Monday, January 17, 2022

PORTLAND, Ore. – The indoor track and field season began in earnest over the week and Simon Fraser junior Aaron Ahl and Alaska Anchorage sophomore Joshua Wagner put the conference on notice in their season openers.

The two shared the GNAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week award after both runners posted times that rank No. 2 on the conference’s top-10 lists. Ahl ran the second-fastest time in GNAC history in the 3,000 meters at Saturday’s UW Indoor Preview. His time of 7:53.89 also ranks as the eighth-fastest all-conditions time in Division II history. The performance is third-fastest across all college divisions this season. On the conference list, Ahl’s time trails only David Ribich’s Division II all-time best of 7:50.81 for Western Oregon in 2018.

Wagner ran the second-fastest time in conference history in the 60-meter hurdles at Friday’s Cougar Classic Open. His preliminaries time of 8.15 seconds trails only the 8.08 seconds run by Western Washington’s Travis Milbrandt in 2015 and ranks 18th in Division II this season. Wagner went on to finish fourth in the finals with a time of 8.52 seconds and also took fourth in the 200 meters with a time of 22.49 seconds.

Western Washington sophomore Ethan Sterkel was named the Men’s Field Athlete of the Week after he won the long jump at the UW Indoor Preview. His mark of 23 feet, 7.25 inches leads the GNAC and is No. 17 in Division II this season.

Simon Fraser junior Alison Andrews-Paul earned the Women’s Track Athlete of the Week award after she won the 800 meters by eight seconds at the UW Indoor Preview. Her winning time of 2:08.61 was well ahead of Stanford’s Hannah Wilson. It is also the top time in Division II this season, ranking No. 10 this season across all divisions and No. 10 on the GNAC All-Time List.

Central Washington senior Meghan Smallbeck was selected as the Women’s Field Athlete of the Week for a big win in the weight throw at the Cougar Indoor Open. Smallbeck won with a mark of 54 feet, 0.5 inches, which was 20 inches better than second-place Gabriela Sanchez of UC Santa Barbara.

On the courts, Saint Martin’s sophomore guard Jaden Nielsen-Skinner was named the Men’s Basketball Player of the Week after he averaged a double-double in two wins for the Saints. He finished just short of a triple-double in Thursday’s 82-71 win over Western Washington with 14 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and four steals. Skinner-Nielsen followed that up with a 10-point, 12-assist performance in Saturday’s 88-50 win over Simon Fraser.

Central Washington senior guard Kizzah Maltezo was named the Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for her leading performance in the Wildcats’ 76-68 upset of No. 5 and previously undefeated Western Washington. Maltezo finished with a game-high 29 points, going 11 of 25 from the field, including three three-pointers, and 4 of 6 from the free-throw line in 35 minutes.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 21
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Jaden Nielsen-Skinner (Saint Martin’s, G, 5-10, So., Salem, Ore. – Portland State Univ.): Nielsen-Skinner averaged a double-double (points and assists) to help lead Saint Martin’s to a 2-0 week. He finished just short of a triple-double in Thursday’s 82-71 win over Western Washington with 14 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and four steals. Nielsen-Skinner then finished with 10 points and 12 assists with four steals and two rebounds in Saturday’s 88-50 victory over Simon Fraser. For the week, Nielsen-Skinner averaged 12 points, 11 assists, 4.5 rebounds and four steals per game. Also Nominated: Shadeed Shabazz (Alaska), Carrington Wiggins (Montana State Billings), George Reidy (Northwest Nazarene), Jordan Lyons (Simon Fraser), D’Angelo Minnis (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Kizzah Maltezo (Central Washington, G, 5-5, Sr., Honokaa, Hawaii – Concordia (Ore.) Univ.): Maltezo led the Central Washington offense in Thursday’s 76-68 upset of No. 5 and previously undefeated Western Washington. Maltezo finished with a game-high 29 points on 11 of 25 from the field, including three three-pointers, and 4 of 6 from the free-throw line. She also had two rebounds and two assists in 35 minutes. Also Nominated: Pearle Green (Alaska), Tennae Voliva (Alaska Anchorage), Taryn Shelley (Montana State Billings), Lauryn Morris (Saint Martin’s), Tresai McCarver (Western Oregon), Dani Iwami (Western Washington).

MEN’S TRACK
Aaron Ahl (Simon Fraser, Jr., Calgary, Alta. – William Aberhart): Ahl ran the second-fastest time in GNAC history in the 3,000 meters at Saturday’s UW Indoor Preview. Placing seventh, Ahl was the second collegiate finisher with a time of 7:53.89. That trails only the 7:50.81 Division II all-conditions record set by Western Oregon’s David Ribich in 2018. The time is the seventh-fastest in Division II history under all conditions and is the third-fastest time this season across all college divisions.

Joshua Wagner (Alaska Anchorage, So., Niederahr, Germany): Wagner ran the second-fastest time in GNAC history in the 60-meter hurdles, clocking a time of 8.15 seconds in the preliminaries at the Cougar Classic on Friday. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark ranks 18th in Division II this season. The effort was the second-fastest time of the prelims and Wagner went on to place fourth in the final with a time of 8.52 seconds. Wagner also placed fourth in the 200 meters with a time of 22.49 seconds, which ranks No. 9 all-time at UAA. Also Nominated: Austin Albertin (Central Washington), Ase Ackerman (Montana State Billings), Hunter Hutton (Western Oregon), Mac Franks (Western Washington).

MEN’S FIELD
Ethan Sterkel (Western Washington, So., Longview, Wash. – RA Long): Sterkel won the long jump at the UW Indoor Preview on Saturday, hitting an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark with his winning leap of 23 feet, 7.25 inches. The mark leads the GNAC and is No. 17 in Division II this season. Sterkel was also the top collegiate finisher in the high jump, placing second with a mark of 6 feet, 6.75 inches. Also Nominated: Collin Sample (Alaska Anchorage), Zackary Kuzyk (Simon Fraser), Owen Collins (Western Oregon).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Alison Andrews-Paul (Simon Fraser, Sr., Ohope Beach, New Zealand – Baylor Univ.): Andrews-Paul opened her SFU indoor career with a victory in the 800 meters at the UW Indoor Preview, running 2:08.61. She won the event by eight seconds over Hannah Wilson of Stanford. The time leads Division II and is No. 10 across all college divisions this season. The time also ranks No. 10 on the GNAC All-Time List. Also Nominated: Makenna Hansen (Central Washington), Kailee Stoppel (Montana State Billings), Ana Popchock (Western Oregon), Mia Crocker (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S FIELD
Meagan Smallbeck (Central Washington, Sr., Tacoma, Wash. – Tacoma Baptist): Smallbeck was a winner in the weight throw at Friday’s Cougar Classic Open. Her mark of 54 feet, 0.5 inches was 20 inches better than second-place Gabriela Sanchez of UC Santa Barbara. Also Nominated: Sydney Kania (Simon Fraser), Jenelle Hurley (Western Oregon), Raine Westfall (Western Washington).