Monday, March 28, 2022

PORTLAND, Ore. – Montana State Billings and Northwest Nazarene put up quite the battle in a four-game series split in Billings with the performances yielding the GNAC Baseball Player of the Week award winners.

Yellowjackets junior Carson Green was named the Baseball Player of the Week after he batted .471 in the series, going 8 for 17 with three doubles, a home run and seven RBI. Most of Green’s production came in Saturday’s twinbill. He went 3 for 5 with a bases-clearing double in the opener, an 11-6 MSUB win, and 2 for 4 in the nightcap with an RBI single and an RBI double.

Nighthawks junior Brock Moffitt earned Pitcher of the Week honors after he carried a perfect game into the seventh inning in Friday’s 3-2 second-game win. He retired the first 18 batters in order before giving up two hits in the seventh. He ended up allowing two runs on two hits with eight strikeouts.

Western Washington swept the softball weekly honors after putting together a 6-0 road week. Senior Chantelle Shimabukuro was named the Softball Player of the Week after going 10 for 18 with five runs scored, eight RBI and a pair of home runs. Her week was punctuated by a 3 for 4 performance in the 9-1, six-inning win in Sunday’s opener, which included a three-run homer and an RBI single. She then went 2 for 2 in the nightcap with an RBI single and a solo home run.

Sophomore Sydney Brown won in all three of her starts to earn the Pitcher of the Week award. She allowed two runs and eight hits and struck out 21 batters in 20 innings. Brown’s ledger included allowing one run on three hits and nine strikeouts in Tuesday’s game one victory over Northwest (Wash.) and a complete-game two-hit shutout in Saturday’s 4-0 game one win over MSUB. She allowed one run on three hits and struck out eight in Sunday’s 9-1, six-inning first game win.

Alaska Anchorage swept the women’s track and field awards thanks to a pair of solid performances at the Aztec Invitational in San Diego. Senior Tylantiss Atlas was named the Women’s Track Athlete of the Week after she placed sixth in the 400 meters. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time of 55.75 seconds ranks No. 5 in Division II this season. Atlas also ran 24.64 seconds in the 200 meters, the fourth-fastest time in the event in UAA history.

Senior Elena Cano was named the Women’s Field Athlete of the Week after winning the heptathlon with a score of 4,593 points. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying total leads Division II this season. In the process, Cano also established an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark in the high jump with a clearance of 5 feet, 7.25 inches, which is sixth in Division II this season and tied for No. 8 on the GNAC all-time list.

Northwest Nazarene junior Tyler Shea earned the Men’s Track Athlete of the Week award after setting the NNU record in the 5,000 meters at the Team 4 Titus & Ely Invitational in California. His time of 14:23.08 is an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time and ranks No. 12 in Division II this season.

Western Oregon senior Austin Goldstein threw to the Men’s Field Athlete of the Week award after he became the 25th athlete in GNAC history to throw over 200 feet in the javelin. He won the event at the Willamette Invitational with a mark of 203 feet, 2 inches. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark ranks No. 6 in Division II this season.

Central Oklahoma’s Varsity 8+ earned the Women’s Rowing Crew of the Week award after winning against Seattle Pacific and taking third against two Kansas teams in a three-way regatta on the Oklahoma River. The Bronchos won their race over SPU in a time of 6:56.45 and rowed to a time of 6:54.34 in the opening race of the day against the Kansas crews.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 31
BASEBALL PLAYER
Carson Green (Montana State Billings, OF, 5-9, Jr., Kennewick, Wash. – Walla Walla CC): Green batted .471 in a four-game split with Northwest Nazarene, going 8 for 17 with three doubles, a home run and seven RBI. Green went 2 for 5 in Friday’s opener with two runs scored and went 1 for 3 with a run scored in the nightcap. Green went 3 for 5 with a bases-clearing double in Saturday’s 11-6 opening-game win. He went 2 for 4 in the nightcap with an RBI single in the second and an RBI double in the sixth. Also Nominated: Zach Berryman (Central Washington), Parker Price (Northwest Nazarene), Reid Little (Saint Martin’s), Spencer Weston (Western Oregon).

BASEBALL PITCHER
Brock Moffitt (Northwest Nazarene, P, 6-0, Jr., Valley Center, Calif. – UC Davis): Moffitt took a perfect game into the seventh inning of the Nighthawks’ 3-2 second-game win over Montana State Billings on Friday. He retired the first 18 batters of the game in order on eight strikeouts, seven groundouts and three flyouts. He allowed two runs on two hits in the seventh before turning the game over to Max Holtzclaw for the save. Also Nominated: Ryan Arredondo (Central Washington), Dylan Barkley (Montana State Billings), Justice Yamashita (Saint Martin’s), Dominic Miller (Western Oregon).

SOFTBALL PLAYER
Chantelle Shimabukuro (Western Washington, IF, 5-6, Sr., Aiea, Hawaii- Edmonds CC): Shimabukuro batted .556 in six wins for the Vikings, going 10 for 18 with five runs, eight RBI and a pair of home runs with a .619 on-base percentage and a .889 slugging percentage. She started the week with a hit in each of Tuesday’s wins over Northwest (Wash.), scoring two runs in the second game. Shimabukuro went 2 for 3 in Saturday’s opener at Montana State Billings and went 1 for 4 with an RBI in the nightcap. On Sunday, Shimabukuro went 3 for 4 in the opener with a three-run homer and an RBI single before closing out with a 2 for 2 performance in the nightcap with an RBI single and a solo home run. Also Nominated: Allie Thiessen (Central Washington), Allie Hughes (Montana State Billings), Malia Pinder (Saint Martin’s), Alex Ogg (Simon Fraser), Logan Carlos (Western Oregon).

SOFTBALL PITCHER
Sydney Brown (Western Washington, P, 5-9, So., Vancouver, Wash. – Mountain View): Brown picked up three wins in as many starts last week, allowing two runs on eight hits and three walks with 21 strikeouts in 20 innings. Brown won game one at Northwest (Wash.) on Tuesday, allowing one run on three hits and striking out nine. She opened the series at Montana State Billings with a complete-game two-hit shutout, walking one while striking out four in the 4-0 victory. In Sunday’s opener, Brown allowed one run on three hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in the 9-1, six-inning win. Also Nominated: Rhaney Harris (Central Washington), Jenna Kister (Montana State Billings), Chloe Leverington (Saint Martin’s), Chelsea Smith (Western Oregon).

MEN’S TRACK
Tyler Shea (Northwest Nazarene, Jr., Spokane, Wash. – Northwest Christian): Shea opened his outdoor season by setting the NNU record in the 5,000 meters at Saturday’s Team 4 Titus & Ely Invitational in Irvine, California. Shea won by 38 seconds, crossing the finish line in a time of 14:23.08. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time ranks 12th in Division II this season. Also Nominated: Coleman Nash (Alaska Anchorage), Zach Sundt (Central Washington), Benjamin Ralston (Montana State Billings), Andrew Boyd (Saint Martin’s), Jeff Gordon (Seattle Pacific), Paul Buckingham (Simon Fraser), Bailey Smith (Western Oregon), Calahan Warren (Western Washington).

MEN’S FIELD
Austin Goldstein (Western Oregon, Sr., Sherwood, Ore. – Sherwood): Goldstein became the 25th athlete in GNAC history to surpass 200 feet in the javelin, winning the event at Saturday’s Willamette Invitational with a mark of 203 feet, 2 inches. The performance improved Goldstein’s NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark, ranking No. 6 in Division II this season. Also Nominated: Wyatt Franklin (Central Washington), Forrest Cross (Montana State Billings), Dylan Hendry (Northwest Nazarene), Andrew Schulz (Saint Martin’s), Jarrett Chong (Simon Fraser), Cooper Cummings (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Tylantiss Atlas (Alaska Anchorage, Sr., Dallas, Texas – Lancaster): Atlas performed well against the Division I-laden field at the Aztec Invitational in San Diego. She placed sixth in the 400 meters in an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time of 55.75 seconds, which ranks No. 5 in Division II this season. Atlas ran the fourth-fastest time in UAA history in the 200 meters, clocking 24.64 seconds, and ran a leg on the Seawolves’ 4x400-meter relay team that ran the eighth-fastest time in UAA history at 3:53.68 Also Nominated: Madeline Severson (Montana State Billings), Abbey Wood (Northwest Nazarene), Cree Bell (Saint Martin’s), Jenna Bouyer (Seattle Pacific), Marie-Éloïse Leclair (Simon Fraser), Ana Popchock (Western Oregon), Mia Crocker (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S FIELD
Elena Cano (Alaska Anchorage, Sr., Alpine, Texas – Alpine): Cano hit a pair of NCAA Championships provisional qualifying marks while winning the heptathlon at the Aztec Invitational. She won the overall seven-event discipline with a score of 4,593 points that leads Division II this season and is No. 2 in UAA history. She also hit a provisional qualifier in the high jump with a clearance of 5 feet, 7.25 inches that is tied for sixth in Division II this season and tied for No. 8 on the GNAC all-time list. Cano also ran in the open 100-meter hurdles (14.99) and ran a leg on the Seawolves’ 4x400-meter relay team. Also Nominated: Avery Fisk (Central Washington), Ryann Moline (Montana State Billings), Miya Koch (Northwest Nazarene), Jocelyn Saribay (Saint Martin’s), Kennedy Primrose (Western Oregon), Katie Potts (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S ROWING
Central Oklahoma Varsity 8+: The Bronchos won in head-to-head competition with Seattle Pacific in Saturday’s regatta on the Oklahoma River with a winning time of 6:56.05. Earlier in the day, Central Oklahoma placed a close third to a pair of Kansas boats in a time of 6:54.34. The crew was comprised of coxswain Yesenia Gil-Salazar, Kenna Chamlee, Danielle Dick, Kenya Holleman, Faith Brooks, Hope Brooks, Danielle Holle, Sage Kroeker and Kelsey Wollmer. Also Nominated: Cal Poly Humboldt Varsity 4+.