Tuesday, February 1, 2022

THIS WEEK'S GNAC ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MEN’S TRACK
Aaron Ahl, Simon Fraser
Junior • Calgary, Alta.

Ahl ran the second-fastest mile in Division II history and became the second GNAC athlete to break the four-minute barrier at the John Thomas Terrier Classic. Ahl placed fifth in the largely Division I field on Sunday, finishing in 3:57.95 to break the conference record of 3:58.88 set by Western Oregon’s David Ribich in 2018. On Friday, Ahl also anchored SFU’s distance medley relay team that surpassed the Division II record on Friday. The team finished in 9:38.04, eclipsing the previous GNAC and Division II record of 9:40.15 set by Western Oregon in 2017 (American International set the new Division II record in the same race in 9:36.62).

Also Nominated: Austin Albertin (Central Washington), Ase Ackerman (Montana State Billings), Hunter Hutton (Western Oregon), Hunter Flick (Western Washington).

MEN’S FIELD
Ethan Sterkel, Western Washington
Junior • Longview, Wash.

Sterkel tied his Western Washington record and No. 4 GNAC all-time mark in the long jump at the UW Invitational. Sterkel won with a mark of 23 feet, 9.5 inches, posting a victory over the 23-athlete field by nearly eight inches. The mark leads the GNAC this season and ranks 18th in Division II.

Also Nominated: Coen Giusti (Montana State Billings), Blake Furtado (Simon Fraser), Owen Collins (Western Oregon).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Annika Esvelt, Seattle Pacific
Freshman • Spokane, Wash.

Running her first ever 5,000 meters on the track, Esvelt ran the second-fastest time in Division II this season with a time of 16:31.74 at the UW Invitational. Esvelt placed second out of 18 finishers, 14 of whom were Division I competitors. The performance ranks No. 7 on the GNAC All-Time List and is No. 2 on Seattle Pacific’s all-time list.

Also Nominated: Kailee Stoppel (Montana State Billings), Marie-Eloise Leclair (Simon Fraser), Caitlin Heldt (Western Oregon), Mia Crocker (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S FIELD
Jenelle Hurley, Western Oregon
Sophomore • Grants Pass, Ore.

Hurley turned in the top mark in the GNAC this season in the long jump at the UW Invitational. Her fourth-place mark of 18 feet, 2.25 inches was just short of the NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark. Hurley also finished with a mark of 5 feet, 0.25 inches in the high jump and 9.58 in the 60-meter hurdles.

Also Nominated: Brynn Jolma (Montana State Billings), Kennedy Primrose (Simon Fraser), Raine Westfall (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage saw three school records fall as the Seawolves competed at the UW Invitational on Friday and Saturday in Seattle.

• Sophomore Joshua Wagner lowered his own school record in the men’s 60-meter hurdles, finishing third in a time of 8.09 seconds. The mark ranks third on the GNAC All-Time List after Western Washington’s Hunter Flick broke the GNAC record in the same race. The time is 17th in Division II this season.

• Freshman Mette Van der Meer set a school record in the women’s pole vault, clearing 11 feet. 2.5 inches to finish in 11th place. Van der Meer also placed seventh in the 60-meter hurdles in 9.17 seconds.

• Junior Enrique Campbell tied the school record in the men’s 60-meter hurdles in a time of 6.92 seconds, placing second. The time leads the GNAC and is just short of the NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time of 6.87 seconds.

• Freshman Coleman Nash ran an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time in the men’s 5,000 meters. His 13th place time of 14:29.18 ranks 18th in Division II this season.

• The men’s 4x400-meter relay team of Wagner, Jacob Belanger, Timothy Hunter and Campbell placed third in 3:22.83. The women’s 4x400-meter relay team of Victoria Johansen, Blanca De Arvizu Sarrias, Kaitlyn Bachman and Tylantiss Atlas placed fifth in 4:14.38.

• Alaska Anchorage heads back south this week to take part in the WSU Open on Friday and Saturday in Spokane.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Senior Austin Albertin’s winning performance in the men’s 400 meters led Central Washington’s performances at the UW Invitational.

• Albertin bettered a field of 22 athletes, mostly from the Division II ranks, with a time of 49.21 seconds. He was a full second ahead of second-place Lucas Brenek of Western Washington. Albertin also placed ninth in the 200 meters in 22.78 seconds.

• Juniors McCall DeChenne and Lauryn Chandler both raced in the finals of the women’s 60-meter hurdles. DeChenne finished fifth in a time of 8.97 seconds that is the best in the GNAC this season. Chandler placed sixth in 8.99 seconds, the second-best time in the conference. DeChenne was second in the preliminaries with a time of 9.03 seconds.

• Senior Meagan Smallbeck was the top non-Division I finisher in the women’s weight throw, placing fifth with a mark of 54 feet, 4.5 inches.

• Senior Bryan Sidor led the way in the men’s 200 meters, placing seventh in a time of 22.75 seconds. Freshman Aiden Wise added an eighth-place finish in the men’s 60-meters, running 8.65 after clocking 8.62 seconds in the preliminaries.

• Junior Omar Young put together a fourth-place finish in the men’s weight throw with a mark of 51 feet, 3 inches.

• Central Washington heads east to Spokane this week, taking part in the WSU Open on Friday and Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Juniors Ase Ackerman and Kailee Stoppel swept the 800 meters and mile in their respective genders, earning the majority of Montana State Billings’ five wins at the Don Holst Open on Saturday in Chadron, Nebraska.

• Ackerman finished just ahead of teammate Carson Jessop in the men’s 800 meters, winning in a time of 2:05.05. Jessop was second in 2:00.27. Ackerman was a two-second winner of teammate Logan Straus in the mile, clocking a time of 4:22.22.

• Stoppel was the winner in the women’s 800 meters by nearly five seconds, crossing the line in a time of 2:23.59. Stoppel was a four-second winner in the mile, capturing the race in a time of 5:21.02.

• Sophomore Kendall Lynn was a winner once again in the women’s triple jump, finishing with a mark of 35 feet, 1 inch. Lynn also improved her season-best in the long jump with a mark of 16 feet, 8.5 inches.

• Sophomore Bradley Graves made his debut in the men’s 60-meter hurdles and placed second with a time of 8.63 seconds. The time ranks seventh in the GNAC this season and 0.12 seconds off of the MSUB record.

• Freshman Chantel Chase also performed well in her first time in the women’s 60 meters, placing fourth with a time of 8.25 seconds. The performance ranks seventh in MSUB history.

• The women’s 4x400-meter relay team of Madeline Severson, Annelise Clark, Chase and Skyler Taylor took second with a time of 4:21.77.

• Montana State Billings is off this weekend. The Yellowjackets conclude the indoor regular season at the Mountain State Games on February 11 and 12 in Pocatello, Idaho.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Victories by junior Colton Sedlacek in the men’s triple jump and junior Dylan Hendry in the men’s weight throw led Northwest Nazarene’s return to competition at the Stacy Dragila Invitational on Saturday in Pocatello, Idaho.

• Sedlacek led three finishers in the triple jump, winning with a mark of 41 feet, 9.75 inches.

• Hendry paced a one-two finish for the Nighthawks in the weight throw with his winning mark of 55 feet, 10.5 inches. Junior Colton Burr was close behind in second place with his mark of 55 feet, 9.25 inches. The marks rank No. 1 and No. 2 in the GNAC this season.

• Junior Abbey Wood had a great debut for NNU, taking second in the women’s 60 meters in a time of 7.79 seconds. The time just missed the NNU school record and ranks fifth in the GNAC this season. Wood also ran a lifetime best in the 200 meters, clocking 26.64 seconds.

• Sophomore Ellie Alberts was the Nighthawks’ top competitor in the women’s field events, finishing fifth in the triple jump with a mark of 34 feet, 1.25 inches. Sophomore Destany Herbert placed fifth in the shot put with a mark of 40 feet, 4.25 inches. Herbert’s mark is No. 2 in the GNAC this season.

• Freshman Kinsey Langin placed sixth in the pole vault with a clearance of 11 feet, 4.5 inches. Freshman Julie Cheney also cleared 11 feet, 4.5 inches and was awarded eighth place. The two are tied for second in the GNAC this season.

• Freshman Steven Schmidt tied for fourth in the men’s high jump with three other competitors, clearing 6 feet, 5 inches.

• Northwest Nazarene returns to action this weekend, competing at the WSU Open on Friday and Saturday in Spokane.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s did not compete last week. The Saints will be among the six GNAC teams competing at the WSU Open on Friday and Saturday in Spokane.

• 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 on January 22.

• 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.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Sophomore Annika Esvelt’s super debut in the women’s 5,000 meters led Seattle Pacific’s performances at the UW Invitational.

• Esvelt was named the GNAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week after she placed second in her first track race at the distance with a time of 16:31.74. The time ranks No. 2 in SPU history, No. 2 in Division II this season and No. 7 on the GNAC All-Time List.

• Sophomore Jeff Gordon had the Falcons’ best men’s track race of the meet, placing sixth in the 200 meters with a time of 22.73 seconds. Gordon also just missed the finals in the 60 meters, placing 12th in the preliminaries with a time of 7.14 seconds.

• Sophomore Julius Shepherd was 11th in a time of 22.88 seconds. He went on to place sixth in the 400 meters with a time of 51.14 seconds.

• In the women’s sprints, seniors Peace Igbonagwam and Jenna Bouyer just missed spots in the 60-meter final. Both athletes ran times of 7.85 seconds, with Igbonagwam placing 11th and Bouyer placing 13th in the preliminaries. The duo also finished back-to-back in the 400 meters, with Igbonagwam clocking 58.71 seconds and Bouyer clocking 58.77 seconds.

• Junior David Njeri was SPU’s top athlete in the men’s field events, placing third in the triple jump with a mark of 47 feet, 1.5 inches and fifth in the long jump with a leap of 22 feet, 7 inches. Sophomore Kainoa Lee placed fourth in the pole vault with a clearance of 14 feet, 3.25 inches.

• Seattle Pacific will not compete this week. The Falcons return to the track on February 11 and 12 at the Husky Classic in Seattle.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser set two GNAC records, ran two times ranked No. 2 in Division II history, established four GNAC all-time top-10 marks and notched 10 NCAA Championships provisional qualifying marks at the John Thomas Terrier Classic on Friday and Sunday in Boston.

• For its outstanding performances against fields dominated by Division I competition, Simon Fraser was named the GNAC Team of the Week.

• Junior Aaron Ahl was named the GNAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week after running the second-fastest time in Division II history in the mile. Ahl placed fifth in a time of 3:57.95 to surpass the former GNAC record of 3:58.88 set by Western Oregon’s David Ribich in 2018. Ahl is only the second GNAC athlete to break the four-minute mile barrier.

• Ahl also teamed with freshman Ephrem Mekonnen, sophomore Callum Robinson and freshman Aiden Good to surpass the previous Division II record in the men’s distance medley relay. The team placed third in a time of 9:38.04, eclipsing the former GNAC and Division II record of 9:40.15 set by Western Oregon in 2017. The time ranks No. 2 in Division II history as American International ran 9:36.62 to win the same race.

• Senior Alison Andrews-Paul ran the second-fastest time in Division II history in the women’s 1,000 meters. Andrews-Paul finished a close second place to Boston College’s Katherine Mitchell in a time of 2:44.54.

• Andrews-Paul teamed with sophomore Erika Binder, freshman Marie-Eloise Leclair and junior Emily Lindsay to place second in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:46.88. The time ranks fourth in Division II this season and No. 6 on the GNAC All-Time List.

• Among the SFU women to earn NCAA Championships provisional qualifying marks were Leclair in the 200 meters (24.82, 17th), sophomore Megan Roxby in the mile (4:57.67, 33rd) and junior Olivia Willett in the mile (9:50.83, 21st).

• Other Simon Fraser men earning NCAA Championships provisional qualifying marks included Good in the 800 meters (1:52.39, 27th), freshman Henry Ruckman-Utting in the mile (4:09.10, 30th) and freshman Scott Arndt in the 3,000 meters (8:12.80, 11th).

• The Simon Fraser women moved up to No. 15 in the USTFCCCA Division II Team Index while Simon Fraser earned a top 25 spot for the first time this season at No. 11.

• Simon Fraser is back in action this weekend in Spokane, competing at the WSU Open on Friday and Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon saw a number of solid performances on Friday and Saturday at the UW Invitational.

• Junior Jenelle Hurley was named the GNAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week after she turned in the top mark of the GNAC this season in the long jump, placing fourth with a mark of 18 feet, 2.25 inches. She also posted a mark of 5 feet, 0.25 inches in the high jump and 9.58 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles.

• Senior Hunter Hutton improved his NCAA Championships provisional qualifier in the men’s mile. Hutton placed 25th in a time of 4:07.37 that ranks second in the GNAC this season and No. 22 in Division II.

• Sophomore Maliyah Thompson just missed the finals in the women’s 60-meter hurdles, placing second in the preliminaries in a time of 9.48 seconds. Freshman Brennan Sorah just missed in the men’s 60-meter hurdles with an 11th-place time in the preliminaries of 8.87 seconds.

• Senior Moana Gianotti added an eighth-place finish in the women’s shot put with a mark of 42 feet, 4 inches and placed 10th in the weight throw with a mark of 48 feet, 3.5 inches.

• In the men’s throws, senior Owen Collins placed fifth in the men’s shot put with a mark of 47 feet, 3.75 inches and was eighth in the weight throw at 44 feet, 11 inches.

• Western Oregon will be among the GNAC teams competing at the WSU Open on Friday and Saturday in Spokane.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Freshman Hunter Flick’s GNAC record in the men’s 60-meter hurdles and junior Ethan Sterkel’s school-record tying performance in the long jump headlined a solid Western Washington weekend at the UW Invitational.

• Flick ran a blistering 8.07 seconds to place second in the finals and surpassed the previous WWU and conference record of 8.08 seconds set by Travis Milbrandt in 2015. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time ranks No. 15 in Division II.

• Sterkel was named the GNAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week after he won the long jump with a mark of 23 feet, 9.5 inches. The mark tied his own WWU record and his No. 4 mark on the GNAC All-Time List. The performance also improved his NCAA Championships provisional qualifier, ranking No. 18.

• Junior Mac Franks reset his own school record in the men’s 800 meters, placing fifth with a time of 1:51.47. The time ranks No. 7 on the GNAC All-Time List, leads the conference in 2022 and is 27th in Division II this season.

• Freshman Raine Westfall improved her own school record in the women’s weight throw, placing eighth with a mark of 50 feet, 0.5 inches. The performance ranks No. 2 in the GNAC this season.

• The men’s distance medley relay team of Kevin McDermott, Mark Daniels, Landon Sturdevant and Franks broke the school record with a second-place time of 9:54.13. The performance ranks No. 6 in Division II this season.

• Freshman Mia Crocker lowered her lifetime best in the women’s 800 meters, clocking a time of 2:18.19 that ranks No. 6 on the WWU all-time list.

• The men’s 4x400-meter relay team of Bryant Welch, Daniels, Brian Le and Jaden Edwards finished second with a time of 3:21.94 that leads the conference this season.

• Western Washington heads east this weekend to take part in the WSU Open on Friday and Saturday.