Tuesday, April 16, 2019

THIS WEEK'S GNAC ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MEN’S TRACK
Karlington Anunagba, Western Washington
Freshman • Lagos, Nigeria

Anunagba earned his second consecutive award by winning the 100 meters at the Jay Hammer Invitational in a time of 10.33 seconds. The performance is the second-fastest in GNAC and WWU history and is an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier that ranks third in Division II this season.

Also Nominated: Bobby Widmar (Central Washington), Sam Zook (Montana State Billings), Logan Blake (Northwest Nazarene), Michael Russell (Saint Martin’s), Nathan Mah (Simon Fraser).

MEN’S FIELD
Jake Knight, Northwest Nazarene
Senior • Meridian, Idaho

Knight won both the shot put and the discus at the NNU Open, resetting his school records in both events. He took the shot put with a mark of 60 feet, 0.25 inches, which ranks No. 2 on the GNAC All-Time List and is No. 4 in Division II this season. Knight won the discus with a mark of 178 feet, 5 inches, moving him to No. 3 on the GNAC All-Time List and No. 8 in Division II this season.

Also Nominated: Aidan Cain (Central Washington), Sam Nichols (Concordia), Micah Au-Haupu (Saint Martin’s), Ben Malquist (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Miryam Bassett, Simon Fraser
Senior • Nanaimo, B.C.

Bassett placed second in the 1,500 meters at the Triton Invitational in an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time of 4:28.91. The new personal best ranks No. 11 in Division II this season.

Also Nominated: Mariyah Vongsaveng (Central Washington), Macie Allen (Concordia), Ariya Kendrick (Saint Martin’s), Savannah Smith (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S FIELD
HarLee Ortega, Central Washington
Senior • Payette, Idaho

Ortega won both the high jump and the long jump at the CWU Wildcat Invitational. Ortega cleared 5 feet, 5.75 inches in the high jump, winning by more than three inches. Ortega took the long jump with a mark of 18 feet, 4.25 inches, Ortega is now second in the GNAC this season in the high jump and fifth in the long jump.

Also Nominated: Katrina Linenko (Concordia), Liz Larson (Saint Martin’s), Lexi Perry (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• After two weeks away from competition, Alaska Anchorage will make the rounds to this weekend’s big Southern California meets: the Mt. SAC Relays, the Bryan Clay Invitational and the Beach Invitational.

• Senior Caroline Kurgat a set Division II record in the 10,000 meters in the Seawolves’ last meet, the Stanford Invitational on Mar. 29. Kurgat placed fifth in the invitational section of the race with a time of 32:08.29 that bettered the previous record of 32:28.57 set by Sylvia Mosqueda of Cal State LA in 1988. The NCAA Championships automatic qualifying mark ranks sixth in the world this season.

• Senior Danielle McCormick is also automatically qualified for nationals in the women’s 800 meters. Her school-record time of 2:04.65 at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic leads Division II. McCormick is also provisionally qualified in the 1,500 meters (4:32.17).

• Other women who have hit NCAA provisional qualifying marks for UAA include junior Vanessa Aniteye in the 400 meters (55.71, 19th), sophomore Ruth Cvancara in the 800 meters (2:11.43, 16th) and senior Chrisalyn Johnson in the triple jump (40-1.5, tie 10th) and the long jump (19-2.5, tie 18th). Men’s provisional qualifiers include sophomore Felix Kemboi in the 5,000 meters (14:28.84, 18th) and senior Edwin Kangogo in the steeplechase (8:56.08, 2nd).

• Alaska Anchorage’s women dropped three spots to No. 13 in this week’s USTFCCCA Division II Team Index.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington posted a number of individual event winners and nationals provisional qualifiers at their own CWU Wildcat Invitational, the first meet held at the new CWU Recreation Sports Complex.

• Senior HarLee Ortega was named the GNAC Field Athlete of the Week after she won both the high jump and long jump. She cleared 5 feet, 5.75 inches in the high jump, ranking her second in the GNAC and tied for 29th in Division II. Ortega’s mark of 18 feet, 4.25 inches in the long jump ranks fifth on the GNAC. Ortega is also provisionally qualified for nationals in the heptathlon with a score of 4,913 points that ranks 11th in Division II.

• Senior Mariyah Vongsaveng notched an NCAA provisional qualifying time in the women’s 100-meter hurdles. Her time of 14.02 seconds is tied for 14th in Division II this season. Vongsaveng also placed third in the 100 meters in 12.71 seconds.

• Junior Aidan Cain notched personal bests in both the shot put and hammer. He won the shot put with a mark of 52 feet, 2 inches and was second in the hammer with a mark of 167 feet, 5 inches. Cain was also the winner of the discus with a mark of 157 feet, 6 inches. Sophomore Ethan Tonder had a personal best in the hammer to win with a mark of 168 feet, 5 inches.

• Junior Samantha La Rue won the women’s hammer with a mark of 150 feet, 8 inches. She also won the shot put with a mark of 42 feet, 3.25 inches.

• The Wildcats swept both steeplechase races. Freshman Molly Mattson won the women’s race in a time of 11:45.50 while junior Taryk Boyd won the men’s race in a time of 10:20.54.

• Central Washington will join the Southern California fray this weekend with athletes scheduled to compete at the Mt. SAC Relays, the Bryan Clay Invitational and the Beach Invitational.

CONCORDIA
• A win for junior Katrina Linenko and top-10 finishes in the throws and sprints led Concordia at the UCSD Triton Invitational.

• Linenko won the women’s shot put with a mark of 44 feet, 11 inches. She went on to place 22nd in the discus with a mark of 145 feet, 7 inches.

• Senior Sam Nichols also improved his NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark in the men’s discus with a seventh-place mark of 173 feet, 11 inches. That ranks 11th in Division II this season.

• Senior Josh Koch improved his provisional qualifying mark in the men’s shot put, placing 22nd with a mark of 55 feet, 11.25 inches. The mark ranks 21st in Division II this season.

• Sophomore Macie Allen placed seventh in the women’s 100 meters with a time of 12.01 seconds. She then partnered with Ronni Van Zant, Maddie Misi and Karlie Hurley to take fifth in the 4x100-meter relay with a time of 47.89 seconds.

• Sophomore Elizabeth Stottlemyre finished ninth in the women’s javelin with a mark of 136 feet, 11 inches, while junior Adam Brown finished 10th in the men’s 400 meters with his time of 49.17 seconds.

• The Cavaliers also sent a number of athletes to the Jay Hammer Invitational in Lacey, Washington. Senior Easton Christensen won the men’s javelin with a mark of 184 feet, 5 inches while sophomore Connor Jensen was second in the discus (135-3) and third in the shot put (43-6).

• Concordia returns to Southern California this weekend to compete at the Bryan Clay Invitational. The Cavaliers will also take part in the Cougar Open in Canby, Oregon on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• A pair of victories by senior Sam Zook in the men’s sprints led the Yellowjackets in the Montana Open in Missoula.

• Zook took a pair of close races, winning the 100 meters in 10.84 seconds and the 200 meters in 21.61 seconds. The effort in the 200 meters is the best in the GNAC this season.

• Junior Isaiah Girard picked the victory in the men’s high jump, matching his season-best with a mark of 6 feet, 9 inches. Girard enters the week tied for 17th in Division II this season.

• Junior Brenna Beckett was the lone winner for the Yellowjackets’ women, taking the 400 meters in 1:00.16. Beckett also ran the anchor leg on both MSUB women’s relays, both of which took third, and also placed third in the long jump with a leap of 16 feet, 4.5 inches.

• Junior Nikki Aiken continued to improve in the women’s steeplechase, placing second in 11:46.44. Freshman Ase Ackerman placed second in his first go at the men’s steeplechase in 10:34.07.

• Junior Ty Stanton led MSUB’s field event athletes, placing second in the men’s triple jump with a mark of 44 feet, 11.65 inches.

• Montana State Billings is one of two GNAC teams not sending athletes to Southern California this weekend. The Yellowjackets will stay close to home, competing at the Montana State Open on Saturday in Bozeman.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Two more record performances for senior Jake Knight and a third for sophomore Elijah Castro led Northwest Nazarene as they hosted the NNU Open.

• Knight was named the GNAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week after he won both the shot put and discus, breaking his own school records in the process. His winning mark of 60 feet, 0.25 inches in the shot put ranks No. 2 on the GNAC All-Time List and is fourth in Division II this season. His mark of 178 feet, 5 inches is third on the GNAC All-Time List and eighth in Division II this season.

• Castro broke his own school record as well in the men’s long jump, winning with a mark of 23 feet, 6 inches. The mark is just short of the NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark and leads the GNAC. Castro also won the 110-meter hurdles in 15.37 seconds.

• Senior Ellie Logan improved her NCAA provisional qualifying mark in the javelin, winning with a mark of 156 feet, 2 inches that leads the GNAC and is fifth in Division II this season.

• The NNU men won all three sprint races. Freshman Cameron Willey won the 100 meters (11.07) while junior Logan Blake won both the 200 meters (22.21) and the 400 meters (48.47).

• Sophomore Heidi Nisly won the women’s 1,500 meters for the Nighthawks, clocking a time of 4:46.35. The NNU women also received victories from senior Katie Conklin in the high jump (5-4.25) and sophomore Katie Heckathorn in the triple jump (35-3).

• Northwest Nazarene will take the weekend off from competition. They will compete next at the Robison Invitational, Apr. 25 and 26 in Provo, Utah.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Wins in the throws and sprints led Saint Martin’s during their lone home meet of the season, the Jay Hammer Invitational.

• Ironically, one of the top performances came in the hammer. Senior Liz Larson won the women’s hammer by almost 20 feet in her final home meet with a mark of 177 feet, 5 inches. Larson is provisionally qualified for nationals with a season-best mark of 188 feet, 3 inches.

• Sophomore Michael Russell won both of his races, taking the men’s 400 meters in 49.94 seconds and the 200 meters in 22.10 seconds. Russell’s time in the 200 meters ranks fifth in the GNAC. Russell also ran the second leg of the 4x100-meter relay which won in 42.52 seconds.

• Freshman Micah Au-Haupu won the shot put with a mark of 44 feet, 5.25 inches, and was fourth in the discus at 124 feet, 6 inches. Sophomore Cade Harris added a second place finish in the men’s hammer with a mark of 161 feet, 10 inches.

• Senior Jona Spiller just missed an NCAA provisional qualifying mark in the women’s javelin, taking second with her throw of 135 feet, 5 inches.

• Saint Martin’s will be among the GNAC in Southern California this weekend, taking part in the Bryan Clay Invitational. It will be the Saints’ second-to-last meet prior to the GNAC Championships.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• A pair of victories for freshman Julia Stepper led Seattle Pacific’s performances at the Jay Hammer Invitational.

• Stepper picked up the win in the 100 meters, battling wet and blustery conditions to win in 12.15 seconds. She also anchored a 4x100-meter relay that won with a time of 47.00 seconds.

• Freshman Rebecca Troescher ducked under the one-minute mark in the women’s 400 meters, winning in a time of 59.13 seconds. Sophomore Dania Holmberg earned the win in the women’s 1,500 meters, running 4:34.90 in a top-three sweep of the event for the Falcons.

• Senior Jesse Phan placed third in the men’s 800 meters with a time of 1:58.06 while sophomore Shad Galloway was third in 3,000 meters in 8:51.18. Junior Shayne Carpenter ran a personal best in the men’s 110-meter hurdles, finishing sixth in a time of 15.87 seconds.

• Freshman Silas Newby also had a personal best in the men’s triple jump, placing third with a mark of 42 feet, 11.5 inches. The performance ranks 10th among GNAC jumpers.

• The Falcons will be among the teams visiting Southern California this weekend, taking part in both the Bryan Clay Invitational and the Beach Invitational.

SIMON FRASER
• The sprints and middle distances headlined Simon Fraser’s performances at the UCSD Triton Invitational in La Jolla, California.

• Senior Miryam Bassett was named the GNAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week after she placed second in the 1,500 meters with a personal best time of 4:28.91. The time improves Bassett to No. 11 in Division II this season.

• Senior Alana Mussatto lowered her season best in the women’s 800 meters, placing second with a time of 2:09.68. That currently ranks No. 9 in Division II this season. Mussatto then teamed with Sophie Dodd, Bryce West and Renate Bluschke to take second in the 4x400-meter relay in a time of 3:45.30. That improves the Clan to No. 11 in Division II this season.

• Bluschke went to place sixth in the women’s 400 meters with a season-best time of 56.37 seconds.

• Junior Nathan Mah led the Simon Fraser men, taking sixth in the 100 meters in a time of 10.75 seconds and eighth in the 200 meters in 21.82 seconds. Mah combined with Joshua Adehmar, Nate St Romain and Kaito Suzuki to run 42.08 seconds in the 4x100 relay, ranking third in the GNAC this season.

• The Simon Fraser’s women moved up two spots to No. 11 in this week’s USTFCCCA Division II Team Index.

• Simon Fraser returns to Southern California this weekend to participate in the Bryan Clay Invitational, the Mt. SAC Relays and the Beach Invitational.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon did not compete this weekend. The Wolves will send athletes south this weekend to compete in the Bryan Clay Invitational, Mt. SAC Relays and the Beach Invitational.

• The Wolves scored victories in both 400-meter races at the John Knight Twilight on Apr. 5. Senior Olivia Woods captured the women’s race in a time of 58.13 seconds, leading three WOU athletes to finish in the top-four. Freshman Gabe Arce-Torres won the men’s one-lap with a time of 49.38 seconds.

• Junior Hunter Mosman took 10 seconds off of his season-best in the men’s steeplechase, winning in a time of 9:29.41. Junior Justin Crosswhite added a victory in the men’s 1,500 meters in a time of 3:53.42, leading a top-three WOU sweep in the race.

• Sophomore Moana Gianotti improved her lifetime best in the women’s discus, winning with a mark of 141 feet, 10 inches. Sophomore Darian Wilson was the winner of the women’s javelin with her mark of 138 feet, 3 inches.

• Wilson is Western Oregon’s lone NCAA Championships provisional qualifier for the women, ranked 21st in the javelin with her mark of 139 feet, 7 inches. Senior Tyler Jones is a provisional qualifier in the men’s 5,000 meters, ranked 20th with a time of 14:32.10.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Another outstanding men’s 100-meter performance Karlington Anunagba led Western Washington’s performances at the Jay Hammer Invitational.

• Anunagba was named the GNAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week for the second consecutive week after he won the race in a time of 10.33 seconds. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time ranks No. 3 in Division II this season. It is also No. 2 on the GNAC All-Time List behind the 10.22 run by WWU’s Alex Donigian in 2015.

• Junior Cordell Cummings set a personal best in the men’s 110-meter hurdles, placing second in a time of 14.81 seconds. Sophomore Bryant Welch added a third-place finish and personal best in the 100 meters in a time of 10.80 seconds.

• Junior Lexi Perry recorded the second-best mark in the women’s pole vault in the GNAC season, winning the event at the Jay Hammer with a clearance of 11 feet, 11.25 inches.

• A handful of WWU throwers also made the trip east to the CWU Wildcat Invitational. Sophomore Ben Malquist led the way, placing second in the men’s shot put with a mark of 51 feet, 0.75 inches. The effort ranks seventh in the GNAC this season.

• Western Washington’s women dropped three spots to No. 24 in last week’s USTFCCCA Division II Team Index.

• The Vikings will be among the GNAC teams in Southern California this weekend competing at the Bryan Clay Invitational and the Beach Invitational.