Monday, February 17, 2020

PORTLAND, Ore. – In the last weekend before the GNAC Indoor Championships, Simon Fraser’s Jeremiah Lauzon and Addy Townsend sizzled on the track in Boston to lead the GNAC Athlete of the Week selections.

Lauzon was named the Men’s Track Athlete of the Week after he lowered his conference record in the 200 meters at the Brian Hemery Valentine Classic. The freshman took seventh out of 228 finishers with a time of 21.47 seconds, bettering his previous record mark of 21.51 seconds run in Boston in January. The time is tied for 16th in Division II this season.

Townsend was selected as the Women’s Track Athlete of the Week after automatically qualifying for the NCAA Championships in the mile. The senior placed 16th out of 250 finishers with a time of 4:40.40, which moves her to No. 2 on the GNAC All-Time List in the event and No. 3 in Division II this season. The defending conference champion in the 800 meters, Townsend has automatically qualified for nationals in both the 800 and the mile.

Defending men’s triple jump champion Zach Whittaker of Central Washington was named the Men’s Field Athlete of the Week after he placed fourth in the event at the Husky Classic. The senior finished with a mark of 48 feet, 2 inches, which leads the conference and is a provisional qualifier for the NCAA Championships.

Concordia senior Kori Sprague was named the Women’s Field Athlete of the Week after placing fourth in the weight throw at the Husky Classic. Her mark of 61 feet, 0.75 inches improved her to No. 2 on the GNAC All-Time List and to a tie for eighth in Division II this season. Just one of two athletes in GNAC history to surpass 60 feet in the event, Sprague is the defending conference champion.

On the hardwoods, Alaska Anchorage junior Oggie Pantovic was named the Men’s Basketball Player of the Week after he led the Seawolves to a pair of overtime wins, averaging 25 points and 15 rebounds. He opened the week with 26 points, 15 rebounds and four assists in Thursday’s 90-89 win over Northwest Nazarene. He then connected for 24 points and 15 rebounds, including five in the extra period, in Saturday’s 70-68 overtime win over Central Washington.

Northwest Nazarene senior Avery Albrecht earned the Women’s Basketball Player of the Week award after she averaged 19.5 points and nine rebounds in a pair of wins. Albrecht finished with a double-double with 26 points and 11 rebounds in Thursday’s 79-72 win at Western Washington, connecting on 8 of 17 from the field. She then added totals of 13 points and seven rebounds in Saturday’s 99-91 overtime win at Simon Fraser.

Montana State Billings senior Daniel Cipriano was selected as the Baseball Player of the Week after he hit .500 in a 3-1 road trip for the Yellowjackets in Colorado. Cipriano went 8 for 16 in the four games with five runs, seven RBI, two doubles and two home runs. He went 3 for 5 in an 8-5 win over Sioux Falls and went 2 for 5 with a two-run homer and a three-run double in Saturday’s 16-9 win over CSU-Pueblo.

Western Oregon junior Alan Vasquez earned the Baseball Pitcher of the Week award for his strong five-inning start in Friday’s 4-1 victory at Fresno Pacific. He allowed one run on three hits, walked one and struck out 11.

Concordia senior Karley Yoshioka was named the Softball Player of the Week after she hit .583 to lead the Cavaliers to a 2-1 record on a Bay Area road trip. She went 2 for 5 with a pair of RBI singles in Friday’s 11-3 win at Notre Dame de Namur and then went 4 for 4 with three runs and two more RBI singles in Saturday’s 6-2 win at Dominican (Calif.).

Simon Fraser sophomore Anissa Zacharchuk earned the Softball Pitcher of the Week award after earning all three victories for the Clan at the D2 Cactus Classic, all in complete-game efforts. Zacharchuk allowed two runs on six hits with two strikeouts in Friday’s 5-2 win over St. Mary’s (Texas). She came back to allow one run on three hits with one walk and seven strikeouts to beat Texas-Permian Basin, 2-1, in Saturday’s second game. Zacharchuk closed the week by allowing four runs, three earned, on nine hits with two walks and four strikeouts in a 5-4 win over West Texas A&M on Sunday.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 25
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Oggie Pantovic (Alaska Anchorage, F, 6-7, Jr., Kovin, Serbia – Utah State Eastern): Pantovic averaged 25 points and 15 rebounds per game while shooting 61.3 percent from the floor to lead the Seawolves to a pair of critical overtime wins last week. Against Northwest Nazarene on Thursday, Pantovic finished with 26 points, 15 rebounds and four assists as he led UAA back from a 12-point halftime deficit for the 90-89 overtime win. He connected on 11 of 16 from the field. Against Central Washington on Saturday, Pantovic finished with 24 points and 15 rebounds, which included five points in the extra period, for the 70-68 overtime win. He finished shooting 8 of 15 from the field and 8 of 10 from the free-throw line. Also Nominated: Spencer Sweet (Alaska), Gamaun Boykin (Central Washington), Dakota Ayala (Concordia), Brendan Howard (Montana State Billings), Jayden Bezzant (Northwest Nazarene), CJ Jennings (Saint Martin’s), Braden Olsen (Seattle Pacific), Jasdeep Singh (Simon Fraser), Emanuel Gant (Western Oregon), Siaan Rojas (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Avery Albrecht (Northwest Nazarene, G, 5-9, Sr., La Grande, Ore. – La Grande): Albrecht led the Nighthawks to a pair of key road wins by averaging 19.5 points and nine rebounds. In Thursday’s 79-72 win at Western Washington, Albrecht posted a double-double of 26 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 8 of 17 from the field and 7 of 7 from the free-throw line. She also had three assists and three steals. In Saturday’s 99-91 overtime win at Simon Fraser, Albrecht finished with 13 points and seven rebounds, connecting on 5 of 9 from the field. Also Nominated: Jocelyn Gandara (Alaska), Safiyyah Yasin (Alaska Anchorage), Kassidy Malcolm (Central Washington), Dorcas Wu (Concordia), Taryn Shelley (Montana State Billings), Bria Thames (Saint Martin’s), Jessica Jones (Simon Fraser), Rachel Rogers (Western Oregon), Anna Schwecke (Western Washington).

MEN’S TRACK
Jeremiah Lauzon (Simon Fraser, Fr., Red Deer, Alta. – Lindsay Thurber and Gateway Christian): Lauzon reset his own GNAC record in the 200 meters at the David Hemery Valentine Invite in Boston. Lauzon finished seventh out of 228 total finishers with a time of 21.47 seconds, bettering his 21.51 run back in Boston in January. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time is tied for 16th in Division II this season. Also Nominated: Wesley Kirui (Alaska Anchorage), Bobby Widmar (Central Washington), Elijah Castro (Northwest Nazarene), Justin Crosswhite (Western Oregon).

MEN’S FIELD
Zach Whittaker (Central Washington, Sr., Poulsbo, Wash. – North Kitsap): Whittaker posted a season-best in the triple jump at the Husky Classic, placing fourth with a leap of 48 feet, 2 inches. The mark leads the conference entering the GNAC Championships. It is also an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark, ranking 24th in Division II this season. Also Nominated: Seth Bridge (Concordia), Brennen Sorah (Western Oregon), Bryan Lee (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Addy Townsend (Simon Fraser, Sr., Coquitlam, B.C. – Charles Best): Townsend automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships in the mile at the David Hemery Valentine Invite in Boston. The top Division II finisher in the race, Townsend was 16th out of 250 entrants with a time of 4:40.40. The time is No. 3 in Division II this season and moves her to No. 2 on the GNAC All-Time List. Townsend is automatically qualified for nationals in both the mile and 800 meters. Also Nominated: Nancy Jeptoo (Alaska Anchorage), Erykah Weems (Central Washington), Paige Johnson (Concordia), Lauren Wuertz (Northwest Nazarene), Peace Igbonagwam (Seattle Pacific), Maya Hopwood (Western Oregon).

WOMEN’S FIELD
Kori Sprague (Concordia, Sr., Wildomar, Calif. – Riverside CC): Sprague moved up to No. 2 on the GNAC All-Time List in the weight throw, finishing fourth in the event at the Husky Classic. Her mark of 61 feet, 0.75 inches has her tied for eighth in Division II this season. She is one of just two athletes in GNAC history to surpass 60 feet in the event. Also Nominated: Halle Irvine (Central Washington), Madi VonBrethost (Northwest Nazarene), Kalulusno Ngaida (Western Oregon).

BASEBALL PLAYER
Daniel Cipriano (Montana State Billings, IF, 6-3, Sr., Agoura Hills, Calif. – Moorpark Coll.): Cipriano paced MSUB to a 3-1 week with a .500 batting average and 1.000 slugging percentage, going 8 for 16 with five runs, seven RBI, two doubles and two home runs. Cipriano opened by going 3 for 5 with two runs and a double in Friday’s 8-5 win over Sioux Falls before going 2 for 4 with two runs, two RBI and a solo home run in an 11-9 win over CSU-Pueblo. On Saturday, Cipriano went 2 for 5 with a two-run homer and a three-run double to beat CSU-Pueblo 16-9. He then went 1 for 3 in Sunday’s loss to Sioux Falls. Also Nominated: Mitch Lesmeister (Central Washington), Matt Bergevin (Concordia), Connor McCord (Western Oregon).

BASEBALL PITCHER
Alan Vasquez (Western Oregon, P, 6-0, Jr., Santa Ana, Calif. – Pierce CC): Vasquez went five solid innings to earn his first win of the season in a 4-1 victory at Fresno Pacific on Friday. He allowed one run on three hits with one walk and 11 strikeouts, striking out all three outs in the fifth inning. Also Nominated: Dillon Larsen (Central Washington), Ryan Gibson (Concordia).

SOFTBALL PLAYER
Karley Yoshioka (Concordia, IF, 5-2, Sr., Honolulu, Hawaii – Clark CC): Yoshioka led the Cavaliers’ offense in a 2-1 Bay Area road trip with a .583 batting average, .615 on-base percentage and .667 slugging percentage, going 7 for 12 with four runs, four RBI and a double. Yoshioka opened up by going 2 for 5 with a pair of RBI singles in Friday’s 11-3 win over Notre Dame de Namur. She went 4 for 4 with three runs and two more RBI singles in the 6-2 opening win on Saturday over Dominican (Calif.). She then went 1 for 3 and had her lone double in the 6-2 nightcap loss to the Penguins. Also Nominated: Harlee Carpenter (Central Washington), Kylee Vanderbout (Saint Martin’s), Alex Ogg (Simon Fraser), Chandler Bishop (Western Oregon), Lauren Lo (Western Washington).

SOFTBALL PITCHER
Anissa Zacharczuk (Simon Fraser, P/UT, 5-8, So., Kitchner, Ont. – Waterloo Collegiate Institute): Zacharczuk earned all three wins for Simon Fraser at the D2 Cactus Classic in Tucson. She earned a pair of complete-game wins on Saturday, allowing 2 runs on six hits with two strikeouts in a 5-2 win over St. Mary’s (Texas) and allowing one run on three hits with one walk and seven strikeouts in a 2-1 win over Texas-Permian Basin. Zacharczuk closed out the week by allowing four runs, three earned, on nine hits with two walks and two strikeouts in a 5-4 win over West Texas A&M on Sunday. For the week, Zacharczuk amassed a 2.29 earned run average and struck out 12 in four appearances and 24 innings. Also Nominated: Samantha Stanfield (Central Washington), Sally Bowles (Concordia), Brandi Schoessler (Saint Martin’s), Reilly Tidwell (Western Oregon), Anna Kasner (Western Washington).