Monday, April 11, 2016

PORTLAND, Ore. – A pair of outstanding performances at the plate in both baseball and softball lead this week’s list of GNAC Player of the Week selections.

Central Washington’s Darren Honeysett earned the conference’s Baseball Player of the Week award after he hit .466 (7 for 15) in the Wildcats’ four-game series with Montana State Billings to go along with three home runs, seven RBI and four runs. He hit two of his home runs in the series’ opener, including a two-run game-winning shot in the ninth inning as the Wildcats took three of four games from the Yellowjackets.

Northwest Nazarene’s Kylie Orr was named the Softball Player of the Week after she hit .619 (13 for 21) in six GNAC road contests. She also had six runs, rive RBI, two doubles and a grand slam home run, which came in the Crusaders’ 12-4 win over Concordia on Tuesday.

Darrien Moran of Western Oregon was named the Baseball Pitcher of the Week for his complete-game 10-0 shutout win over Concordia on Sunday, which included a season-high seven strikeouts. Kim Nelson of Saint Martin’s was named the Softball Pitcher of the Week as she went 2-0 in her starts against Northwest Nazarene. In 14 innings, Nelson allowed two runs, one earned, on 10 hits and struck out three.

Central Washington’s Bernari Sternen was selected as the Men’s Track Athlete of the Week after he ran GNAC-leading times in both the 110-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles in the WAR 9 Meet in Spokane, Wash. He won the 110-meter hurdles in a time of 14.34 seconds. Northwest Nazarene’s Payton Lewis was selected for the men’s field honor after he went 15 feet, 9 inches, in the pole vault at the War 9 Meet.

Montana State Billings’ Della Lyle earned the Women’s Track Athlete of the Week award after she smashed the school record in the steeplechase at the Bauer Invitational, winning in a time of 11:12.14 (converted to 11:03.90 for altitude). She also won the 5,000 meters in 19:07.46. Concordia’s Christina MacDonald was named the Women’s Field Athlete of the Week after she won the hammer and placed second in the javelin at the John Knight Twilight.

Both golf Player of the Week awards went to Simon Fraser athletes. Chris Crisologo earned the men’s award after he shared medalist honors at the Mustang Intercollegiate in Goodyear, Ariz., carding a 13-under-par 203. Belinda Lin earned the women’s honor after playing to a ninth place finish at the Sonoma State Spring Invitational and leading the Clan to a third place finish.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 32
BASEBALL PLAYER
Darren Honeysett (Central Washington, OF, 6-0, 194, Sr., Port Coquitlam, B.C. – Terry Fox): Honeysett led Central Washington to a series win over Montana State Billings by hitting .466 (7 for 15) with three home runs, seven RBI and four runs. He hit two of his home runs in the opener, including a two-run game-winning shot in the ninth, and recorded RBI in three of the Wildcats’ four games. Also Nominated: Tyler Davis (Northwest Nazarene), Jake Huskey (Saint Martin’s), Corey Morris (Montana State Billings), Trevor Podratz (Western Oregon).

BASEBALL PITCHER
Darrien Moran (Western Oregon, P, 6-0, 195, Sr., Federal Way, Wash. – Pierce CC): Moran threw a complete-game shutout in the Wolves’ 10-0 win over Concordia on Sunday. He allowed nine hits and two walks while striking out a season-high seven batters. He worked out of three potential run-scoring jams by inducing ground-ball double players. Also Nominated: Ross Clevenger (Northwest Nazarene), Mackenzie Gaul (Central Washington), Matt Hape (Montana State Billings), Nick Mailhot (Saint Martin’s).

SOFTBALL PLAYER
Kylie Orr (Northwest Nazarene, 1B/OF, 5-8, Fr., Meridian, Idaho – Mountain View): Orr hit an impressive .619 in six games (13 for 21) with six runs, five RBI, two doubles and a grand slam in six road games. She hit her grand slam to break things Open in the fifth in the Crusaders’ 12-3 win over Concordia on Tuesday. Also Nominated: Kailyn Campbell (Central Washington), Taylor Copher (Concordia), Tess Kuehl (Western Oregon), Megan Miller (Saint Martin’s), Makinlee Sellevold (Western Washington), Heather Tracy (Montana State Billings).

SOFTBALL PITCHER
Kim Nelson (Saint Martin’s, P/IF, 5-10, So., Fremont, Calif. - American): Nelson won two games for Saint Martin’s in their sweep of Northwest Nazarene. In 14 innings, Nelson allowed two runs, one earned, on 10 hits with two walks and three strikeouts. In addition, Nelson also had a home run and three RBI on the week. Also Nominated: Brooke Bonsen (Northwest Nazarene), Maddie Boucher (Concordia), Sammi Cadwallader (Western Oregon), Brielle Copodonna (Central Washington).

MEN’S TRACK
Bernari Sternen (Central Washington, Sr., Lynnwood, Wash. – Everett CC): Sternen rank the GNAC’s fastest times this season in both the 110-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles at the WAR 9 meet in Spokane, Wash. He won the 110-meter hurdles in a time of 14.34 seconds and finished fourth in the 400-meter hurdles in a time of 53.77 seconds. Also Nominated: Jasper Heckman (Saint Martin’s), Roman Kirkov (Concordia), Isaac Mitchell (Northwest Nazarene), Landon Polkow (Montana State Billings), Cody Warner (Western Oregon).

MEN’S FIELD
Payton Lewis (Northwest Nazarene, So., Nampa, Idaho – Nampa Christian): Lewis achieved a provisional qualifying mark for the NCAA Championships at the WAR 9 meet in the pole vault, placing second with a clearance of 15 feet, 9 inches (No. 2 this season in GNAC), and also placed fifth in the 110-meter hurdles in 15.11 seconds. It was Lewis’ first outdoor meet of the season. Also Nominated: Alex Barry (Western Washington), Wesley Gray (Western Oregon), Josh Koch (Concordia), Brady Ostermiller (Montana State Billings), Mikel Smith (Saint Martin’s).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Della Lyle (Montana State Billings, Sr., Buffalo, Wyo. – Univ. of Redlands): Lyle smashed the Montana State Billings’ record in the steeplechase by 47 seconds, winning the race at the Bauer Invitational in a time of 11:12.14 (converted to 11:03.90 for altitude), a provisional qualifier for the NCAA Championships. Lyle also won the 5,000 meters in a time of 19:07.46. Also Nominated: Taylor Fettig (Central Washington), Megan Teigen (Saint Martin’s), Lexi Tubbs (Northwest Nazarene), Suzanne Van De Grift (Western Oregon).

WOMEN’S FIELD
Christina MacDonald (Concordia, So., Myrtle Creek, Ore. – Oregon State Univ.): MacDonald won the hammer at the John Knight Twilight with a throw of 164 feet, the second best mark in the GNAC this season. She then went on to finish second in the javelin with a toss of 147 feet, 6 inches, which is fifth best in the GNAC this season. Also Nominated: Deanna Avalos (Saint Martin’s), Emmi Collier (Western Oregon), Kate Cryderman (Northwest Nazarene), Shaniah Schwend (Montana State Billings).

MEN’S GOLF
Chris Crisologo (Simon Fraser, So., Richmond, B.C. – Vancouver Coll.): Crisologo shared medalist honors at the Mustang Intercollegiate last Tuesday, carding a three-round score of 13-under-par 203. He shot rounds of 6-under-par 67 in both the second and third rounds, leading Simon Fraser to an eighth place team finish. In addition, Crisologo was named to British Columbia’s Morse Cup Team, which will compete at July’s Pacific Coast Amateur Championships. Also Nominated: Michael Butler (Western Washington), Dylan Cramer (Concordia), Michael Porter (Montana State Billings).

WOMEN’S GOLF
Belinda Lin (Simon Fraser, Fr., Surrey, B.C. - Semiahmoo): Lin was the top GNAC player at the Sonoma State Spring Invitational, placing ninth with a score of 13-over-par 157. She led the Clan to a third place team finish in their final tournament prior to the GNAC Championships.