Monday, January 16, 2023

PORTLAND, Ore. – In her first meet of the 2023 season, Simon Fraser’s Marie-Éloïse Leclair picked up exactly where she left off.

The sophomore won the women’s 60 meters at Saturday’s UW Indoor Preview and set a conference record in the event to earn the GNAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week award. She turned in the top time of the preliminaries in 7.49 seconds before running 7.45 in the finals to win by nearly a tenth of a second. Both marks eclipsed the previous GNAC record of 7.52 seconds set by Paige Johnson of Concordia in 2020 and the 7.45 ranks No. 8 in Division II this season.

Red Leafs junior Jordan Schmidt also notched an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time in Seattle to earn the Men’s Track Athlete of the Week award. Schmidt placed third in the 800 meters in a time of 1:52.06, which ranks No. 6 in Division II this season.

Northwest Nazarene junior Destany Herbert is the Women’s Field Athlete of the Week after she placed second in the shot put at the Spokane Indoor Challenge on Saturday. Her mark of 44 feet, 9 inches is an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier and ranks No. 20 in Division II this season. Herbert also placed seventh in the weight throw with a mark of 47 feet, 5.75 inches.

Western Oregon senior Dayne Gordien was named the Men’s Field Athlete of the Week after he won the shot put at the Spokane Indoor Challenge in his debut for the Wolves. Gordien won by over two feet with a mark of 55 feet, 1.5 inches, which is an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark and is tied for 16th in Division II this season.

On the hardwood, Central Washington senior Samantha Bowman picked up Women’s Basketball Player of the Week honors after she averaged 18 points and 15.5 rebounds in two wins on the Alaska road trip. On Thursday, Bowman recorded just the seventh triple-double in GNAC history and the first since 2016 in a 71-47 victory at Alaska Anchorage. She finished with 15 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists to go with five blocks and a steal, shooting 5 of 8 from the field and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line.

Bowman added a double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday’s 73-56 victory at Alaska. She connected on 9 of 18 from the field and also had three assists, two blocks and a steal.

Seattle Pacific junior Shaw Anderson earned Men’s Basketball Player of the Week honors after he averaged 25.5 points and six rebounds per game in two wins that moved the Falcons into second place in the conference standings. Anderson finished with 30 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal in Thursday’s 87-79 win over Western Oregon. He connected on 10 of 14 from the field, 3 of 3 from three-point range and 7 of 10 from the free-throw line for his third 30-plus point performance of the season.

Anderson then connected for 21 points in Saturday’s 92-87 win over Saint Martin’s to go with five rebounds, two assists and a block. He won the game for the Falcons singled-handed, scoring the final six points of the game over the final two minutes to take SPU from a one-point deficit to the final five-point margin of victory.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 21
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Shaw Anderson (Seattle Pacific, 6-6, Jr., Kelso, Wash. – Kelso): Anderson averaged 25.5 points and six rebounds per game, shooting 54.8% from the field and 57.1% from three-point range, to lead the Falcons to two wins that moved SPU into second place in the GNAC standings. Anderson opened the week with his third 30-plus point performance of the season, scoring 30 in Thursday’s 87-79 win over Western Oregon. He made 10 of 14 from the field, 3 of 3 from three-point range and 7 of 10 from the free-throw line to go with seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal. Anderson then scored 21 points in Saturday’s 92-87 win over Saint Martin’s, He went 7 of 17 from the field and 6 of 6 from the free-throw line. He singled-handedly closed out the win, scoring the final six points of the game. Also Nominated: Abdullahi Mohamed (Alaska), Tyson Gilbert (Alaska Anchorage), Mitch Brisee (Central Washington), Bilal Shabazz (Montana State Billings), Elliot Dimaculangan (Simon Fraser), Kai Johnson (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Samantha Bowman (Central Washington, C, 6-3, Sr., Zillah, Wash. – Zillah): Bowman averaged 18 points and 15.5 rebounds per game in the Wildcats’ two road wins, shooting 53.8% from the field and 85.7% from the free-throw line. In Thursday’s 71-47 win at Alaska Anchorage, Bowman finished with just the seventh triple-double in GNAC history and the first since 2016 with 15 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists. She also had five blocks and a steal in the win, shooting 5 of 8 from the field and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line. Bowman added a double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday’s 73-56 win at Alaska. She also had three assists, two blocks and a steal as she made 9 of 18 from the field. Also Nominated: Destiny Reimers (Alaska), Jahnna Hajdukovich (Alaska Anchorage), Kortney Nelson (Montana State Billings), Danika Starr (Northwest Nazarene), Jessica Wisotzki (Simon Fraser), Brooke Walling (Western Washington).

MEN’S TRACK
Jordan Schmidt (Simon Fraser, Jr., Langley, B.C. – R.E. Mountain): Schmidt finished third in the 800 meters at Saturday’s UW Indoor Preview. His time of 1:52.06 is an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier and ranks sixth in Division II this season. Also Nominated: Joshua Wagner (Alaska Anchorage), Johan Correa (Central Washington), Steven Schmidt (Northwest Nazarene), Tyrone Woodard (Western Washington).

MEN’S FIELD
Dayne Gordien (Western Oregon, Sr., Sandy, Utah – UCLA): Gordien was a winner in his WOU debut, capturing the shot put at the Spokane Indoor Challenge on Saturday. He defeated the 43-athlete field with a mark of 52 feet, 1.5 inches, and finished more than two feet of second-place Bradley Fillis of Eastern Washington. Gordien’s mark is an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier and is tied for 16th in Division II this season. Also Nominated: Angus Beaton (Central Washington), Jake Kiesman (Northwest Nazarene), David Njeri (Seattle Pacific), Miller Campbell (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Marie-Éloïse Leclair (Simon Fraser, So., Candiac, Que. – College Durocher): Leclair won the 60 meters at the UW Indoor Preview and succeeded in breaking the GNAC record in the event twice. She ran the fastest time in the preliminary heats in 7.49 seconds and better that time in the finals with a time of 7.45 seconds, winning by nearly a tenth of a second over Cal State Fullerton’s Trinity Barnett. Both times eclipsed the previous GNAC record of 7.52 seconds set by Concordia’s Paige Johnson in 2020. Leclair’s time is an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier and ranks No. 8 in Division II this season. Also Nominated: Lauryn Chandler (Central Washington), Vanessa Aniteye (Seattle Pacific), Marian Ledesma (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S FIELD
Destany Herbert (Northwest Nazarene, Jr., Pomeroy, Wash. – Pomeroy): Herbert finished second in the shot put at Saturday’s Spokane Indoor Challenge. Her mark of 44 feet, 9 inches is an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier and ranks No. 20 in Division II this season. Herbert also finished seventh in the weight throw with a mark of 47 feet, 5.75 inches. Also Nominated: Erica Cabanos (Central Washington), Jessica Neal (Western Washington).