with a 200 meters time of 23.46 seconds and a 60 meters time of 7.36 seconds to get onto the podium twice at the NCAA Indoor Championships last Saturday. Leclair broke the GNAC record in the 200 meters, as her time of 23.39 seconds was good for her second straight gold medal in the event at the GNAC Indoor Championships. Leclair earned the GNAC Indoor Championships Women’s Athlete of the Meet award, after running a PR 60 meters time of 7.30 seconds to finish second by 0.01 seconds, and helping anchor a 4x400 meter relay team that finished as runner-up in 3:51.14. Leclair becomes the fifth Red Leaf woman to earn the top indoor honor, joining Alison Andrews-Paul (2022), Addy Townsend (2017, 2020), Lindsey Butterworth (2015) and Helen Crofts (2011, 2013). This is Simon Fraser’s seventh such women’s honor, which is the most among GNAC schools since the award was introduced in the 2006 season.

CWU’s Emy Ntekpere capped a remarkable freshman indoor campaign with second-team All-America performances in both the high jump (11th place) and triple jump (13th place) at last week’s NCAA Indoor Championships. Ntekpere stole the show at the 2024 GNAC Indoor Championships, winning gold in the high jump and triple jump and taking silver in the long jump on her way to Women’s Field Athlete of the Meet honors. Ntekpere hit a pair of season bests at the GNAC meet, clearing 40’ 4.25” (12.30 meters) in the triple jump and 19’ 0” (5.79 meters) in the long jump. Ntekpere is the second woman from Central Washington to claim GNAC Indoor Freshman of the Year, joining 2011 honoree Becca Clark.

McDermott became just the second man in GNAC history to win the gold medal trio in the mile, 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters at the GNAC Indoor Championships and was named the Men’s Track Athlete of the Meet. McDermott capped an indoor season in which he clocked personal bests in all three events with the top indoor award, after he ran the third-fastest 5,000 meters in GNAC indoor history (13:50.77), the fourth-fastest mile (4:02.13) and the fourth-fastest 3,000 meters (7:59.27). McDermott earned second-team All-America in both the 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters, finishing in 16th place and 12th place, respectively, in the two events at the NCAA Indoor Championships. McDermott is the third Viking to claim the GNAC Indoor Male Athlete of the Year, joining 2015 co-selection Alex Donigian and two-time winner Ryan Brown (2010-11).

In his first year with the Yellowjackets after transferring from Dickinson State, Ryan Fenley took home the GNAC Indoor Newcomer of the Year honor after a productive showing in the multis. Fenley’s first indoor season in the conference saw him collect collegiate bests in the 1,000 meters, shot put, pole vault, 60 meters, 60-meter hurdles and heptathlon. His indoor season culminated with a fifth-place finish in the heptathlon at the GNAC Indoor Championships, as he racked up 4,157 total points. Fenley is the first Yellowjacket since the school joined the conference in 2007-08 to claim the GNAC Newcomer of the Year honor.

UAA’s Joshua Caleb took the conference by storm in his debut collegiate season, breaking the GNAC all-time records in both the 60 meters and 200 meters on his way to GNAC Freshman of the Year. Caleb took home the gold medal in both events at the GNAC Indoor Championships, running a record-breaking 60 meters time of 6.70 seconds before following with the 200 meters record in 21.18 seconds. Caleb capped a GNAC Performance of the Meet afternoon by helping the UAA 4x400 meter relay team to a runner-up finish with a time of 3:18.33. Caleb went on to garner second-team All-America in both the 60 meters (15th place) and 200 meters (11th place) at the NCAA Championships. Caleb is the third Seawolf to claim GNAC Indoor Freshman of the Year, joining Coleman Nash (2022) and Felix Kemboi (2018).

WWU’s Ben Stensland was voted by his peers as the GNAC Indoor Coach of the Year for both men’s and women’s track and field, after piloting the Vikings to a sweep of the GNAC indoor titles. WWU’s men broke the GNAC record for points at an indoor championship with 187.66, while the women claimed their first-ever GNAC Indoor Championships team title. Stensland is the third person in GNAC history to claim the Coach of the Year award for both genders in the same season, joining WOU’s Octavious Gillespie-Bennett (2023) and UAA’s Michael Friess (2016).