Tuesday, January 25, 2022

THIS WEEK'S GNAC ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MEN’S TRACK
Ace Ackerman, Montana State Billings
Junior • Glendive, Mont.

Ackerman was the Yellowjackets’ lone individual event winner at the Dave Little Alumni Mile meet, winning the 5,000 meters in a time of 15:20.69. After conversion for track size and altitude to 14:56.58, Ackerman holds the top time in the event in the GNAC this season.

Also Nominated: Trevor Allen (Central Washington), Kainalu Pagente (Saint Martin’s), Brennen Sorah (Western Oregon).

MEN’S FIELD
Owen Collins, Western Oregon
Senior • Portland, Ore.

Collins won both throwing events at the Portland Indoor #2 meet. He won the shot put by over two feet with a mark of 45 feet, 3 inches, ranking second in the GNAC this season. Collins also had a two-foot margin of victory in the weight throw with a mark of 51 feet, 3 inches that is No. 3 in the GNAC this season.

Also Nominated: Favor Okere (Montana State Billings), Micah Au-Haupu (Saint Martin’s).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Juliette Williams, Central Washington
Sophomore • Arlington, Wash.

Williams tied the school record in the 60 meters at the Lauren McCluskey Memorial Open. The top non-Division I finisher in the race, Williams took third in a time of 7.78 seconds to tie the mark set by teammate Makenna Hansen last week. The duo is tied for third in the GNAC this season.

Also Nominated: Kailee Stoppel (Montana State Billings), Sara Sabra (Saint Martin’s), Maliyah Thompson (Western Oregon).

WOMEN’S FIELD
Erica Cabanos, Central Washington
Sophomore • Puyallup, Wash.

Cabanos won the triple jump at Saturday’s Lauren McCluskey Memorial Open with a mark of 36 feet, 7 inches. The mark ranks No. 2 in the GNAC this season.

Also Nominated: Aubrie Chapman (Montana State Billings), Brianna Cabrera (Saint Martin’s), Ana Popchock (Western Oregon).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage did not compete last week. The Seawolves return to action on January 28 and 29, competing at the UW Invitational in Seattle.

• Sophomore Joshua Wagner’s school-record performance in the men’s 60-meter hurdles led Alaska Anchorage in its debut at the Cougar Classic Open on January 14 in Spokane.

• Wagner ran 8.15 seconds in the preliminary heats, a time that is No. 2 on the GNAC All-Time List and ranks 22nd in Division II this season. He went on to finish fourth in the finals in 8.52 seconds and also placed fourth in the 200 meters in 22.49 seconds.

• In the women’s 60-meter hurdles, freshman Mette Van der Meer opened her collegiate career by running 9.20 seconds, which ranks No. 6 on the UAA all-time list.

• Freshman Coleman Nash took second in the men’s 3,000 meters in 8:28.95 while junior Jacob Moos was seventh in a time of 8:34.

• Senior Nancy Jeptoo opened the year by placing fifth in the women’s 3,000 meters in a time of 10:53.

• In the field events, senior Collin Sample placed second in the men’s long jump with a leap of 21 feet, 8 inches, which ranks No. 6 on the UAA all-time list. Sophomore Carlotta Duenninger finished 10th in the high jump with a clearance of 4 feet, 9 inches.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Winning efforts by sophomore Erica Cabanos and senior Trevor Allen and a school record-tying dash by sophomore Juliette Williams led Central Washington’s performances at the Lauren McCluskey Memorial Open in Moscow, Idaho.

• Cabanos led a sweep of the women’s weekly awards, earning GNAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week for her winning mark in the triple jump of 36 feet, 7 inches. She was a four-inch winner over Greta Kuhne of Idaho. The mark ranks No. 2 in the GNAC this season.

• Williams was selected as the GNAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week after she tied the school record in the 60 meters with a time of 7.78 seconds. She was the top non-Division I competitor in the race, placing third. Senior Makenna Hansen placed fifth in 7.86 seconds and finished second in the 200 meters in 25.32 seconds.

• Allen was the only individual winner for CWU on the track, winning the men’s mile in a time of 4:26.41. The time ranks eighth in the GNAC this season.

• Senior Meagan Smallbeck notched an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark with her second-place finish in the women’s weight throw. Her mark of 56 feet, 6.75 inches is 24th in Division II this season.

• The Wildcats also received a second-place finish from freshman Aiden Wise in the men’s 60-meter hurdles. His time of 8.59 seconds was just off the winning time of 8.44 seconds by Linfield’s Keaton Wood. The women’s 4x400-meter relay team of Yareli Ochoa, Hansen, Sarah Sewell and McCall DeChenne also placed second in 4:06.75.

• Central Washington will be among the six GNAC teams competing at the UW Invitational on Friday and Saturday in Seattle.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Junior Ase Ackerman’s victory in the men’s 5,000 meters led a pair of victories for Montana State Billings at the Dave Little Alumni Mile meet on Friday and Saturday in Spearfish, South Dakota.

• Ackerman was named the GNAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week after winning in a time of 15:20.69. He was two seconds ahead of junior teammate Logan Straus, who ran 15:22.29. After conversion to 14:56.58 for altitude and track size, Ackerman’s time is tops in the GNAC this season.

• The men’s distance medley relay team of Jordi Peiro, Ben Ralston, Jackson Bailey and Bryant Edgerton was the Yellowjackets’ other winner in a time of 11:30.94. The team was 13 seconds better than second-place Rocky Mountain.

• The MSUB women were led by a pair of second-place individual finishes. Freshman Madeline Severson finished second in the 400 meters in a time of 1:04.07. Junior Ally Whitmer added a second-place finish in the 800 meters in a time of 2:35.49.

• The women’s distance medley relay team of Kailee Stoppel, Sophia Bohl, Skyler Taylor and Kit Wiersema also placed second in a time of 14:24.33.

• Adding a second-place finish for the men was freshman Benjamin Ralson in the 200 meters in 23.86 seconds.

• Montana State Billings is right back in action this weekend, taking part in the Don Holst Open on Saturday in Chadron, Nebraska.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene will continue its indoor season at the Stacy Dragila Invitational on Saturday in Pocatello, Idaho.

• The Nighthawks opened the 2020-21 season at the Spokane Invitational on December 11.

• Freshman Miya Koch led the NNU women’s placers, tying for fourth in the high jump with a mark of 5 feet, 3 inches. Sophomore Destany Herbert placed seventh in the shot put with a mark of 42 feet, 4.75 inches and seventh in the weight throw at 49 feet, 5.5 inches. Both marks broke Herbert into the NNU top-10 lists.

• Junior Colton Burr led a number of solid NNU efforts in the men’s throws, placing fourth in the weight throw with a mark of 52 feet, 9.5 inches and eighth in the shot put with a mark of 43 feet, 10.75 inches. Junior Cody Robbins placed sixth in the men’s shot put with a mark of 44 feet, 8.75 inches.

• Freshman Steven Schmidt tied for fifth in the men’s high jump with a clearance of 6 feet, 6.75 inches. Sophomore Turner Nye added an eighth-place finish in the pole vault at 14 feet, 7.25 inches.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• A pair of second-place finishes in the 3,000 meters led Saint Martin’s performances at the Lauren McCluskey Memorial Open in Moscow, Idaho.

• Freshman Kainalu Pagente collected a second-place finish in the men’s 3,000 in a time of 8:46.09. Junior Lance Slichko was not far behind in third place in a time of 8:49.81.

• Freshman Sara Sabra placed second in the women’s 3,000 in a time of 10:45.83, leading three SMU runners to finish sixth or better in the race.

• Sophomore Andrew Boyd scored a third-place finish in the men’s 60-meter hurdles, running a time of 8.61 seconds after clocking 8.64 seconds in the preliminaries.

• The Saints’ top efforts in the field events came from the women. Junior Brianna Cabrera and freshman Phoebe Young tied for fifth in the pole vault, clearing 10 feet, while freshman Claire Skaggs placed eighth at 9 feet, 6.25 inches. Sophomore Eden Mortensen was eighth in the high jump, clearing 4 feet, 10.25 inches.

• Saint Martin’s does not compete again until February 4 and 5, competing in the WSU Open at The Podium in Spokane.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific did not compete last week. The Falcons return to the track this weekend, participating in the UW Invitational on Friday and Saturday.

• A number of top-five performances in the men’s sprints and middle distances led Seattle Pacific’s efforts at the UW Indoor Preview on January 15.

• Freshman Isaiah Archer won the men’s 1,000 meters in a time of 1:21.72 while freshman Gabe Woodard placed fifth in 1:29.38. Sophomore Jon Owen finished fourth in the 1,000 meters in 1:40.80 while sophomore Evan Carpenter was fifth in the 400 meters in a time of 51.56 seconds.

• Junior David Njeri added a third-place finish in the men’s triple jump, beating a pair of Stanford competitors with his leap of 47 feet, 9 inches.

• Sophomore Annika Esvelt led the SPU women as she lowered her NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time in the 3,000 meters. She was the first non-Division I or open athlete in a time of 9:51.80, which ranks No. 12 in Division II this season.

• Senior Madison Licari was the top women’s field event performer, placing seventh in the pole vault with a clearance of 11 feet, 2.5 inches.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser did not compete last week. The team will be in split-squad mode this weekend, sending some competitors to the John Thomas Terrier Classic in Boston and others to the UW Invitational in Seattle.

• Running in its first official meet since March 2020, Simon Fraser made a big splash against top competition at the UW Indoor Preview in Seattle on January 15.

• Junior Alison Andrews-Paul earned USTFCCCA Division II Women’s Athlete of the Week on January 18 after she won the 800 meters in 2:08.61. She won by eight seconds over Stanford’s Hannah Wilson. The time leads Division II, is No. 20 across all divisions this season and ranks No. 10 on the GNAC All-Time List.

• Junior Aaron Ahl was named the GNAC Men’s Track Co-Athlete of the Week after running 7:53.89 in the 3,000 meters. The top non-Division I or open competitor in the event, Ahl’s time is the eighth-fastest in Division II history under all conditions, leads Division II this season and is the third-fastest across all college divisions. On the GNAC All-Time List, Ahl only trails the Division II all-time best of 7:50.81 run by Western Oregon’s David Ribich in 2018.

• Junior Emily Lindsay took third in the women’s 400 meters in an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time of 56.39 seconds. The performance ranks seventh in Division II this season.

• Andrews-Paul and Lindsay combined with freshmen Erika Binder and Marie-Eloise Leclair to win the 4x400-meter relay in a time of 3:50.46. The performance ranks fourth in Division II this season. Leclair also took third in the 60 meters with a time of 7.72 seconds.

• Freshman Zackary Kuzyk took third in the men’s high jump, clearing 6 feet, 4.75 inches, and also took third in the long jump with a mark of 22 feet, 8 inches.

• The Simon Fraser women are ranked No. 21 in the first USTFCCCA Division II Team Index of the season.

WESTERN OREGON
• Two victories in the throws by senior Owen Collins led Western Oregon’s performances at the Portland Indoor #2 meet on Saturday and Sunday.

• Owens was named the GNAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week after winning the shot put with a mark of 45 feet, 3 inches, and the weight throw with a mark of 51 feet, 3 inches. The shot put mark ranks second in the GNAC this season while his mark in the weight throw ranks third.

• Junior Maya Hopwood was a winner in the women’s 60 meters with a time of 7.93 seconds while freshman Katie Chapman took first in the women’s mile in a time of 5:15.85.

• The Wolves swept the top spot in both triple jump competitions. Senior Ana Popchock won the women’s event with a mark of 36 feet, 4.75 inches. She was also second in the 60-meter hurdles in a time of 9.39 seconds. Junior Marlon Harrison won the men’s competition with a mark of 44 feet, 3.5 inches. Harrison’s mark ranks No. 2 in the GNAC this season.

• The Wolves’ other victory was in the women’s shot put with senior Moana Gianotti winning with a mark of 40 feet, 10.5 inches.

• Western Oregon heads north this weekend to compete at the UW Invitational in Seattle on Friday and Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington did not compete last week. The Vikings return to Dempsey Indoor to take part in the UW Invitational on Friday and Saturday.

• Two school records and junior Ethan Sterkel’s winning performance in the long jump led Western Washington’s efforts at the UW Indoor Preview on January 15.

• Sterkel won the long jump with a school-record mark of 23 feet, 7.25 inches. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying performance ranks 21st in Division II this season. Sterkel also took second in the high jump with a mark of 6 feet, 6.75 inches.

• Junior Mac Franks established a WWU record in the 3,000 meters with a time of 8:14.59. He placed 19th in the 50-competitor field. His time ranks No. 10 on the GNAC All-Time List and No. 8 in Division II this season. In the same event, freshman Kevin McDermott ran an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time of 8:19.37, which ranks 17th in Division II this season.

• Sophomore Raine Westfall set the WWU record in the women’s weight throw, placing fourth with a mark of 49 feet, 10.5 inches.

• Freshman Mia Crocker added a third-place finish in the women’s 800 meters with a time of 2:20.16, The time ranks No. 8 on the WWU all-time list.

• In the men’s sprints, freshman Tyrone Woodard placed eighth in the 60 meters with a time of 7.22 seconds after running 7.12 seconds in the preliminary heats. Freshman Ryan Henry placed third in 200 meters in 22.85 seconds with freshman Lucas Brenek right behind in fourth at 23.09 seconds.