Monday, April 16, 2018

PORTLAND, Ore. – Record-breaking performances for Concordia’s Melissa Ausman and Alaska Anchorage’s Danielle McCormick are becoming commonplace this season, as is the appearance of both athlete’s names on the GNAC Athlete of the Week selections.

Ausman repeated as the GNAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week after she shattered her own conference record in the discus. She placed fourth in the event at the Triton Invitational with a mark of 182 feet, 10 inches. The performance is also an NCAA Championships automatic qualifier and is the second-best mark in Division II this season.

McCormick collected Women’s Track Athlete of the Week honors after she broke her school record and automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 800 meters at the Triton Invitational. McCormick won the non-Division I flights of the race with a time of 2:06.17, a time that is third-fastest in Division II this season and No. 7 on the GNAC All-Time List.

Northwest Nazarene’s John Van Beuren was selected as the Men’s Field Athlete of the Week after he won three of the four throwing events at the NNU Invitational. He won his first outdoor shot put competition of the season with a mark of 49 feet, 5 inches, captured the hammer with a mark of 175 feet and the discus with an effort of 154 feet, 8 inches.

Simon Fraser’s Vladislav Tsygankov earned Men’s Track Athlete of the Week honors for his second-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles at the Triton Invitational. His time of 52.15 seconds was the fastest time of the non-Division I sections and ranks as the seventh-fastest in Division II this season.

Northwest Nazarene once again swept both softball awards as the Nighthawks moved into a tie for first place in the GNAC standings with a series victory over Central Washington. Anna Williams was named the Softball Player of the Week after she hit .454 in the four games, going 6 for 11 with five runs, six RBIs, two doubles, a triple and a pair of home runs. Jordan Adams repeated as the Softball Pitcher of the Week after she allowed five runs, two earned, on 11 hits and three walks while striking out 10 in 15 innings of work. She went 2-0 in three appearances.

The Nighthawks also had the Baseball Pitcher of the Week in Greg Casper. The junior earned the complete-game 4-2 win over Montana State Billings in Friday’s second game, allowing two runs on four hits and four walks while striking out nine. The Yellowjackets’ Kaleo Johnson earned Baseball Player of the Week honors after he hit .438 in a series win over NNU, going 7 for 16 with two doubles, six RBIs and a 1.125 slugging percentage.

Concordia’s Cammie Decker was named the Women’s Golf Player of the Week after she led golfers from four GNAC teams at the Mustang Intercollegiate. Decker tied for 23rd with a two-round score of 4-over-par 148.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 33
BASEBALL PLAYER
Kaleo Johnson (Montana State Billings, IF, 6-3, Jr., Alameda, Calif. – Laney Coll.): Johnson led the Yellowjackets to a series victory over Northwest Nazarene by hitting .438 in the four games, going 7 for 16 with two doubles, six RBIs and a 1.125 slugging percentage. He went 2 for 6 with a two-run homer in Friday’s series-opening 6-5 victory and then went 3 for 4 in Saturday’s opening game, which included a pair of doubles and a home run in MSUB’s 18-10 rout. Johnson closed the series with a solo home run in Saturday’s nightcap, a 3-2 MSUB victory. Also Nominated: Tristin Parton (Central Washington), Mitch Bevacqua (Concordia), Austin Feist (Saint Martin’s), Spencer Bennion (Western Oregon).

BASEBALL PITCHER
Greg Casper (Northwest Nazarene, P, 6-0, Jr., Pocatello, Idaho – South Dakota State Univ.): Casper earned the complete-game victory in the Nighthawks’ 4-2 win on Friday over Montana State Billings to improve to 3-2 on the season. He allowed two runs on four hits and four walks and struck out nine. Also Nominated: Seth Pedersen (Central Washington), Isaac Mitchum (Concordia), Tristan Shockley (Montana State Billings), Tanner Inouye (Saint Martin’s).

SOFTBALL PLAYER
Anna Williams (Northwest Nazarene, UT, 5-6, Jr., Filer, Idaho – Walla Walla CC): Williams led the Nighthawks’ continued surge in the GNAC softball race by batting .545 in four games against Central Washington, going 6 for 11 with five runs, six RBIs, two doubles, a triple and two home runs. In Friday’s opener, Williams went 2 for 3 and brought home the tying run on an RBI single to right in the 3-2 win. In Saturday’s opener, Williams went 2 for 3 again with a two-RBI double in the fourth and added a solo home run in the second game. With the wins, NNU moved into a tie with Central Washington for first place in the GNAC. Also Nominated: Jordan Smith-Imes (Concordia), Cameron Cassinelli (Montana State Billings), Lindsay Miller (Saint Martin’s), Cheyanne Rimer (Western Oregon).

SOFTBALL PITCHER
Jordan Adams (Northwest Nazarene, P/1B, 5-8, Fr., Gig Harbor, Wash. – Gig Harbor): Adams earned her second straight selection after she won two more games for the Nighthawks to help NNU pull into a first-place tie in the GNAC with Central Washington. She compiled a 0.93 earned run average in 15 innings, allowing five runs, two earned, on 11 hits and three walks while striking out 10. Adams allowed two unearned runs in Friday’s opener with CWU on four hits and struck out seven for the 3-2 victory. She opened Saturday’s twinbill by allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits with a walk and three strikeouts to win 7-3. Adams closed the series with one inning of relief in the nightcap. Also Nominated: Tori Muir (Concordia), Megan Dettling (Montana State Billings), Lindsay Miller (Saint Martin’s), Haley Fabian (Western Oregon).

MEN’S TRACK
Vladislav Tsygankov (Simon Fraser, Sr., Moscow, Russia – 1521): Tsygankov improved his season-best in the 400-meter hurdles at the Triton Invitational. He won the non-Division I section of the race and had the second-fastest time of the day with a time of 52.15 seconds. The performance leads the GNAC and is now seventh in Division II this season. Also Nominated: Carlos Ortiz (Concordia), Sam Zook (Montana State Billings), Jackson Hand (Saint Martin’s).

MEN’S FIELD
John Van Beuren (Northwest Nazarene, Sr., Boise, Idaho - Centennial): Van Beuren won three of the throw throwing events at the NNU Invitational. He won his first outdoor shot put of the season with a mark of 49 feet, 5 inches. Van Beuren won the hammer with a mark of 175 feet, 13 inches off of his school record and No. 4 in the GNAC this season. He capped the meet with his fourth victory of the season in the discus with a mark of 154 feet, 8 inches. Also Nominated: Jakob Chamberlin (Concordia), Nels Flanagan (Montana State Billings), Kauanoe Vanderpoel (Saint Martin’s), Brandon Pless (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Danielle McCormick (Alaska Anchorage, Sr., Soldotna, Alaska – Soldotna): McCormick automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 800 meters at the Triton Invitational. She won the non-Division I flights of the event with a time of 2:06.17. She set an Alaska Anchorage record, moved to No. 7 on the GNAC All-Time List and recorded the third-fastest time in Division II this season. Also Nominated: Bailey Fjelstul (Concordia), Michaela Johnson (Montana State Billings), Artresa Nickelson (Saint Martin’s), Julia Stepper (Seattle Pacific), Addy Townsend (Simon Fraser), Savannah Smith (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S FIELD
Melissa Ausman (Concordia, Sr., Nyssa, Ore. – Oregon State Univ.): Ausman was selected for the second consecutive week after she broke the GNAC record in the discus for the second time in as many meets. She placed fourth in the event at the Triton Invitational with a mark of 182 feet, 10 inches, which shattered her record-mark from last week by 12 feet. The NCAA Championships automatic qualifying mark is second in Division II this season. Ausman also hit an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier in the shot put with a mark of 48 feet, 2.5 inches, ranking her No. 4 on the GNAC All-Time List and 13th in Division II this season. Also Nominated: Hannah Nessan (Montana State Billings), Liz Larson (Saint Martin’s), Chanelle Eddy (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S GOLF
Cammie Decker (Concordia, So., Keizer, Ore. – McNary): In the Cavaliers’ final tune-up prior to the GNAC Championships, Decker led conference players as she tied for 23rd at the Mustang Intercollegiate. She carded a two-round score of 4-over-par 148 and recorded a low round of even-par 72 in the first 18 holes. Also Nominated: Bailee Dexter (Montana State Billings), Hannah Reynolds (Saint Martin’s), Megan Billeter (Western Washington).