Monday, April 9, 2018

PORTLAND, Ore. – Challenging weather conditions forced some cancellations and adjustments to game times, but did not slow down Saint Martin’s and Northwest Nazarene as the teams swept the diamond awards in the GNAC Players of the Week.

A pair of Moanalua High School (Hawaii) grads secured the baseball awards sweep for the Saints. Freshman Ryne Oshiro was named the Baseball Player of the Week after he finished with a .625 batting average in the four-game series split with Northwest Nazarene. He went 10 for 16 with six runs and six RBIs, which included hitting what proved to be the game-winning home run in Thursday’s 5-4, extra innings victory.

Sophomore Tanner Inouye was named the Baseball Pitcher of the Week after he went the distance in Friday’s opener for his second win of the season. Inouye allowed two runs, one earned, on six walks and five hits while striking out seven as he pitched the first complete game of his collegiate career.

The Nighthawks swept the softball awards after taking three of four games over Western Oregon to secure sole possession of second place in the GNAC standings. Brittany Genuardi was named the Softball Player of the Week after she hit .429 in the four games with four runs and seven RBIs. She closed the series by going 4 for 5 in Friday’s second game, knocking home the Nighthawks’ opening run, the tying run in the sixth and the game-winning home run in the ninth in the 7-6 extra-innings win.

Freshman Jordan Adams was named Softball Pitcher of the Week after she earned all three of NNU’s wins in the circle. She went the distance in Thursday’s opener, allowing her only two runs of the series on seven hits while striking out 10. Adams then threw a five-hit shutout in Friday’s opener and allowed three hits in 4.1 innings of relief in the nightcap to earn the win in extra-innings. In the three games, Adams allowed the two runs on 15 hits, struck out 17 and did not allow a walk.

Concordia, meanwhile, earned another sweep of the Field Athlete of the Week awards. Senior Melissa Ausman was named Women’s Field Athlete of the Week after she set the GNAC record in the discus at the John Knight Twilight. Her winning mark of 170 feet, 1 inch, bettered the previous record of 169 feet, 3 inches, set by former teammate McKenzie Warren last year. Ausman now ranks No. 3 in Division II this season in the event.

Freshman Jacob Slate earned Men’s Field Athlete of the Week honors after he won the hammer at the John Knight Twilight by 26 feet. His GNAC-leading mark of 200 feet, 5 inches, improves Slate to No. 3 on the GNAC All-Time List and to No. 6 in Division II this season.

Montana State Billings senior Jorey Egeland was selected as the Men’s Track Athlete of the Week after he won the steeplechase by 24 seconds at the War XI Meet in Spokane. His winning time of 9:19.96 is fourth-best in the GNAC this season and just missed the NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time of 9:17.36.

Western Oregon junior Olivia Woods was named the Women’s Track Athlete of the Week after she reset her own WOU record in the 400 meters at the John Knight Twilight. She led a top-four sweep for the Wolves in the event with her time of 56.01 seconds. She is currently No. 2 in the GNAC and was just short of the NCAA provisional qualifying time of 55.93 seconds.

Western Washington junior Cody Roth was selected as the Men’s Golf Player of the Week after he led the Vikings to a tie for third place at the Mustang Intercollegiate. Roth tied for sixth individually with a three-round score of 9-under-par 207. He carded below-par scores on all three rounds, including his tournament-low of 4-under-par 68 in the opening round.

Concordia freshman Kendall Freeman was named the Women’s Golf Player of the Week after she placed seventh at the Sonoma State Spring Invite. She carded a two-day score of 10-over-par 154, which included a low round of 4-over-par 76 on the opening day. Freeman led the Cavaliers with a third-place team finish.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 32
BASEBALL PLAYER
Ryne Oshiro (Saint Martin’s, IF, 6-0, Fr., Aiea, Hawaii – Moanalua): Oshiro finished with a .625 batting average in the Saints’s four-game split with Northwest Nazarene, going 10 for 16 with six runs, six RBIs and three home runs. He had the winning home run in the Saints’ 5-4, extra-inning win in Thursday’s opener and added a three-run homer in the nightcap. Oshiro opened Friday’s twinbill by going 3 for 4 in game one, which included his third homer of the series and went 2 for 4 in the second game. Also Nominated: Andrew Barrera (Concordia).

BASEBALL PITCHER
Tanner Inouye (Saint Martin’s, P, 6-0, So., Honolulu, Hawaii – Moanalua): Inouye went the distance in Friday’s 5-2 win at Northwest Nazarene. He allowed two runs, one earned, on six hits and five walks while striking out seven. It was Inouye’s first college career shutout, matched his season-high in strikeouts and improved him to 2-2 on the season. Also Nominated: Kaleb Jones (Concordia).

SOFTBALL PLAYER
Brittany Genuardi (Northwest Nazarene, C/3B, 5-6, So., Spanaway, Wash. – Bethel): Genuardi led the Nighthawks to a series victory over Western Oregon with a .429 batting average, going 6 for 14 with four runs, seven RBIs, a triple and a home run. After going 1 for 3 in Thursday’s nightcap, Genuardi put the cherry on top of Friday’s 7-0 game one victory with a three-run triple in the sixth. She closed the series by going 4 for 5 in the nightcap, opening scoring for NNU with an RBI single in the first, tied the game with an RBI single in the sixth and won it with a solo home run in the ninth. Also Nominated: Lindsay Miller (Saint Martin’s), Zoe Clark (Western Oregon), Kira Doan (Western Washington).

SOFTBALL PITCHER
Jordan Adams (Northwest Nazarene, P/1B, 5-8, Fr., Gig Harbor, Wash. – Gig Harbor): Adams was the winning pitcher in all three of the Nighthawks’ victories over Western Oregon. In 17.1 innings, Adams amassed a 0.81 earned run average as she allowed two runs on 15 hits with 17 strikeouts and did not allow a walk. Adams earned the game one victory on Thursday by allowing her only two runs of the series on seven hits while striking out 10. She went the distance in a five-hit shutout in Friday’s opener, striking out four, before throwing the final 4-1 innings in the 7-6, nine-inning second game win as she allowed just three hits and struck out three. Also Nominated: Lauren Maley (Saint Martin’s), Shearyna Labasan (Western Washington).

MEN’S TRACK
Jorey Egeland (Montana State Billings, Sr., Billings, Mont. – Billings Senior): Egeland won the steeplechase at the War XI Meet going away, putting 24 seconds on the field while crossing the finish line in 9:19.96. The time is the fourth-fastest in the GNAC this season and just missed the NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time of 9:17.36. Also Nominated: Logan Armstrong (Saint Martin’s), Justin Crosswhite (Western Oregon), Cordell Cummings (Western Washington).

MEN’S FIELD
Jacob Slate (Concordia, Fr., Chandler, Ariz. – Chandler): Slate won the hammer at the John Knight Twilight on Friday by 26 feet with a GNAC-leading throw of 200 feet, 5 inches. The mark improves slate to No. 3 on the GNAC All-Time List and No. 4 on the Concordia All-Time List. An NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark, Slate has the sixth-best mark in Division II this season. Also Nominated: Beau Ackerman (Montana State Billings), Kauanoe Vanderpoel (Saint Martin’s), Jalon Field (Western Oregon), Alex Barry (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Olivia Woods (Western Oregon, Jr., Troutdale, Ore. – Reynolds): Woods led a top-four sweep for the Wolves in the 400 meters at the John Knight Twilight. She reset her own school record in the event with a time of 56.01 seconds, winning by over a second. The mark is No. 2 in the GNAC this season and just missed the NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark of 55.93 seconds. Also Nominated: Alexa Shindruk (Central Washington), Michaela Johnson (Montana State Billings), Ashley Vest (Saint Martin’s), Peyton Shinnick (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S FIELD
Melissa Ausman (Concordia, Sr., Nyssa, Ore. – Oregon State Univ.): Ausman set the GNAC record in the discus to win the event the John Knight Twilight. Her winning throw of 170 feet, 1 inch, bettered the mark of 169 feet, 3 inches, set by former teammate McKenzie Warren last year. She is the first GNAC women’s athlete to go over 170 feet in the event. The mark improved Ausman’s NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark, ranking her third in Division II this season. Ausman also placed third in the shot put with a mark of 45 feet, 7.75 inches. Also Nominated: Liz Larson (Saint Martin’s), Darian Wilson (Western Oregon), Anna Paradee (Western Washington).

MEN’S GOLF
Cody Roth (Western Washington, Jr., Bellingham, Wash. – Bellingham): Roth led the Vikings as he tied for sixth place at the Mustang Intercollegiate with a three-round score of 9-under-par 207. He carded below-par scores on all three rounds, turning in his tournament-low of 4-under-par 68 in the opening round. Roth led Western Washington to a tie for third place in the team standings out of 20 teams. Also Nominated: Nick Huff (Concordia), Caleb Trost (Montana State Billings).

WOMEN’S GOLF
Kendall Freeman (Concordia, Fr., Lake Oswego, Ore. – Lakeridge): Freeman led Concordia to a third-place team finish at the Sonoma State Spring Invite, placing seventh with a two-day score of 10-over-par 154. She shot her tournament-low of 4-over par 76 in the opening round.