Wednesday, April 14, 2021

THIS WEEK'S GNAC ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MEN’S TRACK
Lawson Sims, Western Washington
Senior • Casper, Wyo.

Sims provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships with his victory in the steeplechase at the John Knight Twilight. His time of 9:05.98 ranks No. 12 in Division II this season and is the fifth-fastest in UAA history. Sims also ran the third leg on the Seawolves’ 4x400-meter relay team that finished second in 3:30.42.

Also Nominated: Ryan Thoma (Central Washington), Mason Schram (Montana State Billings), Logan Blake (Northwest Nazarene), Michael Russell (Saint Martin’s), Hunter Hutton (Western Oregon), Koby Okezie (Western Washington).

MEN’S FIELD
Trent Kibler, Western Washington
Freshman • Tumwater, Wash.

Kibler won the high jump at the John Knight Twilight by two inches, finishing with a clearance of 6 feet, 6.75 inches. The mark is the second-best in the GNAC this season.

Also Nominated: Aidan Cain (Central Washington), Beau Ackerman (Montana State Billings), Matt Mitchell (Northwest Nazarene), Micah Au-Haupu (Saint Martin’s), Austin Goldstein (Western Oregon).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Maya Hopwood, Western Oregon
Freshman • Bend, Ore.

Hopwood ran the fastest time in the GNAC this season in the 100 meters at the John Knight Twilight. She won the event with a personal-best time of 12.25 seconds, tying her with Seattle Pacific’s Julia Stepper for the top mark in the conference. She also took second in the 200 meters in a time of 26.43 seconds.

Also Nominated: Elena Cano (Alaska Anchorage), McCall DeChenne (Central Washington), Kailee Stoppel (Montana State Billings), Lauren Wuertz (Northwest Nazarene), Cassidy Walchak-Sloan (Saint Martin’s), Karlie Hurley (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S FIELD
Kinsey Langin, Northwest Nazarene
Freshman • Meridian, Idaho

Langin tied for first in the pole vault at the Aggie Invitational, breaking the NNU outdoor record with her mark of 12 feet, 5.5 inches. The mark surpassed the previous record of 12-2.25 set by Alison Silva in 2014. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark ranks in a tie for 25th in Division II this season and is No. 7 on the GNAC All-Time List.

Also Nominated: Avery Fisk (Central Washington), Jordan Cookman (Montana State Billings), Jocelyn Saribay (Saint Martin’s), Moana Gianotti (Western Oregon), Hannah Nienaber (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Led by senior Lawson Sims, Alaska Anchorage won seven events at the John Knight Twilight on Friday and Saturday.

• Sims was named the GNAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week after he won the steeplechase in a time of 9:05.88. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time ranks No. 12 in Division II this season.

• Freshman Joshua Wagner won the men’s 200 meters in 22.40 seconds. He went on to place second in the 110-meter hurdles in 14.84 seconds and third in the 100 meters in 10.97 seconds. Wagner also ran legs on both Seawolves’ winning relay teams. He was the leadoff leg of the 4x400-meter relay team that won in 3:30.42 and the second leg of the 4x100-meter relay team that won in 43.14 seconds.

• Senior Elena Cano won the 400-meter hurdles in 1:04.81. She also took second in both the 100-meter hurdles (15.03) and the long jump (17-1) and placed third in the high jump (5-2.5). Cano ran the leadoff leg of the Seawolves’ winning 4x400-meter relay team, which won in 4:11.93.

• Freshman Cole Nash was the winner by a literal hair in the men’s 5,000 meters. His time of 14:38.886 just beat out Ian Vickstrom, who finished in 14:38.887.

• Junior Tylantiss Atlas picked up the victory in the women’s 400 meters with a GNAC-leading time of 56.97 seconds.

• Alaska Anchorage is off this weekend. The Seawolves return to Monmouth on Saturday, April 23, to compete in the Western Oregon Pop-Up Meet.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• A sweep of the top spots in the long jump led five event victories for Central Washington at the War XIV Meet in Spokane.

• Freshman Ryan Thoma won the men’s long jump with a mark of 22 feet. 3.75 inches. Junior Jillian Taylor made it a sweep when she won the women’s long jump with her mark of 16 feet, 8.75 inches.

• Sophomore McCall DeChenne won the women’s 400-meter hurdles with the fastest time in the GNAC this season, running a time of 1:02.28. DeChenne also took second in the 100-meter hurdles in 15.16 seconds.

• The Wildcats picked up a pair of relay victories. The women’s 4x400-meter relay team won in a time of 4:03.23 while the men’s 4x100-meter relay team won in a time of 42.56 seconds.

• Central also had a number of second-place finishes in the field events. Junior Avery Fisk took second in the women’s discus with a mark of 135 feet, 8 inches. Senior Andrew Harris was second in the men’s hammer with a mark of 188 feet, 7 inches while senior Braydon Maier was second in the men’s pole vault with a clearance of 15 feet, 2.75 inches. Junior Rachelle Hamilton placed second in the women’s high jump, clearing 5 feet, 3 inches.

• Junior Molly Mattson added a second-place finish in the women’s 1,500 meters in a time of 5:00.25.

• Central Washington will spend this weekend at home, hosting the CWU Wildcat Invitational on Friday and Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings picked up five event victories at the Bauer Open in Rapid City, South Dakota.

• Senior Mason Schram was a winner in the men’s 100 meters, clocking a time of 10.97 seconds that is just off his season-best of 10.93 seconds. Junior Carson Jessup added a victory in the men’s steeplechase in a time of 9:33.89.

• The Yellowjackets swept top honors in the javelin. Senior Beau Ackerman threw over 200 feet again as he won the men’s javelin with a mark of 213 feet, 8 inches. Freshman Jordan Cookman improved her school record in the women’s javelin with a mark of 126 feet, 4 inches. It is the third time she has reset the school record this season.

• Freshman Kendall Lynn won the women’s long jump with a mark of 17 feet, 3.25 inches, and went on to post a season-best of 1:10.29 in the 400-meter hurdles to place third.

• The MSUB women were led on the track by junior Sierra Durbin, who was second in the 400-meter hurdles in 1:08.72. Durbin also ran the second leg on the Yellowjackets’ 4x400-meter relay team, which placed second in 4:24.29.

• Montana State Billings returns to competition on Friday and Saturday, taking part in the Idaho State Bengal Open in Pocatello, Idaho.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Freshman Kinsey Langin’s NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark in the women’s javelin led Northwest Nazarene against Division I competition at the Aggie Invitational in Logan, Utah.

• Langin was named the GNAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week after she took first in a tiebreaker over Idaho State’s Louis Lallement with a mark of 12 feet, 5.5 inches. The mark moves Langin to No. 7 on the GNAC All-Time List and ties her for 25th in Division II this season. It also set an NNU school record, surpassing the 12 feet, 2.25 inches set by Alison Silva in 2014.

• Junior Treyson Conley was the Nighthawks’ other event winner as he won the men’s steeplechase in a time of 11:04.17.

• The Nighthawks collected a pair of second-place finishes in the 400 meters. Senior Logan Blake took second in the men’s 400 with a time of 49.67 seconds. Senior Lauren Wuertz took second in the women’s 400 in a time of 55.02 seconds. Wuertz also ran the second-fastest time in NNU history in the women’s 200 in 25.25 seconds.

• Freshman Dylan Tidwell was the other top-three finisher for NNU, placing third in the 800 meters in 1:56.76.

• Northwest Nazarene is right back in action this weekend, traveling to Ellensburg, Washington to take part in the CWU Wildcat Invitational on Friday and Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• It was a full day for Saint Martin’s as the Saints had 10 event winners at the PLU Invitational in Tacoma, Washington.

• Sophomore Michael Russell picked up victories in both the men’s 100 meters and 200 meters. He won the 100 meters in a time of 10.96 and the 200 meters in a time of 22.10 seconds, which ties his GNAC-leading time.

• Freshman Makiya Worthy made it a sweep of the 100 meters, winning the women’s race in a time of 12.35 seconds. Worthy placed second in the 200 meters in 24.94 seconds.

• In the distances, freshman Cassidy Sloan-Walchak won the women’s 1,500 meters in a time of 4:51.28 and freshman Nicholas Sarysz won the men’s metric mile in 4:07.62. In the women’s 5,000 meters, freshman Elaina Hansen won in a time of 18:51.96.

• Freshman Margaret Zilla won the women’s triple jump with her mark of 34 feet, 2.25 inches. Freshman Jocelyn Saribay added a first-place finish in the women’s shot put with her mark of 38 feet, 3.25 inches.

• Sophomore Andrew Boyd added a victory in the men’s 110-meter hurdles, clocking a time of 15.74 seconds. In the men’s javelin, sophomore Landon Armstrong won with his throw of 163 feet, 9 inches.

• Saint Martin’s will not compete next weekend. The Saints will be back in action on April 24 at the Peyton-Shotwell Invitational in Tacoma, Washington.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Competing in a rare dual meet with Division I SeattleU, Seattle Pacific picked up 14 event victories in the competition on Friday at West Seattle Stadium.

• Senior Grace Bley picked up two victories in the meet, taking the women’s 100 meters in 12.34 seconds and the 200 meters in 26.10 seconds. Junior Renick Meyer also won a pair of events, winning the women’s long jump with a leap of 18 feet, 4.5 inches and the 100-meter hurdles in 14.81 seconds.

• Senior Scout Cai also won twice, capturing the women’s javelin with a mark of 115 feet, 4 inches before winning her specialty, the pole vault with a clearance of  10 feet, 11.75 inches. At Saturday’s PLU Invitational, Cai equaled that 10 feet, 11.75 inches to tie for first.

• Freshman Julius Shepherd led the efforts for the SPU men, winning the 400 meters in 52.37 seconds. Freshman Evan Carpenter added a win in the 200 meters with a time of 23.95 seconds.

• Sophomore Jared Putney won the men’s steeplechase by 10 seconds, clocking a personal-best time of 9:37.15. Freshman Kainoa Lee won the men’s pole vault with a clearance of 12 feet, 11.5 inches while sophomore David Njeri won the long jump with his mark of 20 feet, 4.5 inches.

• Seattle Pacific returns to action this Friday and Saturday, competing in the CWU Wildcat Invitational.

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 finished with eight event victories as the Wolves hosted the John Knight Twilight at McArthur Field.

• Freshman Maya Hopwood was named the GNAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week after her win in the 100 meters and a second-place finish in the 200 meters. Hopwood ran 12.25 seconds in the 100, tying her for first in the GNAC this season. She finished second in the 200 with a time of 26.43 seconds.

• Junior Moana Gianotti was the Wolves’ lone two-event winner, capturing the discus with a mark of 134 feet, 9 inches, and the hammer with a mark of 151 feet.

• Sophomore Hunter Hutton earned an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier in the men’s 1,500 meters. He finished second with a time of 3:49.24, which ranks 23rd in Division II this season.

• Senior Austin Goldstein led the way for the WOU men, winning the javelin with his mark of 188 feet, 1 inch. Junior Sam Cole was the winner in the hammer with his mark of 163 feet.

• In the distances, senior Justin Crosswhite just missed his personal best in the men’s 800 meters, winning with a time of 1:53.98. Crosswhite also ran the anchor leg on the Wolves’ men’s 4x400-meter relay team which won in a time of 3:26.52. Sophomore Caitlin Heldt won the women’s 5,000 meters in a time of 18:18.47.

• Western Oregon will compete in two meets next weekend. The Wolves will send athletes to both the CWU Wildcat Invitational on Friday and Saturday and also send athletes to the Lane CC Invite in Eugene, Oregon.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington finished with 11 victories as the Vikings split their squad between the John Knight Twilight and the PLU Invitational.

• Freshman Trent Kibler was named the GNAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week after he won the high jump at the John Knight Twilight. His mark of 6 feet, 6.75 inches is second in the GNAC this season.

• Senior Hannah Nienaber improved her NCAA Championships provisional mark at the John Knight Twilight, winning the women’s javelin with a mark of 155 feet, 11 inches. The mark ranks fifth in Division II this season and is No. 14 on the GNAC All-Time List.

• The Vikings had a pair of provisional qualifiers in the men’s distances in Monmouth. Senior Mac Franks was third in the 1,500 in 3:49.57, ranking him 26th in Division II. Junior Kaleb Korta took second in the steeplechase in 9:12.73, which ranks No. 16 in Division II.

• The Vikings swept the men’s hurdle races in Monmouth with junior Koby Okezie winning the 110-meter hurdles in 14.69 seconds that moved him into No. 7 on the GNAC All-Time List. Senior Cordell Cummings won the 400-meter hurdles in 53.90 seconds.

• In the women’s sprints at the John Knight, senior Karlie Hurley won the 200 meters in 25.13 seconds. Sophomore Aliyah Dawkins captured the 100-meter hurdles in 14.96 seconds.

• Western Washington returns to action this weekend, competing in the CWU Wildcat Invitational on Friday and Saturday.