Monday, December 10, 2018

PORTLAND, Ore. – A pair of record-breaking performances in the early weeks of the 2018-19 indoor track and field seasons for Central Washington junior Halle Irvine and Northwest Nazarene senior Jake Knight lead the GNAC Player of the Week awards.

Irvine was selected as the Women’s Field Athlete of the Week after she set the GNAC record in the women’s pole vault at Saturday’s Jackson’s Open. Irvine won with a clearance of 12 feet, 10.75 inches, bettering the previous record of 12 feet, 10.25 inches set by the Wildcats’ McKenna Emmert and Western Washington’s Anna Paradee in 2017. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark ranks No. 2 in Division II in the young season.

Knight, selected as the Men’s Field Athlete of the Week, used his first attempt in a Northwest Nazarene uniform in the shot put to set the school record and win the event at the Jackson’s Open. His mark of 56 feet, 8.5 inches, eclipsed the NNU record mark of 53 feet, 7 inches, set by John Van Beuren last year. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark is No. 4 on the GNAC All-Time List and ranks sixth in Division II so far this year.

The Nighthawks swept the men’s track and field awards with sophomore Elijah Castro being selected as the Men’s Track Athlete of the Week. Castro won the 60-meter hurdles at the Jackson’s Open in 8.37 seconds to edge out Ryan Cavinta of Boise State. Castro also placed second in the long jump and third in the triple jump.

Central Washington’s Mariyah Vongsaveng was named the Women’s Track Athlete of the Week. The senior won the 200 meters in a time of 25.87 seconds and then placed a close second in her specialty, the 60-meter hurdles, in 8.66 seconds. The performance in the hurdles is a NCAA Championships provisional qualifier and ranks No. 5 in Division II this season.

On the hardwood, Montana State Billings guard Tyler Green and Concordia guard Olivia Vezaldenos picked up the weekly awards. Green was named the Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the second time this season after he scored a GNAC season-high 34 points in the Yellowjackets’ 96-85 win over crosstown rival and NAIA Division I power Rocky Mountain on Saturday. The junior connected on 11 of 16 from the field and 8 of 13 from three-point range to go with three rebounds and two assists.

Vezaldenos earned the Women’s Basketball Player of the Week award for her work in the Cavaliers’ 87-54 win over Warner Pacific on Saturday. The sophomore scored 26 points in 25 minutes, connecting on 9 of 16 from the field and 6 of 10 from three-point range to go with two rebounds, five steals and an assist.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 16
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Tyler Green (Montana State Billings, G, 5-10, Jr., Redding, Calif. – Humboldt State Univ.): Green propelled Montana State Billings to a 96-85 win over cross-town rival and previous nationally-ranked (NAIA Division I) Rocky Mountain on Saturday. Green finished with 34 points, shooting 11 of 16 from the field and 8 of 13 from three-point range to go with three rebounds and two assists. Also Nominated: Brennan Rymer (Alaska Anchorage), Malcolm Cola (Central Washington), Hunter Sweet (Concordia), Rhett Baerlocher (Saint Martin’s), Etan Collins (Western Oregon), Jalen Green (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Olivia Vezaldenos (Concordia, G, 5-7, So., Manteca, Calif. – East Union): Vezaldenos scored a season-high 26 points in 25 minutes of action to lead the Cavaliers to an 87-54 win over Warner Pacific on Saturday. She connected on 9 of 16 from the field and 6 of 10 from three-point range to go with two rebounds, five steals and an assist. Also Nominated: Avery Albrecht (Northwest Nazarene), Makenna Schultz (Saint Martin’s).

TRACK & FIELD
Men’s Track: Elijah Castro (Northwest Nazarene, So., Grants Pass, Ore. – Hidden Valley): Opening the season at the Jackson’s Open, Castro won the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.37 seconds. The time was two-thousandths of a second faster than Boise State’s Ryan Cavinta. Castro also won the long jump with a mark of 23 feet, 2.75 inches and placed third in the triple jump. Also Nominated: Michael Russell (Saint Martin’s).

Women’s Track: Mariyah Vongsaveng (Central Washington, Sr., Federal Way, Wash. – Federal Way): Vongsaveng opened her season by winning the 200 meters and finishing second in the 60-meter hurdles at the Jackson’s Open. She captured the 200 by almost a second, winning in 25.87 seconds, and placed second in the 60-meters in a time of 8.66 seconds. Vongsaveng finished one-thousandth of a second behind Boise State’s Dafni Georgiou in the hurdles. Also Nominated: Artresa Nickelson (Saint Martin’s).

Men’s Field: Jake Knight (Northwest Nazarene, Sr., Meridian, Idaho – Boise State Univ.): Knight won the shot put at the Jackson’s Open and set the Northwest Nazarene record on his first attempt in a Nighthawks’ uniform. His mark of 56 feet, 8.5 inches, broke the school record of 53 feet, 7 inches, set last year by Jake Van Beuren, and puts Knight at No. 4 on the GNAC All-Time List. The NCAA Championships qualifying mark ranks sixth in Division II in the young season. Also Nominated: Craig Boyle (Saint Martin’s).

Women’s Field: Halle Irvine (Central Washington, Jr., Yakima, Wash. – West Valley): In her first meet of the season, Halle set the GNAC record in the pole vault with a mark 12 feet, 10.75 inches, to win the event at the Jackson’s Open. She bettered the previous record of 12 feet, 0.25 inches, set by McKenna Emmert and Anna Paradee in 2017. The mark is a provisional qualifier for the NCAA Championships and just missed the automatic qualifying mark. Also Nominated: Keshara Romain (Saint Martin’s).