Monday, March 5, 2018

PORTLAND, Ore. – The GNAC baseball season is underway and a pair of standout performances by Western Oregon’s Nyles Nygaard and Concordia’s Trevor Huddleston lead the list of GNAC Player of the Week honorees.

Nygaard was named the Baseball Player of the Week after he went 8 for 14 with six runs, three home runs and 11 RBIs as the Wolves scored a four-game sweep of Saint Martin’s. He went 2 for 5 with four RBIs and a three-run homer in the series opener on Saturday, which WOU won 10-3, and then opened Sunday’s doubleheader by going 4 for 6 with five RBIs and another three-run homer in a 15-8 victory.

Huddleston was named the Baseball Pitcher of the Week for his complete-game effort that gave the Cavaliers a 2-0 shutout over Montana State Billings on Sunday. He allowed two hits and two walks and struck out eight for his first victory of the season. He did not allow a single MSUB runner past first base.

Montana State Billings’ second baseman Myrissa Prince was named the Softball Player of the Week after she hit .538 in a four-game series at Simon Fraser to open the GNAC season. She went 7 for 13 with five runs, four RBIs, three doubles and a home run. She had two hits in three of the four games and went 2 for 2 with two runs, two RBIs and a double in Sunday’s opening game.

Western Washington’s Shearyna Labasan opened the GNAC season with two wins over Northwest Nazarene to earn Softball Pitcher of the Week accolades. She allowed five runs on 13 hits and struck out six in two complete games and allowed just two runs on three hits and struck out three in the series finale on Sunday, a 3-2 win for the Vikings.

Three of the four Track and Field Athletes of the Week opened their season with Division II-best outdoor marks. Western Oregon’s Josh Dempsey was named Men’s Track Athlete of the Week after he won the 1,500 meters at the Willamette Opener with a Division II leading time of 3:50.81. Saint Martin’s Brian Chalkley earned the Men’s Field Athlete of the Week award after posting a 13-foot personal best in the javelin at the Ed Boitano Invitational. His second-place throw of 213 feet, 11 inches leads Division II.

The Saints’ Yadira Lopez was named Women’s Track Athlete of the Week after she won the 10,000 meters at the Ed Boitano Invitational by 23 seconds. Her time of 36:53.51 also leads Division II early on. Western Washington’s Raquel Pellecer earned Women’s Field Athlete of the Week honors after winning the javelin at the Ed Boitano Invitational with a personal-best mark of 142 feet, 5 inches. The mark is No. 2 in Division II so far this season.

Western Washington’s Ethan Casto is the first Men’s Golf Player of the Week for the spring season. Casto finished second at the Bay Area Invitational and was one stroke out of first with a three-round score of 7-over-par 223. He led the Vikings to a fourth-place team finish. Belinda Lin was named the Women’s Golf Player of the Week after leading Simon Fraser an eighth-place team finish at the Lancer Joust with a two-round score of 10-over-par 154.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 27
BASEBALL PLAYER
Nyles Nygaard (Western Oregon, IF, 6-1, Sr., Torrance, Calif. – Univ. of Washington): Nygaard went 8 for 14 with six runs, three home runs and 11 RBIs as the Wolves opened GNAC play with a four-game sweep of Saint Martin’s. He opened the series by going 2 for 5 with four RBIs, three of which came on a three-run homer, in a 10-3 win on Saturday. Nygaard then opened Sunday’s twinbill by going 4 for 6 with three runs and five RBIs and another three-run homer in a 15-8 win. Also Nominated: Dustin Braun (Central Washington), Jalen Garcia (Montana State Billings).

BASEBALL PITCHER
Trevor Huddleston(Concordia, P/OF, 5-10, Jr., Woodland, Wash. – Lower Columbia CC): Huddleston went the distance in the Cavaliers’ 2-0 series-ending victory over Montana State Billings on Sunday. He allowed just two hits and two walks and struck out eight to earn his first victory of the season. In the process, Huddleston did not allow an MSUB runner past first base. Also Nominated: Griffin Davis (Central Washington), Adam Cox (Montana State Billings), Craig Grubbe (Western Oregon).

SOFTBALL PLAYER
Myrissa Prince (Montana State Billings, 2B, 5-8, Sr., Sparks, Nev. – Spanish Springs): Prince led the Yellowjackets by hitting .538 in a four-game series at Simon Fraser, going 7 for 13 with five runs, four RBIs, three doubles and a home run with a 1.000 slugging percentage. She went 2 for 4 with a solo home run to win Saturday’s opener, 10-0, and then went 2 for 2 with two runs, two RBIs and a double in Sunday’s opener and went 2 for 3 with a pair of doubles in the nightcap. Also Nominated: Victoria Saunders (Simon Fraser), Carlie Richards (Western Washington).

SOFTBALL PITCHER
Shearyna Labasan (Western Washington, P/UT, 5-3, Jr., Mililani, Hawaii – Maryknoll): Labasan went 2-0 against Northwest Nazarene as she allowed five runs on 13 hits and struck out six in two complete-game efforts. In the second game on Thursday, Labasan allowed three runs on 10 hits with two walks and three strikeouts in a 4-3 victory. She then allowed two runs on three hits and struck out three in the series finale on Friday as the Vikings won 3-2. In addition to her pitching, Labasan batted .400 in the series. Also Nominated: Haley Couch (Montana State Billings), Alia Stachoski (Simon Fraser).

MEN’S TRACK
Josh Dempsey (Western Oregon, Sr., Portland, Ore. – Centennial): Dempsey opened the outdoor season by running the best time in Division II this season in the 1,500 meters at the Willamette. His time of 3:50.81 was six seconds better than Trent Mazelli of Portland, is an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier. Also Nominated: Guillaume Tabary (Saint Martin’s), Edward Kiolbasa (Western Washington).

MEN’S FIELD
Brian Chalkley (Saint Martin’s, Sr., Eugene, Ore. – Sheldon): Chalkley opened his season by finishing second in the javelin at the Ed Boitano Invitational with a throw of 213 feet, 11 inches. The mark is a personal best, is an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier and currently leads Division II. Also Nominated: Brandon Bowen (Western Oregon), Spencer Claeys (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Yadira Lopez (Saint Martin’s, Sr., Lakewood, Wash. – Trinity Lutheran Coll.): Lopez opened the outdoor season by comfortably winning the 10,000 meters at the Ed Boitano Invitational. She won by 23 seconds in a time of 36:53.51, a performance that currently the best in Division II. Also Nominated: Grayson Burke (Western Oregon), Alexandra Laiblin (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S FIELD
Raquel Pellecer (Western Washington, So., Sandy, Ore. – Portland State Univ.): Pellecer tied for first place in the javelin at the Ed Boitano Invitational with a mark of 142 feet, 5 inches. The performance was a personal best, is an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark and currently ranks No. 2 in Division II this season. Also Nominated: Megan Vernoy (Saint Martin’s), Mariah Gronbach (Western Oregon).

MEN’S GOLF
Ethan Casto (Western Washington, So., Snohomish, Wash. – Snohomish): Casto was the runner-up at the Bay Area Invitational, carding a three-round score of 7-over-par 223. He finished one stroke off the pace set by medalist Zach Sims of Holy Names and shot a tournament-low 2-under-par 70 in the second round of play. Casto led the Vikings to a fourth-place team finish to open the spring season. Also Nominated: Tanner Huddleston (Concordia).

WOMEN’S GOLF
Belinda Lin (Simon Fraser, Jr., Surrey, B.C. – Semiahmoo): Lin led GNAC golfers at the spring season-opening Lancer Joust as the junior carded a two-round score of 10-over-par 154 to finish in a tie for 19th place. She led the Clan to an eighth-place team finish. Also Nominated: Cammie Decker (Concordia).