Monday, March 15, 2021

PORTLAND, Ore. – After accomplishing one of the rarest feats in the sport of softball, Western Washington senior pitcher Anna Kasner leads the selections for the GNAC Players of the Week.

Kasner threw the seventh perfect game in GNAC softball history on Friday, earning Softball Pitcher of the Week honors. In the 8-0, six-inning opening-game win, Kasner saw 18 up and 18 down and struck out six. She also helped her own cause at the plate, going 2 for 4. Kasner then proceeded to earn the win in Saturday’s first game, allowing two runs, one earned, on six hits with three walks and eight strikeouts.

The perfect game was the first for a GNAC pitcher since Western Washington’s Sarah McEnroe threw a five-inning perfecto against Northwest Nazarene on April 10, 2009.

Northwest Nazarene junior Abigail Gagnon was named the Softball Player of the Week after she went 7 for 9 with six runs, six RBI, three doubles, a home run and three walks in a four-game non-conference sweep of Montana State Billings. Gagnon had a hit in each of Friday’s games, went 3 for 3 with a grand slam in Saturday’s opener and went 2 for 3 with two runs in the nightcap.

Nighthawks’ junior Colton Moore earned the Baseball Player of the Week award with an impressive offensive performance of his own, batting .625 with a 1.100 slugging percentage and .700 on-base percentage in their sweep of Montana State Billings. Moore went 3 for 5 with a two-run homer in Friday’s 22-10 series-opening win and then went 4 for 5 with another two-run shot in Saturday’s 21-10 game one win. For the week, Moore went 10 for 16 with 11 runs and 10 RBI.

Western Oregon senior Mike Peterson earned Baseball Pitcher of the Week honors after he opened conference play with a 5-2 win over Central Washington on Saturday. In six innings, Peterson allowed two runs on six hits with a walk and six strikeouts.

The Wolves added a sweep of the track and field awards after hosting the WOU Winter Multis and participating in the OSU PNW Team Clash. Junior JJ Walker was named the Men’s Field Athlete of the Week after he won the decathlon at the Winter Multis with an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying score of 6,432 points. Senior Justin Crosswhite was named the Men’s Track Athlete of the Week after he won the 1,500 meters by four seconds at the PNW Team Clash, running a time of 3:54.82.

Freshman Kaylee Wright was named the Women’s Field Athlete of the Week after she threw an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark of 141 feet, 11 inches in the javelin at the PNW Team Clash. Freshman Maya Hopwood earned Women’s Track Athlete of the Week honors after she placed second in the 100 meters at the PNW Team Clash in 12.28 seconds.

Western Washington swept the golf honors after a pair of conference-leading finishes at the Nighthawks Invitational. Junior Aidan Thain was named Men’s Golf Player of the Week after he tied for third with a two-round score of 4-over-par 148. He led the Vikings to the team title. Freshman Elise Sumner was named the Women’s Golf Player of the Week after she placed fifth with a two-round score of 13-over-par 157. The performance led WWU to a fourth-place team finish.

The Vikings also received the final Women’s Basketball Player of the Week selection in sophomore Carley Zaragoza. The center averaged 13.5 points per game in a two-game sweep of Central Washington, scoring 13 points in Friday’s win and 14 points on 7 of 8 from the field in Saturday’s victory.

Northwest Nazarene swept the women’s soccer weekly honors. Junior Ashley Parton was named the Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week after scoring two goals and handing out two assists in the pair of 3-1 wins over Saint Martin’s. She scored the opening goal in both matches and assisted on the game-winner on Saturday. Junior Alexis Montoya earned Women’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week honors after allowing just one goal in each contest.

Montana State Billings netted both volleyball honors after winning three matches last week. Junior Skylar Reed earned Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week honors after she averaged 3.39 kills and 2.50 digs per set. She had a double-double of 24 kills and 18 digs in Wednesday’s five-set win over Rocky Mountain and had 18 kills and 12 digs in Sunday’s four-set win over Mary. Senior Maddi Vigil was named the Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week after averaging 4.15 digs per match in the three matches, topped by 30 digs in the win over Rocky Mountain.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 10
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Carley Zaragoza (Western Washington, C, 6-1, So., El Dorado, Calif. – Union Mine): Zaragoza averaged 13.5 points per game and shot 72.2 percent from the field as the Vikings closed the season with two wins over Central Washington. On Friday in Ellensburg, Zaragoza finished with 13 points on 6 of 10 from the field in 17 minutes off the bench in the 81-61 victory. In Bellingham on Saturday, Zaragoza went 7 of 8 from the field and finished with 14 points, three rebounds and two blocks in the 66-54 win. Also Nominated: Kassidy Malcolm (Central Washington).

BASEBALL PLAYER
Colton Moore (Northwest Nazarene, IF/P, 6-2, Jr., Provo, Utah – Salt Lake CC): Moore batted .625 with a 1.100 slugging percentage and .700 on-base percentage as the Nighthawks opened conference play with a four-game sweep of Montana State Billings. He went 10 for 16 in the series with 11 runs, 10 RBI, three doubles and two home runs. Moore went 3 for 5 in Friday’s 22-10 game one win, which included a two-run homer in the first and a two-RBI double in the fifth. Moore then went 4 for 5 in Saturday’s 21-10 game one win, which included a two-run homer and a two-run single. Also Nominated: Tyler McClain (Central Washington), Derek Maiben (Western Oregon).

BASEBALL PITCHER
Mike Peterson (Western Oregon, P, 6-5, Sr., Pullman, Wash. – Walla Walla CC): Peterson earned his first win of the season in Saturday’s 5-2 series-opening victory over Central Washington. Going six innings, Peterson allowed two runs on six hits with a walk and six strikeouts. Also Nominated: Reid Rasmussen (Central Washington), Matthew Houlihan (Montana State Billings), Max Holtzclaw (Northwest Nazarene).

SOFTBALL PLAYER
Abigail Gagnon (Northwest Nazarene, UT, 5-7, So., Meridian, Idaho – Meridian): Gagnon batted .778 in the Nighthawks’ sweep of Montana State Billings, going 7 for 9 with six runs, six RBI, three doubles, a home run and three walks. She had a hit in each of Friday’s games and then opened Saturday’s twinbill by going 3 for 3 with a grand slam in the first and an RBI single in the third. Gagnon ended the series by going 2 for 3 in the nightcap, scoring two runs. Also Nominated: Allie Thiessen (Central Washington), Morgan Quimby (Montana State Billings), Britney Patrick (Saint Martin’s), Zoie Recolan (Western Oregon), Megan Marino (Western Washington).

SOFTBALL PITCHER
Anna Kasner (Western Washington, P, 5-8, Sr., Milton, Wash. – Fife): Kasner threw the seventh perfect game in GNAC history in Friday’s 8-0, six-inning game one win over Saint Martin’s. Kasner struck out six and threw 71 pitches, 49 for strikes, while helping her cause by going 2 for 4 at the plate with a run scored and an RBI. On Saturday, Kasner improved to 5-1 on the season with a 3-2 win in Saturday’s opener, allowing two runs, one earned, on six hits with three walks and eight strikeouts. Also Nominated: Isabel Womack (Central Washington), Sidney Booth (Northwest Nazarene), Abby Runyon (Saint Martin’s), Nicki Derrick (Western Oregon).

MEN’S TRACK
Justin Crosswhite (Western Oregon, Sr., Hood River, Ore. – Hood River): Crosswhite opened the season by winning the 1,500 meters at the OSU PNW Team Clash on Saturday, winning the race by nearly four seconds with a time of 3:54.82. The time ranks No. 2 in Division II this season.

MEN’S FIELD
JJ Walker (Western Oregon, Jr., Everett, Wash. – Concordia Univ.): Walker became the first GNAC male athlete to provisionally qualify for the NCAA Championships this season, winning the decathlon at the WOU Winter Multi Events with a score of 6,432 points. The total tops Division II so far this season. Walker placed first in three individual events: the pole vault, high jump, and discus. Also Nominated: Ryan Thoma (Central Washington).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Maya Hopwood (Western Oregon, Fr., Bend, Ore. – Bend): Hopwood opened the 2021 season by placing second in the 100 meters at the OSU PNW Team Clash on Saturday. Hopwood finished in a time of 12.28 seconds, ranking her No. 8 in Division II this season.

WOMEN’S FIELD
Kaylee Wright (Western Oregon, Fr., John Day, Ore. – Grant Union): Competing in her first meet for Western Oregon, Wright provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships in the javelin with a mark of 141 feet, 11 inches. She placed fourth in the competition and currently ranks No. 3 in Division II. Also Nominated: McCall DeChenne (Central Washington).

MEN’S GOLF
Aidan Thain (Western Washington, Jr., Bellevue, Wash. – Colorado Mesa Univ.): Thain was the top GNAC finisher at the Nighthawks Invitational, tying for third place with a two-round score of 4-over-par 148. He carded an even-par 72 on the opening day to help Western Washington to the team title in the team’s first event of the 2020-21 season. Also Nominated: Garrett Woodin (Montana State Billings), Isaac Emerson (Northwest Nazarene), Tyler Fitchett (Saint Martin’s).

WOMEN’S GOLF
Elise Sumner (Western Washington, Fr., North Tustin, Calif. – Foothill): Sumner was the top GNAC finisher at the Nighthawks Invitational, placing fifth with a two-round score of 13-over-par 157. She shot a low round of 4-over-par 76 on day one and led the Vikings to a fourth-place team finish. Also Nominated: Paige Vancil (Northwest Nazarene), Jada French (Saint Martin’s).

WOMEN’S SOCCER OFFENSIVE
Ashley Parton (Northwest Nazarene, F, 5-6, Jr., Leavenworth, Wash. – Cascade): Parton scored a goal and had an assist in each match against Saint Martin’s last week, both 3-1 victories. She scored the opening goal in the 25th minute and assisted on a second-half insurance goal on Thursday. Parton then scored the opening goal in the 13th minute and assisted on the 52nd-minute game-winner in Saturday’s win. Also Nominated: Kiersten Madsen (Saint Martin’s).

WOMEN’S SOCCER DEFENSIVE
Alexis Montoya (Northwest Nazarene, GK, 5-6, Jr., West Jordan, Utah – Northern State Univ.): Montoya allowed two goals and made two saves as she led the Nighthawks defensively to a pair of 3-1 wins over Saint Martin’s. She allowed just one first-half goal in Thursday’s victory and allowed a penalty kick goal in the second half of Saturday’s win as she improved to 3-0-0 on the season. Also Nominated: Ali Campigotto (Saint Martin’s).

VOLLEYBALL OFFENSIVE
Skylar Reed (Montana State Billings, OH/RS, 5-11, Jr., Buckeye, Ariz. – Youngker): Reed averaged 3.39 kills and 2.50 digs per set and had a .287 hitting percentage in three wins for the Yellowjackets. She finished with a double-double of 24 kills and 18 digs with a .328 hitting percentage in Wednesday’s five-set win over Rocky Mountain. She added a double-double of 18 kill and 12 digs in a four-set win over Mary on Sunday and came back later that day for 13 kills in a five-set win over Black Hills State. Also Nominated: Cate Whiting (Alaska), Brooke Foster (Northwest Nazarene).

VOLLEYBALL DEFENSIVE
Maddi Vigil (Montana State Billings, OH, 5-9, Sr., Ogden, Utah – Fremont): Vigil averaged 4.15 digs per set in the Yellowjackets’ 3-0 week. She finished with 30 digs in the five-set win over Rocky Mountain on Wednesday. On Sunday, Vigil finished with 11 digs in the four-set win over Mary and 13 digs in the five-set win over Black Hills State. Vigil also had three assists in each match. Also Nominated: Dani Dodge (Alaska), Caroline McMahon (Northwest Nazarene).