Wednesday, February 1, 2023
THIS WEEK'S GNAC ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MEN’S TRACK
Charlie Dannatt, Simon Fraser
Junior • North Vancouver, B.C.
Dannatt moved into No. 3 on the GNAC all-time list in the 3,000 meters, running 7:58.32 in the event on Friday at the John Thomas Terrier Classic. He is just the third athlete in GNAC history to under eight minutes. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time ranks No. 4 in Division II this season. Dannatt also ran the anchor leg on the Red Leafs’ distance medley relay team which won in 9:42.77. That NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time leads Division II this season.
Also Nominated: Coleman Nash (Alaska Anchorage), Aiden Wise (Central Washington), Ase Ackerman (Montana State Billings), Brayden Durfee (Northwest Nazarene), Drew Weber (Western Washington).
MEN’S FIELD
Miller Campbell, Western Washington
Sophomore • Bremerton, Wash.
Campbell won the weight throw at the UW Invitational with a season-best mark of 56 feet, 7.5 inches, scoring a four-inch victory over Utah State’s Nate Franz. The mark leads the GNAC and improved Campbell’s No. 4 mark on the Western Washington all-time list.
Also Nominated: Collin Sample (Alaska Anchorage), Braydon Maier (Central Washington), Dylan Hendry (Northwest Nazarene), Blake Furtado (Simon Fraser).
WOMEN’S TRACK
Marie-Éloïse Leclair, Simon Fraser
Sophomore • Candiac, Que.
Leclair set the GNAC record in the indoor 200 meters at the John Thomas Terrier Classic. Her third-place time of 23.80 seconds broke the previous record of 24.09 seconds set by Jamie Ashcroft of Alaska Anchorage in 2017 and is the fastest time by a Canadian athlete this season. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time ranks No. 4 in Division II this season. Leclair also finished third in the 60 meters in 7.46 seconds and ran the second leg on the Red Leafs’ distance medley relay team that placed second in 11:52.60. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time ranks No. 2 in Division II this season.
Also Nominated: Joei Vidad (Alaska Anchorage), E’lexis Hollis (Central Washington), Tatum Hull (Montana State Billings), Abbey Wood (Northwest Nazarene), Vanessa Aniteye (Seattle Pacific), Matty Lagerwey (Western Washington).
WOMEN’S FIELD
Kendall Lynn, Montana State Billings
Sophomore • Three Forks, Mont.
Lynn won both horizontal jumps at the Don Holst Open on Saturday. Lynn won the long jump with a mark of 16 feet, 9.25 inches, finishing less than an inch ahead of teammate Madison Thompson. She was a winner by almost a foot in the triple jump with a leap of 36 feet, 8.25 inches.
Also Nominated: Destany Hebert (Northwest Nazarene), Kennedy Primrose (Simon Fraser), Katie Potts (Western Washington).
AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Sophomore Coleman Nash’s school record in the men’s 3,000 meters paced Alaska Anchorage’s performances at the UW Invitational.
• Nash placed seventh in the race and was the top non-Division I or open finisher. His time of 8:03.41 broke the previous record of 8:07.23 set by Dominik Notz in 2017 and ranks No. 4 on the GNAC all-time list. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time ranks No. 9 in Division II this season.
• Senior Collin Sample placed fourth in both horizontal jumps, leaping 22 feet, 10.5 inches in the men’s long jump and 45 feet, 5 inches in the men’s triple jump. Both rank among the top-five marks in UAA history.
• Junior Joshua Wagner had the fourth-fastest time in the prelims of the men’s 60-meter hurdles in 8.39 seconds but did not compete in the finals. Junior Kevin Angarita added a fourth-place finish in the men’s 400 meters in a league-leading 49.47 seconds.
• Junior Joei Vidad had the top women’s individual finish for the Seawolves, placing 19th in the 400 meters in 59.78 seconds. Sophomore Blanca De Arvizu Sarrias placed 21st in 1:00.49. The UAA women’s 4x400-meter relay team finished ninth in 4:00.96.
• Alaska Anchorage will not compete again until Fri., Feb. 10 and Sat., Feb. 11, sending athletes to both the Husky Classic in Seattle and the Whitworth Invitational in Spokane, Washington.
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• A trio of top-four finishes and a school record in the women’s 60 meters for junior E’lexis Hollis led Central Washington’s performances at the UW Invitational.
• Hollis placed fourth in the 60 meters in a time of 7.57 seconds, which surpassed her own school record set in 2022. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time ranks No. 4 on the GNAC all-time list and is tied for 19th in Division II this season.
• Senior Braydon Maier captured third place in the men’s pole vault with a league-leading mark of 15 feet, 2.25 inches. It is the best mark in the conference this season by 14 inches.
• Senior Lauryn Chandler added a sixth-place finish in the women’s 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.01 seconds. She clocked a season-best 8.77 seconds in the preliminaries. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time is tied for 28th in Division II this season.
• Sophomore Aidan Wise added a fourth-place finish in the men’s 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.55 seconds.
• Senior Angus Beaton had the other top-five finish for the Wildcats, placing fourth in the men’s weight throw with a mark of 48 feet, 7.5 inches.
• Central Washington returns to action this weekend, sending athletes to the WSU Open & Combined Events in Spokane.
MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Junior Kendall Lynn’s two victories in the horizontal jumps lead Montana State Billings’ performances at the Don Holst Open in Chadron, Nebraska.
• Lynn was a winner in the long jump with a mark of 16 feet, 9.25 inches, which was less than an inch ahead of teammate Madison Thompson. Lynn was a winner by 10 inches in the triple jump with a mark of 36 feet, 8.25 inches. The two victories earned Lynn selection as the GNAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week.
• Senior Kailee Stoppel won the women’s 800 meters in a time of 2:24.26 and then turned around to place fourth in the mile in a time of 5:34.97.
• Freshman Tatum Hull won the women’s 60-meter hurdles in 9.52 seconds and also placed third in the triple jump with a mark of 35 feet, 0.5 inches.
• Sophomore Garrett McMillen was the lone MSUB men’s winner and gave the Yellowjackets a sweep of the triple jump. McMillen won the men’s event with a mark of 41 feet, 3.75 inches.
• Montana State Billings also sent a limited number of athletes to the Stacy Dragila Invitational in Pocatello, Idaho. Sophomore Ben Ralston was the top finisher at Holt Arena, placing 15th in the prelims of the men’s 60 meters in 7.28 seconds.
• Montana State Billings will not compete again until Feb. 10 and 11, heading west to take part in the Whitworth Invitational in Spokane.
NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Senior Abbey Wood’s victory in the women’s 60 meters headline Northwest Nazarene’s efforts at the Inland Northwest Invitational on Saturday in Spokane.
• Wood clocked 7.67 seconds for the top time in the preliminary heats and went on to win the finals in a time of 7.64 seconds. Wood also placed third in the women’s 200 meters in a time of 25.60 seconds, which ranks No. 3 on the NNU all-time list.
• Sophomore Hunter Braseth was the top NNU men’s runner, placing second in the 200 meters in a time of 21.91 seconds. Senior Brayden Durfee added a fifth-place finish in the men’s 60 meters in 6.97 seconds.
• In the field events, senior Dylan Hendry finished third in the men’s weight throw with a mark of 53 feet, 4.5 inches. Sophomore Gerohm Rihari added a third-place finish in the men’s high jump, clearing 6 feet, 3.25 inches.
• Junior Destany Herbert was the top NNU women’s field-event finisher, placing sixth in the women’s shot put with a mark of 42 feet, 8.25 inches.
• The Nighthawks men’s 4x400-meter relay team placed second with a time of 3:24.84, less than a second behind Eastern Washington. The NNU women’s 4x400-meter relay team was fourth in a time of 4:04.86.
• Northwest Nazarene will compete as a split squad this weekend, sending athletes to both the WSU Open & Combined Events in Spokane and to the EOU Lou Thorne Invite on Saturday in La Grande, Oregon.
SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s set a school record in the men’s distance medley relay, leading the Saints’ performances at the UW Invitational in Seattle.
• The team of sophomore Isaac Cortes, freshman Nicholas Georgia, senior Jack Farrell and sophomore Kainalu Pagente placed ninth with a time of 10:18.18 to break the previous record of 10:19.70 set in 2005.
• Freshman Jocelyn Saribay was the Saints’ top women’s finisher, placing eighth in the weight throw with a lifetime best of 49 feet, 2.5 inches.
• Freshman Hewie Nguyen led Saint Martin’s individual men’s finishes, placing seventh in the triple jump with a mark of 42 feet, 8.75 inches and eighth in the long jump with a mark of 21 feet, 9 inches.
• The UW Invitational was Saint Martin’s first meet since taking part in meets in Wyoming and Colorado on Dec. 9 and 10. The Saints will not compete again until the Whitworth Invitational on Feb. 10 in Spokane.
SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Senior Vanessa Aniteye lowered her Division II best in the women’s 800 meters to pace Seattle Pacific’s performances at the UW Invitational.
• Aniteye led from start to finish in her heat, winning the heat in a time of 2:08.74 and finishing 11th overall. Her NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time is nearly a second better than the No. 2 time in Division II of 2:09.63 by Adams State’s Ava O’Connor.
• The women’s pole vault yielded two top-10 individual finishes. Freshman Kayla Tassara tied for fifth and junior Lizzy Daugherty was sixth, both with a mark of 11 feet, 4.25 inches. Freshman Hannah Chang added a 14th-place finish in the women’s long jump at 16 feet, 9.75 inches.
• In the men’s pole vault, junior Brad Bowman tied for sixth place while junior Kainoa Lee tied for eighth, both with marks of 13 feet, 10.5 inches.
• Senior David Njeri added another top-three finish in the men’s triple jump, placing third with a mark of 47 feet, 1.75 inches.
• The SPU men’s 4x400-meter relay team placed sixth in a time of 3:25.73 while the Falcons women’s team placed seventh in 3:57.63.
• Seattle Pacific will not compete again until Feb. 10 and 11, returning to Dempsey Indoor to take part in the Husky Classic.
SIMON FRASER
• Sophomore Marie-Éloïse Leclair’s GNAC record in the women’s 200 meters and a Division II-leading time in the men’s distance medley relay led an impressive Simon Fraser performance at the John Thomas Terrier Classic in Boston.
• Leclair placed third in the 200 meters in a time of 23.80 seconds, bettering the previous GNAC record of 24.09 set by Alaska Anchorage’s Jamie Ashcroft in 2017. The time leads Division II and is the fastest time run by a Canadian this season. Leclair also placed third in the invitational section of the 60 meters in 7.46 seconds. The efforts earn Leclair selection as the GNAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week.
• The men’s DMR of sophomores Aiden Good, Jordan Schmidt and Felix Allen and junior Charlie Dannatt won in a time of 9:42.77. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time leads Division II this season and is No. 5 on the GNAC all-time list.
• Dannatt also ran the third-fastest men’s 3,000 meters in GNAC history, placing 21st in a time of 7:58.32. That put Dannatt No. 3 on the GNAC all-time list and ranks fourth in Division II this season. The performance earned Dannatt selection as the GNAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week.
• The women’s DMR of freshman Selin Tasdemir, Leclair, sophomore Elizabeth Vanderput and junior Megan Roxby placed second in 11:52.60.
• Roxby went on to run 4:48.70 in the women’s mile, moving to No. 9 on the GNAC all-time list and ranking fourth in Division II this season.
• Sophomore Sydney Kania placed second in the women’s high jump at 5 feet, 5 inches while sophomore Jesaiah Penson-McCoy placed third in the invitational section of the men’s 60 meters with a league-leading time of 6.99 seconds.
• The outstanding effort in Boston earned SFU selection as the GNAC Team of the Week.
• Simon Fraser also set a handful of athletes to the UW Invitational. The crew was led by sophomore Kennedy Primrose, who placed seventh in the women’s triple jump at 36 feet, 4.25 inches.
• The Simon Fraser women are ranked No. 12 in the USTFCCCA Division II Team Index. The Red Leafs’ men are ranked No. 20.
• Simon Fraser competes again on Feb. 10 and 11, sending athletes to the David Hemery Valentine Invitational in Boston and the Husky Classic in Spokane.
WESTERN OREGON
• Senior Bailey Smith broke the Western Oregon record in the men’s 5,000 meters, leading the Wolves’ performances at the UW Invitational.
• Smith finished 16th overall in a time of 14:32.41 to surpass the previous WOU record of 14:32.66 set by current Seattle Pacific assistant coach and former Klamath Union Pelican Chris Reed in 2010.
• The Wolves’ men’s distance medley relay team of sophomore Keeton Sanchez, senior Gabe Arce-Torres, sophomore Emmett Klus and junior Hunter Hutton placed third in a time of 9:46.23. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time ranks No. 8 on the GNAC all-time list and is No. 3 in Division II this season.
• Hutton also added an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time in the men’s mile. His 18th-place time of 4:05.31 leads the GNAC and ranks 13th in Division II this season.
• In the men’s field events, junior Marlon Harrison placed fifth in the triple jump with a mark of 45 feet, 3.75 inches while sophomore Tyler White was sixth at 43 feet, 0.5 inches. Junior JJ Walker was sixth in the pole vault with a clearance of 13 feet, 10.5 inches.
• The women’s field events were led by sophomore Amity Deters, who placed seventh in the high jump with a clearance of 5 feet, 3 inches. Junior Ana Popchock took ninth in the triple jump with a mark of 35 feet, 6 inches.
• Western Oregon will send some athletes to the WSU Open & Combined Events in Spokane while others will compete in the Portland Indoor #2 and the George Fox Indoor Meet #1, which both take place on Sunday.
WESTERN WASHINGTON
• A school-record performance by the men’s distance medley relay team and sophomore Miller Campbell’s win in the men’s weight throw led Western Washington’s efforts at the UW Invitational.
• The team of sophomore Will Henry, sophomore Brian Le, freshman Jonah Bloom and junior Drew Weber shattered the WWU record in the DMR, taking second in a time of 9:45.48. The Vikings were just two seconds back of Division I powerhouse Oregon. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time ranks No. 7 on the GNAC all-time list and is No. 2 in Division II this season.
• Campbell was named the GNAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week after winning the weight throw with a mark of 56 feet, 7.5 inches. The throw leads the GNAC this season. Freshman Angelo Ramos placed third with a mark of 50 feet, 5.5 inches.
• Junior Raine Westfall picked up a third-place finish in the women’s weight throw with a mark of 53 feet, 2.25 inches. Sophomore Trent Kibler added a third-place performance in the men’s high jump, clearing 6 feet, 2.75 inches.
• In addition to his work on the DMR, Weber picked up an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark in men’s 800 meters. His time of 1:50.36 placed fifth and ranks fourth in Division II this season.
• Henry also earned an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark in the men’s mile with a time of 4:10.37 that ranks 47th in Division II.
• Junior Andrew Oslin captured an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time in the men’s 5,000 meters. His time of 14:28.35 placed 11th and ranks 33rd in Division II this season.
• The Western Washington men are ranked No. 23 in this week’s USTFCCCA Division II Team Index.
• Western Washington will return to action on Feb. 10 and 11, competing in the Husky Classic in Seattle.