Wednesday, February 28, 2018

INDIANAPOLIS – Simon Fraser and Concordia each landed six individual qualifiers to lead a total of 29 athletes and five relay teams selected to compete at the 2018 NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships, which takes place on Mar. 9-10 in Pittsburg, Kansas.

The Clan landed five of its GNAC-leading qualifiers in the women’s competition. Senior Julia Howley leads the list as she enters the championships with the No. 6 time in the 3,000 meters (9:32.78). She is joined by Reta Dobie in the 3,000 meters, Alana Mussatto in the 800 meters and Miryam Bassett and Paige Nock in the mile. Simon Fraser is also entered in the women’s distance medley relay, which has the fourth fastest time in the nation (11:36.85). The Clan’s lone men’s qualifier is Oliver Jorgensen in the mile.

Concordia enters its first NCAA Indoor Championships with five individual qualifiers. Christina MacDonald leads the list. She enters with the No. 7 mark in the women’s weight throw (64-0.5) and the No. 13 mark in the shot put (48-3.25). Melissa Ausman is tied for fifth in the women’s shot put (50-1.75) and is joined in the event by teammate Katrina Linenko. Also entered in the meet is Emma Hill in the women’s triple jump and Tori Johnson in the women’s high jump. The Cavaliers’ lone male qualifier, Josh Koch, is No. 11 in the shot put (58-5.75).

Alaska Anchorage will send four individuals in the women’s 800 meters in Danielle McCormick, Tamara Perez, Ruth Cvancara and Akelila Knight. The four will combine to run the distance medley relay, which enters with the second-best time in Division II at 11:32.96. The UAA men will compete in the 4x400-meter relay.

Western Oregon’s men’s distance medley relay will look to defend its Division II championship from a year ago. The team of Dustin Nading, Aaron Whitaker, AJ Holmberg and David Ribich enters with the nation’s sixth-best time of 9:47.56. Ribich, meanwhile, will also compete in the 3,000 meters where he holds the Division II all-time, all-conditions record at 7:50.81. Also among the Wolves’ five individual qualifiers in Nading in the men’s mile, Kennedy Rufener in the women’s 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters, Suzie Van De Grift in the women’s mile and Olivia Woods in the women’s 800 meters.

Three of Central Washington’s five qualifiers are in the multi-events. Kodiak Landis has the fourth-best mark in the men’s heptathlon at 5,407 points. In the women’s pentathlon, HarLee Ortega is 10th with 3,651 points and Ali Anderson enters with a total of 3,605 points. Anderson will also compete in the women’s 400 meters along with Halle Irvine in the women’s pole vault and Mariyah Vongsaveng in the women’s 60-meter hurdles.

Seattle Pacific’s Scout Cai enters with the fifth-best total in the women’s pentathlon at 3,709 points and is also qualified in the pole vault. She will be joined by the Falcons’ women’s distance medley relay.

Rounding out the GNAC is Northwest Nazarene’s Payton Lewis in the men’s pole vault and Western Washington’s Jasmine McMullin in the triple jump.

GNAC QUALIFIERS FOR NCAA DIVISION II INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
MEN
Alaska Anchorage: 4x400 Meter Relay (Darrion Gray, Liam Lindsay, Daniel Remington, Nicholas Taylor)
Central Washington: Kodiak Landis (heptathlon)
Concordia: Josh Koch (shot put)
Northwest Nazarene: Payton Lewis (pole vault)
Simon Fraser: Oliver Jorgensen (mile)
Western Oregon: Dustin Nading (mile), David Ribich (3,000), Distance Medley Relay (Nading, Aaron Whitaker, AJ Holmberg, Ribich)

WOMEN
Alaska Anchorage:Ruth Cvancara (800 meters), Akeilia Knight (800 meters), Danielle McCormick (800 meters), Tamara Perez (800 meters), Distance Medley Relay (McCormick, Aniteye, Knight, Perez)
Central Washington: Ali Anderson (400 meters, pentathlon), Halle Irvine (pole vault), HarLee Ortega (pentathlon), Mariyah Vongsaveng (60-meter hurdles)
Concordia: Melissa Ausman (shot put), Emma Hill (triple jump), Tori Johnson (high jump), Katrina Linenko (shot put), Christina MacDonald (shot put, weight throw)
Seattle Pacific: Scout Cai (pole vault, pentathlon, Distance Medley Relay (Mary Charleson, Kate Lilly, Chynna Phan, Lani Taylor)
Simon Fraser: Miryam Bassett (mile), Reta Dobie (3,00 meters), Julia Howley (3,000 meters), Alana Mussatto (800 meters), Paige Nock (mile), Distance Medley Relay (Nock, Bluschke, Mussatto, Howley).
Western Oregon: Kennedy Rufener (3,000 meters, 5,000 meters), Suzie Van De Grift (mile), Olivia Woods (800 meters)
Western Washington: Jasmine McMullin (triple jump)