Monday, March 3, 2014

PORTLAND, Ore. - Andrew Kelly, who helped Alaska Fairbanks end a 16-game losing streak to Alaska Anchorage, is the GNAC Men's Basketball Red Lion Player of the Week.

Kelly had 14 points, including the game-winning basket in the final minute, and also had 18 rebounds in a 70-68 win Thursday at the Patty Center.

Kelly was one of 10 individual athletes and a track-and-field relay team to win the honor.

Here is a recap of this week's winners:

Men’s Basketball: Andrew Kelly, Alaska Fairbanks (F, 6-7, Sr., Gilbert, AZ – Chandler-Gilbert) scored 14 points, including the game-winner in the final second, as the Nanooks ended a 16-game losing streak to Alaska Anchorage with a 70-68 win at The Patty Center.  Kelly received the ball from teammate Ronnie Baker who was falling out-of-bounds and was able to get the shot up before the red light went on.  The UAF forward had 18 rebounds, 10 off the offensive glass, as the Nanooks dominated the backboards 38-25 to earn its first win against UAA since Jan. 28, 2006.  Kelly also had a steal and three blocks, two during a 20-5 run over the game’s final 7 ½ minutes.

Honorable Mention – Mario Donaldson, Northwest Nazarene (G, 6-3, Sr., Rockton, IL); Andy Avgi, Western Oregon (F, 6-6, So., Woodburn, OR);  Evan Coulter, Saint Martin’s (G, 5-10, Sr., Mount Vernon, WA);  Mark McLaughlin, Central Washington (G, 6-6, Sr., Bothell, WA – Inglemoor & Tacoma CC);  Patrick Simon, Seattle Pacific ( (F, 6-8, Sr., Ephrata, WA).

Women's Basketball: Amber Moser, Central Washington (F/C, 6-0, Sr., Willamina, OR – Sheridan) scored 18 points and added five rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block to lead CWU to a 74-58 win over Western Oregon  Thursday evening. The senior was 8-for-8 from the field in the contest and 2-for-3 from the foul line. On Saturday, she led her team in scoring for the second straight game, logging 12 points in a 59-52 loss to Saint Martin’s in her final collegiate game. Moser was a perfect 6-for-6 from the foul line on Saturday, and added four rebounds, three assists, three blocks and a steal in 34 minutes on the hardwood. 

Honorable Mention – Jordyn Richardson, Saint Martin's (G, 5-9, Jr., Olympia, WA – Tumwater); Kayleen Goggins, MSU Billings (F, 6-1, Jr., Shepherd, MT – Shepherd); Megan Hingston, Northwest Nazarene (G, 5-9, Sr., Keizer, OR – McNary).

Men’s Track & Field: Track – Robert Peterson, Montana State Billings (So., Billings, MT – Skyview) finished third in the mile in a time 4:10.76, improving his previous indoor national qualifying time at the SPU Last-Chance.  Peterson’s time ranks second in the GNAC this winter and ninth in GNAC history.  Field – Slater Hirst, Western Washington (Jr., Shoreline, WA – King’s) and Shane Brooks, Western Oregon (So., Pleasant Hill, OR) both had provisional national qualifying and first-place throws of 194-7 in the javelin at the Puget Sound Quadrangular and the Willamette Opener, respectively, as the outdoor season got underway.  

Women’s Track & Field: Track – The Seattle Pacific quartet of Kishia Mitchell (Sr., Puyallup, WA – Rogers), Tasia Baldwin (Jr., Tacoma, WA – Foss), Jasmine Johnson (Jr., Federal Way, WA) and McKayla Fricker (Sr., Canby, OR) ran the third fastest indoor 4x400 relay in GNAC history at the SPU Last-Chance.  They were clocked in a winning time of 3:48.40, a mark only bettered last year by Seattle Pacific and Simon Fraser.  Field – Bethany Drake, Western Washington (So., Sandy, OR) had an outdoor automatic qualifying throw of 156-11 in the javelin at UPS.  Drake has a career-best of 157-4, which ranks sixth in GNAC history.  She won the event at UPS by almost 40 feet.

Honorable Mention - Seabre Church, Western Oregon (Sr., Florence, OR) had a provisional national qualifying mark of 140-9 in the javelin at the Willamette Opener.

Softball: Player – Corrie Wilson, Saint Martin’s (1B, 5-4, Fr., Ferndale, WA) had four hits in six at bats as the Saints swept a doubleheader from Northwest University.  Pitcher – Sam Munger, Saint Martin’s (5-6, Jr., Everett, WA) tossed a two-hit shutout and struck out nine in five innings in a 15-0 victory.