Wednesday, March 9, 2022

THIS WEEK'S GNAC ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MEN’S TRACK
Sean Sands, Western Washington
Freshman • Pine, Colo.

Sands placed fourth in the 10,000 meters in his collegiate outdoor debut at the Ed Boitano Invitational, finishing in a time of 31:30.26.

Also Nominated: Brandon McMillian-Thomas (Saint Martin’s).

MEN’S FIELD
Austin Goldstein, Western Oregon
Senior • Sherwood, Ore.

Goldstein won the javelin at the Willamette Opener. His mark of 198 feet, 10 inches, is a personal best, an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark and ranks No. 2 in Division II this season.

Also Nominated: Josh Schulz (Saint Martin’s), Jaydon Tryon (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Cassidy Walchak-Sloan, Saint Martin’s
Freshman • Olympia, Wash.

Walchak-Sloan opened the outdoor season with a big victory in the 1,500 meters at the Ed Boitano Invitational. She won in a time of 4:41.89 and had a 13-second margin over teammate and second-place finisher Naomi Hartley.

WOMEN’S FIELD
Amanda Short, Western Washington
Senior • Lebanon, Ore.

Short won the javelin at the Ed Boitano Invitational on Saturday. Her mark of 141 feet, 11 inches is an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier and ranks No. 3 in Division II this season.

Also Nominated: Kaylee Wright (Western Oregon).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage will not open the outdoor season until Saturday, Mar. 19, when the Seawolves compete at the Hornet Invitational in Sacramento, California.

• At the GNAC Indoor Championships, Alaska Anchorage placed fourth in the men’s competition with 83 points. The women placed sixth with 42 points.

• The Seawolves saw sophomore Joshua Wagner win the men’s 60-meter hurdles in a time of 8.11 seconds, just five-hundredths of a second off of the GNAC record and meet record. Wagner also paired with Wyatt Rohde, Kevin Angarita and Adrian Velasco to win the 4x400-meter relay in a time of 3:22.22.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington will open its outdoor season on Saturday at the PLU Open in Tacoma, Washington.

• Central Washington placed fourth in the women’s team competition at the GNAC Indoor Championships with a score of 106 points. The Wildcats’ men placed sixth with 40.5 points.

• Sophomore E’lexis Hollis emerged as the champion in the women’s 60 meters in a time of 7.58 seconds that ranks No. 5 on the GNAC all-time list. Senior Meagan Smallbeck won the women’s weight throw with a mark of 56 feet, 2 inches.

• Senior Bobby Widmar gave CWU a sweep of the 60-meter races at the GNAC Championships, winning the men’s race in 6.96 seconds.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings will not begin the outdoor season until Saturday, Mar. 19 when it co-hosts the MSUB/RMC Icebreaker Open in Lockwood, Montana.

• The Yellowjackets’ men placed ninth at the GNAC Indoor Championships with a score of 20 points. The MSUB women placed 10th with 19 points.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene will not open its outdoor season until Saturday, Mar. 26, taking part in the Team 4 Titus & Ely Meet in Irvine, California.

• The Nighthawks placed fifth in the men’s team competition at the GNAC Indoor Championships with 80.16 points. The women placed seventh with 31 points.

• Northwest Nazarene athletes earned two individual titles. Junior Colton Burr won the men’s weight throw with an effort of 57 feet, 6.25 inches. Freshman Steven Schmidt came back over the final two events to win the heptathlon with a score of 4,588 points.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s opened the 2022 outdoor season on Saturday at the Ed Boitano Invitational in Tacoma, Washington. The Saints women placed fifth with 58 points and the men also placed fifth with 42 points.

• Freshman Cassidy Walchak-Sloan was named the GNAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week after she won the 1,500 meters in a time of 4:41.89. She had a 13-second lead over sophomore Naomi Hartley, who placed second in a time of 4:54.41.

• Senior Josh Schulz picked up the victory in the men’s long jump with a mark of 22 feet, 6.25 inches. Junior Micah Au-Haupu added a second-place finish in the shot put with a mark of 46 feet, 6.25 inches.

• The Saints’ team of freshman Maddy Vu, sophomore Cree Bell, sophomore Eden Mortensen and sophomore Margaret Zilla placed second in the women’s 4x100-meter relay in 50.91 seconds.

• The men’s 4x100-meter relay of sophomore Andrew Schulz, Josh Schulz, junior Joshua Tanicala and freshman Noah Boyd placed third in 44.35 seconds.

• At the GNAC Indoor Championships, Saint Martin’s placed ninth in the women’s team competition with 30 points and 10th in the men’s competition with 18 points.

• The Saints will head to Tacoma again on Saturday to compete at the PLU Open.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific sent a limited number of athletes to Tacoma, Washington last weekend for the outdoor season opener at the Ed Boitano Invitational.

• The Falcons’ men received a second-place finish from sophomore Kainoa Lee in the pole vault with a clearance of 14 feet, 2 inches.

• The SPU women were led by senior Madison Licari, who placed third in the pole vault with a mark of 10 feet. 11 inches.

• Seattle Pacific placed fifth in the women’s competition at the GNAC Indoor Championships with 79 points while the men placed seventh with 29 points.

• Sophomore Annika Esvelt was named the Women’s Track Athlete of the Meet after winning both the 3,000 meters (9:50.84) and the 5,000 meters (17:31.71). Esvelt will represent the Falcons on Saturday in the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 5,000 meters.

• Senior Peace Igbonagwam became a three-time champion in the women’s long jump, winning with a mark of 18 feet, 1 inch. Freshman Charlie Hill added a surprise victory in the women’s pole vault with her clearance of 12 feet, 0.75 inches.

• The SPU men received a conference championship from junior David Njeri, who won the triple jump with a mark of 46 feet, 10.25 inches.

• The Falcons will send a larger contingent of athletes to the PLU Open on Saturday in Tacoma.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser will not open its outdoor season until Saturday, Mar. 19, when it hosts the first of two high-performance meets at Terry Fox Field.

• At the GNAC Indoor Championships, the SFU women won their first-ever conference indoor championship with a score of 124 points. The men placed second with a score of 110 points.

• Senior Alison Andrews-Paul earned the meet’s Women’s Performance of the Meet award for her record run in the 800 meters. She claimed the conference title in a time of 2:05.09, well eclipsing the previous record of 2:08.28 set by Seattle Pacific’s Jessica Pixler in 2010.

• The women also received titles from freshman Marie-Éloïse Leclair in the 200 meters (24.53), junior Emily Lindsay in the 400 meters (55.79) and sophomore Megan Roxby in the mile (5:02.38). Simon Fraser swept the relays as well, winning the 4x400-meter relay in 3:47.07 and the distance medley relay in 12:13.12.

• Senior Aaron Ahl was named the Men’s Track Athlete of the Meet after his GNAC Championships record wins in the mile and 3,000 meters. Ahl won the mile in 4:01.78 to smash the previous record of 4:10.01 set by Western Oregon’s David Ribich in 2017. Ahl’s time of 8:21.23 in the 3,000 meters bettered the previous record of 8:27.83 set by Alaska Anchorage’s Henry Cheseto in 2015.

• Sophomore Callum Robinson won both the men’s 200 meters and 400 meters. Robinson won the 200-meter title in a time of 21.92 seconds. His preliminaries time of 21.50 seconds surpassed the previous meet record of 21.56 seconds set by Concordia’s Carlos Ortiz in 2018.

• The SFU men were also champions in the distance medley relay in a time of 10:09.88.

• Ahl is scheduled to race in the men’s mile and 3,000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships and has the No. 2 time in both events. Robinson will compete in the men’s 400 meters. Andrews-Paul is the favorite to win the women’s 800-meter title with a season-best of 2:05.09 that is three seconds better than the field. Simon Fraser is also represented by the men’s and women’s DMR and the women’s 4x400-meter relay.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon opened the 2022 outdoor season by sending a small number of athletes to the Willamette Opener on Saturday in Salem, Oregon.

• Senior Austin Goldstein was named the GNAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week after he won the javelin with a mark of 198 feet, 10 inches. The mark is an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier and ranks second in Division II this season. Sophomore Eli Nafziger added a third-place finish with a throw of 164 feet, 9 inches.

• Sophomore Kaylee Wright gave the Wolves a sweep of the javelin, winning the women’s event with a throw of 138 feet, 3 inches. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifier ranks No. 5 in Division II this season.

• Wright led a podium sweep in the women’s javelin for the Wolves. Junior Madison Hargett was second with a throw of 122 feet, 1 inch while sophomore Lyndee McLauchlin was third with a mark of 118 feet.

• Sophomore Jenelle Hurley added a third-place finish in the women’s shot put with her mark of 33 feet, 6.75 inches.

• Western Oregon placed second in the women’s team competition at the GNAC Indoor Championships with a score of 115 points. The WOU men placed third with 107.33 points.

• All three Western Oregon champions were on the women’s side. Sophomore Ana Popchock struck gold in the triple jump with her winning mark of 37 feet, 2.25 inches. Junior Moana Gianotti was the champion in the shot put with a winning mark of 44 feet, 11.5 inches. Hurley won the pentathlon with a score of 3,457 points.

• Western Oregon does not compete again until Saturday, Mar. 19 at the Oregon State PNW Invite in Corvallis.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington opened the outdoor season by winning three women’s events at the Ed Boitano Invitational on Saturday in Tacoma.

• Senior Amanda Short was named the GNAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week after she won the javelin with a mark of 141 feet, 11 inches. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark is third in Division II this season.

• All three victories came in the throws. Sophomore Taliah Coe won the discus with a mark of 125 feet, 10 inches. Freshman Raine Westfall was the winner in the hammer with her mark of 152 feet, 7 inches.

• Freshman Sean Sands was named the GNAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week after he placed fourth in Friday’s 10,000 meters in a time of 31:20.26.

• At the GNAC Indoor Championships, Western Washington won its third consecutive men’s title in a landslide, scoring a total of 171 points. The Vikings’ women placed third with 113 points.

• The WWU men had six individual champions. The group was led by senior Mac Franks, who won the 800 meters in a time of 1:51.45. Franks will represent WWU at the NCAA Indoor Championships in both the 800 meters and the mile. Senior Beau Sheeran won the high jump with a mark of 6 feet, 10.75 inches. Sheeran will also compete at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

• Other men’s champions include sophomore Kevin McDermott in the 5,000 meters (14:52.36), sophomore Kasey Provo in the pole vault (15-3), junior Ethan Sterkel in the long jump (23-10) and senior Ben Malquist in the shot put (51-1).

• Western Washington continues its outdoor season on Saturday at the PLU Open in Tacoma.