Wednesday, March 31, 2021

THIS WEEK'S GNAC ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MEN’S TRACK
Calahan Warren, Western Washington
Senior • Auburndale, Fla.

Warren earned his second-consecutive award after winning both the 10,000 meters and 800 meters at the Ed Boitano Invitational. Warren won the 10,000 on Friday in a time of 29:55.17. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time is No. 8 in Division II this season and No. 10 on the GNAC All-Time List. On Saturday, Warren won the 800 meters in a time of 1:55.88.

Also Nominated: Zachary Davis (Central Washington), Carson Jessup (Montana State Billings), Tyler Shea (Northwest Nazarene), Jack Farrell (Saint Martin’s), Justin Crosswhite (Western Oregon).

MEN’S FIELD
Andrew Harris, Central Washington
Senior • North Bend, Wash.

Harris won the hammer throw at the Ed Boitano Invitational with an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark of 188 feet, 8 inches. The mark currently ranks No. 14 in Division II this season. Harris also placed fourth in the discus with a mark of 139 feet, 2 inches.

Also Nominated: Isaiah Girard (Montana State Billings), Dylan Hendry (Northwest Nazarene), Andrew Boyd (Saint Martin’s), JJ Walker (Western Oregon), Kacey Provo (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Ellie Rising, Seattle Pacific
Freshman • Goldendale, Wash.

Rising won the 800 meters at the Ed Boitano Invitational, running 2:13.95. The time is No. 13 in Division II this season and marks a six-second drop in her time in the event this season. Rising also ran the second leg on the Falcons’ winning 4x400-meter relay team, which crossed the line in 3:59.91.

Also Nominated: Lauryn Chandler (Central Washington), Kailee Stoppel (Montana State Billings), Lauren Wuertz (Northwest Nazarene), Cassidy Walchak-Sloan (Saint Martin’s), Maliyah Thompson (Western Oregon), Karlie Hurley (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S FIELD
Hannah Nienaber, Western Washington
Junior • Battle Ground, Wash.

Nienaber extended her NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark in the javelin, winning the event at the Ed Boitano Invitational. Her mark of 149 feet currently leads the GNAC and ranks No. 6 in Division II this season.

Also Nominated: Avery Fisk (Central Washington), Kendall Lynn (Montana State Billings), Destany Herbert (Northwest Nazarene), Eden Mortensen (Saint Martin’s), Kaylee Wright (Western Oregon).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage did not compete last week. The Seawolves return to the track at the WWU Invitational in Bellingham on Saturday.

• Alaska Anchorage opened the season at the Doris Heritage Track Festival, March 20 in Seattle.

• Sophomore Enrique Campbell led the Seawolves with a pair of top-three finishes in the sprints. He won the men’s 400 meters in 49.75 seconds, moving up to No. 9 on the UAA All-Time List. He took third in the 200 meters in 22.36 seconds.

• Senior David Sramek earned the win in the men’s long jump, leaping 21 feet, 3.25 inches. He went on to place fourth in the 400-meter hurdles in 57.29 seconds, which ranks No. 9 on the UAA All-Time List.

• Senior Lawson Sims took second in the 1,500 meters in 4:00.68. Freshman Cole Nash took third in a fast 5,000 meters in 14:45.66.

• Senior Elena Cano led the UAA women, finishing third in the 400-meter hurdles in 1:03.60. She went on to place seventh in the high jump, clearing 5 feet, 1 inch.

• Junior Tylantiss Atlas placed fifth in the women’s 800 meters in 2:22.47 while sophomore Victoria Johansen finished fifth in the 400 meters in 1:03.09.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington put together a pair of strong team performances at the Ed Boitano Invitational. The CWU women won the team competition with 154 points while the men took second with 140 points.

• Senior Andrew Harris was named the GNAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week after he won the hammer with a mark of 188 feet, 8 inches. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark leads the GNAC and is 14th in Division II this season.

• Junior Avery Fisk won a pair of throwing events on the women’s side, taking the shot put with a mark of 42 feet, 11 inches, and the discus with a mark of 136 feet, 11 inches. Both marks are the best in the GNAC this season.

• Junior Meagan Smallbeck provided a third victory in the women’s throws, capturing the hammer with a mark of 159 feet, 1 inch.

• Senior Aidan Cain took first place in the men’s discus with a GNAC-leading mark of 149 feet, 2 inches, and took second in the hammer with a mark of 176 feet, 4 inches.

• Sophomore Lauryn Chandler won the women’s 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.29 seconds. Sophomore McCall DeChenne won the 400-meter hurdles with a GNAC-leading time of 1:03.02.

• Senior Zachary Davis was the winner in the men’s 100 meters in 11.14 seconds and also placed third in the 200 meters in 22.42 seconds.

• Central Washington is off this week. The Wildcats return to action on Saturday, April 10, at the War XIII meet in Spokane.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Senior Isaiah Girard’s win in the men’s high jump led Montana State Billings’ performances at the Yellow Jacket Spring Open in Spearfish, S.D.

• Girard won the high jump by two inches, finishing with a GNAC-leading mark of 6 feet, 6.75 inches. He also competed in the long jump and 100 meters.

• Sophomore Carson Jessup led the Yellowjackets on the track, placing second in the men’s steeplechase in a time of 9:56.01. He went on to place third in the 800 meters in 2:04.40. Sophomore Ase Ackerman placed third in the 5,000 meters with his time of 15:52.80.

• Two of the Yellowjackets’ top-three finishes on the women’s side came in the throws. Freshman Joleen Pollat placed third in the shot put with a mark of 41 feet, 0.25 inches, while freshman Jordan Cookman took third in the javelin with a throw of 114 feet, 6 inches.

• Junior Kailee Stoppel was the lone competitor in the women’s steeplechase, finishing with a time of 12:37.11.

• Montana State Billings will host its second meet of the season this Thursday, the MSUB/Rocky Meet at Lockwood High School in Lockwood, Montana.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene opened the 2021 outdoor season with four event victories at the Team 4 Titus and Team 4 Ely meets in Irvine, California.

• All four wins came in the men’s section of the meet, the Team 4 Titus meet on Friday. Senior Logan Blake led the way, winning the 400 meters in a GNAC-leading time of 48.87 seconds. Blake was also part of the Nighthawks’ winning 4x400-meter relay team, which clocked in at 3:23.77.

• Freshman Dylan Tidwell won the men’s 800 meters, clocking a GNAC-leading time of 1:53.25. Tidwell also ran in the 1,500 meters, clocking a time of 4:11.13.

• Junior Tyler Shea ran away from the field in the men’s 5,000 meters, winning by 23 seconds in a time of 14:46.82. He currently has the fourth-fastest time in the GNAC.

• Freshman Brody Monson won the men’s javelin in his collegiate debut, finishing with a throw of 177 feet, 4 inches.

• In the Team 4 Ely women’s section on Saturday, senior Lauren Wuertz led the way with her third-place finish in the 400 meters in a time of 57.85 seconds. The performance is second-fastest in the GNAC this season and No. 6 on the NNU All-Time List.

• Junior Kalen Johnson placed third in the women’s 5,000 meters in a time of 18:05.76. The time is No. 2 in the GNAC this season and No. 5 on the NNU All-Time List.

• Sophomore Destany Herbert placed third in the women’s shot put with a mark of 37 feet, 5.75 inches, and went on to place fifth in the hammer and seventh in the discus.

• Northwest Nazarene will take the weekend off from competition. The Nighthawks will be back in action on April 9 and 10 at the Aggie Invitational in Logan, Utah.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s placed third in the men’s team competition and fourth in the women’s team race at the Ed Boitano Invitational in Tacoma.

• Sophomore Michael Russell won the men’s 200 meters to lead the Saints. His time of 22.10 seconds leads the conference.

• Freshman Jack Farrell won two distances. He opened the day by winning the 1,500 meters in 4:01.22 and closed with a victory in the 5,000 meters in a time of 15:47.40. Farrell’s time in the 1,500 ranks third in the GNAC this season.

• The Saints also took top honors in the men’s 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:25.88. Saint Martin’s also won the women’s 4x100-meter relay with a time of 50.28 seconds.

• Freshman Cassidy Walchak-Sloan was the Saints’ top women’s finisher, placing second in the 1,500 meters in a time of 4:54.25.

• Freshman Jocelyn Saribay added a second-place finish in the women’s shot put with a mark of 38 feet, 11 inches. The mark is the fourth-best in the GNAC this season.

• Saint Martin’s will sit out of competition this weekend. The Saints return to the track on Saturday, April 10 when they take part in the PLU Open in Tacoma.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific picked up six event victories as the Falcons’ women placed third and the men sixth at the Ed Boitano Invitational.

• Freshman Ellie Rising was named the GNAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week after she won the 800 meters in a time of 2:13.95, which ranks No. 13 in Division II this season. It was her second victory in the two-lap discipline in as many weeks and marked a six-second improvement since the start of the season.

• Senior Grace Bley won the women’s 200 meters in a GNAC-leading time of 24.61 seconds. She also ran the leadoff leg of the Falcons’ winning 4x400-meter relay team, which finished in 3:59.91. Sophomore Kelsey Washenberger won the 1,500 meters in 4:50.57.

• Senior Scout Cai won her third women’s pole vault competition in as many meets, clearing 11 feet, 9.75 inches. Junior Renick Meyer won the women’s long jump in her first competition in over a year. Her mark of 18 feet, 11.5 inches won by 16 inches.

• Sophomore Brayden Schultz earned Seattle Pacific’s best men’s finish, placing third in the 800 meters in a time of 1:58.18. He also ran the second leg on the Falcons’ second-place 4x400-meter relay team, which ran 3:33.10.

• Freshman Austin Weese took fourth in his first-ever run at the men’s steeplechase, clocking a time of 9:33.86.

• Seattle Pacific returns to competition this Saturday, competing in the WWU Invitational in Bellingham.

SIMON FRASER
• Due to the closure of the U.S./Canada border due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Simon Fraser’s track and field season is on hold.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon did not compete last weekend. The Wolves will return to the track this Saturday at the NW Distance Jamboree in Eugene, Oregon.

• Western Oregon hosted a pair of three-way meets at McArthur Field over the last week. The Wolves welcomed Humboldt State and Oregon State on March 20 and hosted Humboldt and Pacific (Ore.) on March 23.

• Junior JJ Walker picked up victories in both meets in a variety of events. On March 20, Walker won the men’s 400 meters in 53.64 seconds. On March 23, Walker was the winner in the pole vault with a clearance of 15 feet, 3 inches, and the long jump with a leap of 20 feet, 8.5 inches.

• Freshman Maya Hopwood won both women’s short sprints on March 20. She took the 100 meters in a time of 12.56 seconds and the 200 meters in 26.45 seconds.

• Junior Owen Collins won the men’s shot put in both meets, winning on March 20 with a mark of 47 feet, 2.5 inches, and on March 23 with a mark of 44 feet, 7.75 inches. Junior Sam Cole won the hammer on both days, throwing 162 feet, 6 inches on March 20 and 155 feet, 11 inches on March 23. Junior Karsten Collins won both discus competitions, winning on March 20 with a mark of 138 feet, 4 inches, and on March 23 with a mark of 141 feet, 2 inches.

• Sophomore Aaron Hanible won both men’s hurdles events on March 23, clocking a time of 16.40 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles and 57.85 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles.

• Freshman Kaylee Wright improved her NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark in the javelin on March 20, winning with a throw of 144 feet, 2 inches. She currently ranks No. 15 in Division II.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington won the men’s team competition, took second in the women’s competition and captured nine event victories at the Ed Boitano Invitational.

• Senior Calahan Warren was named the GNAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week for the second straight week after he won the 10,000 meters in 29:55.17. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time is No. 10 on the GNAC All-Time List and No. 8 in Division II this season. Warren also won the 800 meters in 1:55.88.

• Junior Hannah Nienaber repeated as GNAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week after she won the javelin with a mark of 149 feet, improving her NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark. She currently ranks No. 6 in Division II.

• The Vikings took both men’s hurdles races. Junior Koby Okezie won the 110-meter hurdles in 14.86 seconds while senior Cordell Cummings took the 400-meter hurdles in 54.13 seconds.

• Other WWU men’s winners on the track included freshman Lucas Brenek in the 400 meters in 49.52 seconds and junior Kaleb Korta in the steeplechase in 9:19.40. Men’s field event winners included freshman Damian Mercado in the high jump (6-2.75), freshman Kasey Provo in the pole vault (14-5.25) and junior Mason Salley in the javelin (179-7).

• Senior Karlie Hurley joined Nienaber as women’s winners, taking the triple jump with a mark of 37 feet, 99.25 inches, moving into No. 7 on the WWU All-Time List. She also took second in the 200 meters in 25.47 seconds.

• Western Washington will host the first of two home meets this season, the WWU Invitational, on Saturday.