Thursday, March 14, 2019

THIS WEEK'S GNAC ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MEN’S TRACK
Cordell Cummings, Western Washington
Junior • Lake Stevens, Wash.

Cummings won the 400-meter hurdles at Saturday’s PLU Open in Tacoma. His winning time of 54.17 seconds is the best in GNAC this season and fifth-best in Division II this season.

MEN’S FIELD
Josh Koch, Concordia
Senior • Dayton, Nev.

Koch opened his outdoor season by notching an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark in the shot put at the Saints Open in Gresham, Oregon. He won the event by over four feet with a mark of 53 feet, 2.75 inches, which currently ranks fourth in Division II. Koch also placed fourth in the discus with a mark of 143 feet, 4 inches.

Also Nominated: Avery Lux (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Molly House, Western Washington
Sophomore • Auburn, Wash.

House was the winner of the 400-meter hurdles at the PLU Open in Tacoma, clocking a time of 1:06.03. It is the best time in the GNAC this season and No. 17 in Division II.

WOMEN’S FIELD
Liz Larson, Saint Martin’s
Senior • Snoqualmie, Wash.

Larson opened her outdoor season with a win and an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark in the hammer at the PLU Open. Larson won by over 18 feet with a mark of 172 feet, 10 inches, which also ranks No. 3 in Division II this season.

Also Nominated: Katrina Linenko (Concordia), Darian Wilson (Western Oregon), Paige Shimkus (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage posted the best point total ever for a GNAC team at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships. The Seawolves’ women placed fourth with 34 points. The UAA men tied for 52nd place with two points.

• Senior Caroline Kurgat was the high point-scorer in the women’s meet with 32 points thanks to her two national titles. Kurgat won the 3,000 meters in a meet record time of 9:15.45, won the 5,000 meters in a meet-record time of 16:06.37 and anchored the Seawolves’ distance medley relay team. Kurgat was named earlier this week the USTFCCCA Division II Women’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Year.

• The DMR team of Ruth Cvancara, Vanessa Aniteye, Danielle McCormick and Kurgat placed second with a time of 11:26.00, five seconds behind national champion Adams State. The time was just short of the quartet’s season-best of 11:23.47, which is the sixth-fastest in Division II history.

• McCormick closed her college indoor career as an individual All-American, placing third in the 800 meters in a time of 2:06.28. The time is No. 2 on the GNAC All-Time List.

• Freshman Nancy Jeptoo placed 14th in the preliminaries of the women’s mile with a time of 5:01.15.

• The Seawolves’ lone men’s points came from the DMR team of Felix Kemboi, Nathaniel Brunett, Eduardo Orozco and Drew Johnson, which placed seventh in a time of 9:50.04. That performance ranks No. 8 on the GNAC All-Time List.

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

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington saw three athletes earn All-American honors at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships.

• Two of those trophies came via seventh-place finishes in the combined events. Sophomore Braydon Maier placed seventh in the heptathlon with a score of 5,288 points, moving him up to No. 4 on the GNAC All-Time List. Senior HarLee Ortega placed seventh in the pentathlon with a score of 3,677 points.

• Senior Zach Whittaker earned an All-American trophy with an eighth-place finish in the men’s triple jump, finishing with a mark of 49 feet, 4.5 on his second attempt of the competition.

• Senior Alexa Shindruk placed ninth in the women’s 3,000 meters in 9:36.71 and finished 11th in the 5,000 meters in 16:56.77. Senior Mariyah Vongsaveng was 13th in 60-meter hurdles in a time of 8.80 seconds. On the men’s side, senior Kodiak Landis was 12th in the heptathlon with a score of 4,989 points.

• The rest of the Wildcats continued the outdoor season at the PLU Open in Tacoma, Washington. The CWU women placed second with a score of 178.5 points while the men placed second with 203 points.

• Central Washington’s men saw victories from Harry Howarth in the 200 meters (22.50), Daniel Calderon in the 400 meters (49.79), Ethan Tonder in the shot put (50-8) and Aidan Cain in the discus (150-8). The women received wins from Erykah Weems in the 400 meters (57.64) and Kiersten Kimminau in the 10,000 meters (41:22.77).

• Central Washington continues its outdoor season on Saturday at the EOU Team Challenge in La Grande.

CONCORDIA
• Sophomore Chelsea Bone scored a season-best as the Cavaliers’ lone competitor at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships.

• Bone finished 11th in the women’s pentathlon with a score of 3,624 points, moving her to No. 6 on the GNAC All-Time List. In the competition, Bone tied for second in the high jump (5-5) and placed sixth in the shot put (36-4.5).

• Throwers, meanwhile, led the way for Concordia as a limited roster competed at the Saints Open in Gresham, Oregon.

• Senior Josh Koch was named the GNAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week after he won the shot put with a mark of 53 feet, 2.75 inches. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark ranks No. 4 in Division II this season. Koch also finished fourth in the discus with a mark of 143 feet, 4 inches.

• Freshman Dalton Rasmussen became the 23rd athlete in conference history to throw over 200 feet in the men’s javelin, winning with a mark of 205 feet, 8 inches. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark leads Division II so far this season.  

• Sophomore Katrina Linenko won both of her events, taking the shot put with a mark of 44 feet, 6.5 inches and the discus with a mark of 132 feet, 3 inches.

• Junior Caleb Bridge won the men’s discus with a mark of 156 feet, 7 inches, while junior Joe Denniston won the hammer with a mark of 170 feet, 10 inches.

• Concordia stays close to home this week, competing at the Lewis & Clark Spring Break Open on Friday and Saturday in Portland.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
 • Montana State Billings did 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
• Seniors Jake Knight and Lexi Tubbs turned in strong efforts as they closed their collegiate indoor careers at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships.

• Returning to nationals after a redshirt year, Tubbs placed 10th in the women’s 60-meter hurdles in a time of 8.72 seconds. The time was just short of her lifetime best from earlier this season at 8.63 seconds.

• Competing in his only season for the Nighthawks, Knight finished 11th in the men’s shot put with a mark of 56 feet, 7.25 inches. The performance was 16 inches short of his season best and NNU record of 57 feet, 11.25 inches.

• Northwest Nazarene is scheduled to open its outdoor schedule this weekend. at both the Hornet Invitational in Sacramento, Calif., and at the EOU Team Challenge in La Grande, Oregon.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• It was not the performance freshman Tyler Cronk wanted, but the experience was good at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships.

• Cronk placed 12th in the men’s high jump, gaining his lone clearance at the opening height of 6 feet, 8.25 inches. He finished the season with a best of 7 feet, 1 inch.

• On the outdoor oval, the Saints sent a limited roster of primarily throwers to the PLU Open in Tacoma, Washington.

• Senior Liz Larson was named the GNAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week after she won the hammer with a mark of 172 feet, 10 inches. It was an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark and ranks her No. 3 in Division II this season.

• Freshman Ethan Clary was the lone competitor at the PLU Open for the SMU men, finishing 10th in the hammer with a mark of 120 feet.

• Saint Martin’s will compete on Saturday at the Doris Heritage Track Festival in Seattle.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• An All-American trophy for freshman Peace Igbonagwam led the Seattle Pacific performances at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships.

• Igbonagwam placed sixth in the women’s long jump, completing her first indoor season with a mark of 19 feet, 2.75 inches.

• Junior Kate Lilly was the top GNAC competitor in the women’s mile, placing 12th with a time of 4:54.79. Junior Scout Cai was forced to withdraw from the pentathlon after clipping two of the five flights of hurdles and failing to finish the race. She went on to place 17th in the pole vault with a mark of 11 feet. 10.5 inches.

• The remainder of SPU’s athletes put together solid performances at the PLU Open. The Falcons’ women placed fourth with 117 points while the men placed fifth with 46 points.

• Freshman Kaylee Mitchell was a winner in her first-ever women’s steeplechase race, clocking a time of 10:51.22. The time is just six seconds off of the Seattle Pacific record.

• Junior Grace Bley was a winner in the women’s 200 meters, clocking a time of 25.10 seconds, and also placed second in the 100 meters with a time of 12.54 seconds. Freshman Krystal Kaufman captured the women’s 800 meters in a time of 2:19.42.

• Freshman Colby Otero provided the Falcons a sweep of the steeplechase events, winning the men’s race in a time of 9:32.51. It was a 21-second improvement over his time in the race last week.

• Seattle Pacific will host its only home meet of the season on Saturday, the Doris Heritage Track Festival at West Seattle Stadium.

SIMON FRASER
• Outstanding efforts from the men’s distances led Simon Fraser’s efforts at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships.

• The men’s distance medley relay team of Pierre-Louis Detourbe, Nate St. Romain, Carlos Vargas and Rowan Doherty finished as the national runner-up with a time of 9:48.57. That bettered the school record run by the quartet two weeks earlier by a second and ranks No. 5 on the GNAC All-Time List.

• Doherty also earned an individual All-American trophy, placing seventh in the 3,000 meters with a time of 8:16.14.

• In the men’s mile, Detourbe led the way as he finished 14th in a time of 4:21.33. Sophomore Aaron Ahl placed 16th in a time of 4:28.79.

• Senior Sophie Dodd led the Simon Fraser women, placing ninth in the 800 meters with a time of 2:09.06. She was the first time qualifier left out of the finals. The women’s DMR team of Dodd, Renate Bluschke, Mairin Shields-Brown and Paige Nock placed 12th in a time of 12:17.14.

• Junior Addy Townsend was expected to be a title contender in the women’s 800 meters, as well as anchor the DMR, but was scratched from the meet due to illness.

• Simon Fraser will open its outdoor season this weekend at both the Hornet Invitational in Sacramento, California and the Doris Heritage Track Festival in Seattle.

WESTERN OREGON
• Senior Olivia Woods and the men’s distance medley relay led the way for Western Oregon at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships.

• Woods closed her collegiate indoor career as an All-American, placing fifth in the women’s 800 meters with a time of 2:08.44. That time ranks her No. 7 on the GNAC All-Time List. Woods was one of two time qualifiers to gain entry into the final.

• The men’s DMR squad of Justin Crosswhite, Gabe Arce-Torres, Curt Knott and Tyler Jones just missed First Team All-American honors, placing ninth in a time of 9:50.77.

• On the outdoor oval, the Wolves sent a limited number of field event performers to Forest Grove, Oregon on Saturday for the Pacific Preview.

• Sophomore Darian Wilson led a one-two finish for Western Oregon in the women’s javelin. Her winning throw of 139 feet is an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier and ranks No. 4 in Division II this season. Junior Halie Korff was second with her mark of 128 feet. Korff also placed third in the discus with a mark of 119 feet, 6 inches.

• Western Oregon is back in action this weekend, competing in the L&C Spring Break Open on Friday and Saturday in Portland.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Freshman Maddie Taylor and senior Anna Paradee showed well for Western Washington in her nationals experience at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships.

• Taylor finished in 11th place with a clearance of 5 feet, 6 inches. She cleared the opening height of 5-4.25 inches on her second attempt and cleared 5-6 on her first attempt.

• One of three GNAC entrants in the women’s pole vault, Paradee finished in a tie for 12th place with a mark of 12 feet, 6.75 inches. Paradee cleared the first three heights of the competition and finished tied with Callie Ruffener of Central Missouri.

• Outdoors, Western Washington picked up both team wins at the PLU Open on Saturday. The WWU women won with a score of 206.5 points while the men won with a score of 236 points.

• The Vikings picked up both GNAC Track Athletes of the Week awards thanks to top performances over the hurdles. Junior Cordell Cummings earned Men’s Track Athlete of the Week honors after he won the 400-meter hurdles in 54.17 seconds and placed second in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 11.26 seconds.

• Sophomore Molly House was named the Women’s Track Athlete of the Week after she won the 400-meter hurdles in a time of 1:06.03. She added a third-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles in 16.28 seconds.

• Freshman Paige Shimkus became the 21st athlete in GNAC history to surpass 150 feet in the women’s pole vault. She won the event with a mark of 152 feet, which is an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier and No. 3 in Division II this season.

• Western Washington continues the season on Saturday at the Doris Heritage Track Festival in Seattle.