Wednesday, January 29, 2020

THIS WEEK'S GNAC ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MEN’S TRACK
Jeremiah Lauzon, Simon Fraser
Freshman • Red Deer, Alta.

Lauzon set the GNAC indoor record in the 200 meters on Saturday at the John Thomas Terrier Classic in Boston. Lauzon was the top non-Division I finisher in the race, placing seventh in 21.55 seconds. That bettered the previous record of 21.56 seconds set by Concordia’s Carlos Ortiz in 2018. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time ties him for 10th in Division II this season.

Also Nominated: Trevor Allen (Central Washington), Jordan Gloden (Concordia), Logan Blake (Northwest Nazarene), Michael Russell (Saint Martin’s), Hunter Hutton (Western Oregon).

MEN’S FIELD
Tyler Cronk, Saint Martin’s
Sophomore • Kent, Wash.

Cronk finished second in both the high jump and long jump at the Portland Indoor #1 meet’s Saturday session in Newberg, Oregon. Cronk placed second in the high jump with a mark of 6 feet, 7 inches, and then added a second-place finish in the long jump with a mark of 22 feet, 7.75 inches. The performance in the long jump is the top mark in the GNAC this season while his mark in the high jump was his second-best of the season.

Also Nominated: Chris Brake (Alaska Anchorage), Aidan Cain (Central Washington), Joe Denniston (Concordia), Colton Sedlack (Northwest Nazarene), Seren Dances (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Addy Townsend, Simon Fraser
Senior • Coquitlam, B.C.

Townsend earned the award for the second week in a row thanks to a pair of impressive performances at the John Thomas Terrier Classic in Boston. On Saturday, Townsend ran the leading time in Division II this season in the 800 meters, placing 12th out of 150 runners in a time of 2:08.47. The time leads Division II by nearly a second and a half. Townsend also ran the anchor leg on the Clan’s winning distance medley relay team. The winning time of 11:36.73 is an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier and leads Division II.

Also Nominated: Tylantiss Atlas (Alaska Anchorage), Erykah Weems (Central Washington), Paige Johnson (Concordia), Lauren Wuertz (Northwest Nazarene), Hannah Cook (Saint Martin’s), Maya Hopwood (Western Oregon).

WOMEN’S FIELD
Samantha La Rue, Central Washington
Senior • Covington, Wash.

La Rue improved her NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark and spot on the GNAC All-Time List in the shot put at the Idaho Open on Thursday. La Rue was the top non-Division I placer in the event, placing third with a mark of 46 feet, 2.5 inches. That moves La Rue to No. 8 on the GNAC All-Time List and No. 19 in Division II this season. La Rue also placed fourth in the weight throw with a mark of 53 feet, 2.75 inches.

Also Nominated: Kori Sprague (Concordia), Brenna Beckett (Montana State Billings), Madi VonBrethost (Northwest Nazarene), Ashley Vest (Saint Martin’s), Jenelle Hurley (Western Oregon).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• A pair of third-place finishes for sophomore Tylantiss Atlas led Alaska Anchorage’s performances at the Ed Jacoby Invitational & Multis.

• Atlas placed third in the women’s 400 meters with a time of 56.33 seconds. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark ranks 17th in Division II this season. Atlas also took third in the 200 meters with a time of 24.96 seconds that leads the GNAC.

• Senior Elena Cano also earned an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark in the women’s pentathlon, placing fifth with a score of 3,436 points. The score is the third-best in UAA history and ranks 15th in Division II this season.

• Sophomore Nancy Jeptoo ducked under five minutes in the women’s mile, placing second with a time of 4:59.95. Senior Emmah Chelimo was not far back in 11th with a time of 5:03.17.

• Junior David Sramek placed fourth in his first heptathlon of the season, scoring 4,717 points. Senior Chris Brake added a third-place finish in the men’s triple jump at 47 feet, 1.5 inches, and was fifth in the high jump with a clearance of 6 feet, 7 inches.

• Senior Wesley Kirui was fifth in the men’s mile with a time of 4:16.02. Junior Felix Kemboi was sixth in a time of 4:16.51.

• Alaska Anchorage is  No. 6 in the USTFCCCA Women’s West Region Team Index. The men are ranked No. 8.

• The Seawolves return to action this weekend, competing at the UW Invitational on Friday and Saturday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• An improvement in a provisional qualifying mark for senior Samantha La Rue and a school record for senior Erykah Weems led Central Washington at Thursday’s Idaho Open in Moscow.

• La Rue was named the GNAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week after placing third in the shot put with a mark of 46 feet, 2.5 inches, and fourth in the weight throw with a mark of 53 feet, 2.75 inches. The shot put mark improved her NCAA Championships provisional mark, ranking her 19th in Division II and moving her to No. 8 on the GNAC All-Time List.

• Weems tied the CWU record in the women’s 200 meters, winning the event with a time of 25.00 seconds. Weems also won the 60-meter hurdles in a time of 8.97 seconds and took fourth in the 60 meters in 7.87 seconds.

• In the women’s 400 meters, senior Noelia Juarez took second with a time of 58.25 seconds.

• Senior Aidan Cain also earned a nationals provisional qualifying mark in the men’s weight throw, taking fourth with a throw of 58 feet, 0.25 inches. The mark ranks 32nd in Division II this season.

• Senior Zach Whittaker was the lone men’s event winner, taking the triple jump with a leap of  46 feet, 10.75 inches.

• The Wildcats took third place in both 4x400-meter relay races. The women finished in 4:07.31 while the men clocked in at 3:31.18.

• Central Washington is the top-ranked team in this week’s USTFCCCA Women’s West Region Team Index. The Wildcats’ men are ranked No. 6.

• Central Washington runs closer to home this weekend, traveling to Seattle for the UW Invitational on Friday and Saturday.

CONCORDIA
• Victories in the weight throw along with a school-record and nationals provisional qualifier in junior Paige Johnson’s debut led Concordia at the Ed Jacoby Invitational & Multis.

• Johnson secured the provisional qualifier in the women’s pentathlon, placing third with a score of 3,398 points that ranks her 18th in Division II. In the competition, Johnson set a Concordia record in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.81 seconds. That bettered the previous record of 8.82 seconds set by Eunice Makinde in 2012.

• Senior Kori Sprague was the winner in the women’s weight throw, taking the event with a mark of 59 feet, 11.75 inches that tied her mark from last week. She ranks No. 7 on the Division II best list.

• On the men’s side, senior Joe Denniston captured first in the men’s weight throw with his mark of 56 feet, 5.75 inches. Junior Jakob Chamberlin was second with a mark of 55 feet, 10.5 inches and also took third in the shot put with a mark of 54 feet, 4.75 inches.  Chamberlin’s best of 55 feet, 0.75 inches in the shot ranks 18th in Division II.

• Sophomore JJ Walker took third in his first indoor men’s heptathlon, compiling a score of 4,791 points. The score is an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier and ranks 21st in Division II this season.

• The Concordia men are ranked No. 1 in this week’s USTFCCCA Men’s West Region Team Index. The Cavaliers’ women are ranked No. 3.

• Concordia will be among eight GNAC teams competing on Friday and Saturday at the UW Invitational in Seattle.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Senior Brenna Beckett won both horizontal jumps for the second consecutive week to lead Montana State Billings’ performances at the BHSU Dave LIttle Alumni Mile in Spearfish, S.D.

• Beckett smashed school records in both disciplines. She won the women’s long jump with a mark of 17 feet, 5.5 inches, surpassing the previous record of 16 feet, 9.75 inches set by Delaware Steingruber in 2012. Likewise,  Beckett won the triple jump with a mark of 36 feet, 5.75 inches to surpass the mark of 35 feet, 10 inches set by Janessa Williams in 2017.

• Senior Mason Schram led the efforts for the Yellowjackets on the track, taking second in the men’s 60 meters with a time of 7.14 seconds. Schram’s season-best of 7.02 seconds, run at the Jan. 10 Snake River Open, is second in the GNAC this season.

• Senior Forrest Cross finished third in the men’s shot put for the second straight meet with a mark of 49 feet, 1.75 inches. Cross was just three seconds behind the winner, Shane Collins of Chadron State.

• Senior Nikki Aiken added a third-place finish in the women’s 5,000 meters, crossing the line in a time of 19:21.14.

• Other notable performances included senior Taylor Stringari, who placed sixth in the women’s weight throw with a mark and 44 feet, 6 inches, and sophomore Ase Ackerman and his sixth-place finish in the men’s 5,000 meters in a time of 16:10.59.

• The Yellowjackets are right back in Spearfish on Saturday, competing in the Black Hills State Myrle Hanson Open.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Senior Logan Blake’s win in the men’s 400 meters led Northwest Nazarene at the Ed Jacoby Invitational & Multis in Nampa.

• Blake bettered a largely Division I field with a GNAC-leading time of 49.31 seconds.  He went on to finish fourth in the 200 meters in 22.22 seconds. Both times just missed lifetime bests.

• Sophomore Aaron Borger also notched a top-10 finish in the men’s 600 meters, clocking 1:26.78 in the three-lap non-championship distance.

• Sophomore Madi VonBrethorst led the NNU women’s performances, placing fourth in the high jump with a clearance of 5 feet, 5.25 inches. The mark ranks as third best in NNU history.

• Junior Heidi Nisly led the NNU women’s efforts on the track, placing eighth in the women’s 800 meters, finishing in a time of 2:24.66. Nisly also ran on the Nighthawks’ distance medley relay team that placed seventh in a time of 12:45.60.

• Northwest Nazarene will take this weekend off and will return to the Jackson’s Indoor Center on Feb. 7 and 8 for the Nike Indoor Invite.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• A series of second-place finishes across the board led Saint Martin’s performances in the Portland Indoor No. 1 meet, Saturday in Newberg, Oregon and Sunday in Portland.

• Sophomore Tyler Cronk was named the GNAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week after he notched a pair of second-place finishes. Cronk was runner-up in the long jump with a mark of 22 feet, 7.75 inches, which leads the GNAC. He also took second in the high jump with a clearance of 6 feet, 7 inches.

• Sophomore Michael Russell took second in the men’s 200 meters with a time of 23.15 seconds while sophomore Barrington Walker was third in 23.19 seconds.  The Saints’ 4x400-meter relay of Nick Georgia, Walker, Russell and Zachary Walker also finished second in a time of 3:25.57.

• The Saint Martin’s women picked up a pair of second-place finishes in the field events. Junior Ashley Vest took second in the high jump with a clearance of 5 feet, 3 inches. Junior Alyssa Smith was third in the pole vault with a mark of 10 feet, 11.75 inches. Freshman Margaret Zilla took fourth in the women’s long jump with her mark of 16 feet, 6 inches.

• Saint Martin’s placed three athletes in the finals of the men’s 60 meters. Freshman Landon Armstrong led the way, placing fifth in a time of 7.14 seconds In the women’s sprints, freshman Makiya Worthy made the finals of the 60 meters and placed eighth in a time of 8.34 seconds.

• The Saint Martin’s men enter the week ranked No. 10 in the USTFCCCA West Region Team Index.

• Saint Martin’s will be among the eight GNAC teams in Seattle on Friday and  Saturday for the UW Invitational.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific traveled a small group of men’s athletes to Oregon last weekend to compete in the Portland Indoor No. 1 meet.

• Sophomore David Njeri led the way for the Falcons, placing fourth in the 400 meters with a time of 52.25 seconds. Freshman Julius Shepherd was two places back in sixth with a time of 53.50 seconds.

• Sophomore Colby Otero added a fifth-place finish in the mile, clocking in with a time of 4:24.23. A season-best for Otero, the time ranks ninth in the GNAC this season.

• While not competing last week, the Falcons’ women are ranked eighth in this week’s USTFCCCA West Region Team Index.

• Seattle Pacific will send a full contingent of men and women across town to Dempsey Indoor to take part in the UW Invitational.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser split its squad last weekend, sending a  handful of athletes east to the John Thomas Terrier Classic in Boston and others to the Portland Indoor No. 1 meet in Oregon.

• In Boston, freshman Jeremiah Lauzon made the biggest splash with his GNAC record in the men’s 200 meters. Lauzon placed seventh with a time of 21.55 seconds to eclipse the previous record of 21.56 seconds run by Concordia’s Carlos Ortiz in 2018. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark ties him for 10th in Division II this season and earned Lauzon selection as the GNAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week.

• Senior Addy Townsend repeated as the GNAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week after she placed 12th out of 150 runners in the 800 meters in Boston. Her time of 2:08.47 is the top time in Division II this season by a second and a half. She also anchored the Clan’s distance medley relay team that won in an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time of 11:37.73. The mark run by Mairin Shields-Brown, Renate Bluschke, Megan Roxby and Townsend is the best in Division II this season.

• Sophomore Zackary Kuzyk notched a seventh-place finish in the men’s high jump in Boston, clearing 6 feet, 6.75 inches. He was the top non-Division I placer in the competition.

• At the Portland Indoor, the Clan’s top performances came in the 800 meters. Junior Emily Chilton placed second in the women’s race in a time of 2:19.68 while junior Nicole Lindsay placed third in a time of 2:21.24. In the men’s 800, senior Richard Torres placed third in 1:56.95.

• Freshman Danielle Waller added a second-place finish in the women’s long jump in Portland with a leap of 17 feet, 1.5 inches.

• The Clan women remained ranked No. 12 in this week’s USTFCCCA Division II National Team Rankings. The women are fifth in the West Region Team Index while the men are No. 7.

• Simon Fraser will once again split its squad, sending select athletes back to Boston for the Bruce Lehane Scarlet & White Invite while the rest of the squad heads to Seattle for the UW Invitational.

WESTERN OREGON
• Freshman Maya Hopwood notched a pair of impressive performances to lead Western Oregon at the Portland Indoor No. 1 meet.

• Hopwood won the women’s 60 meters with a time of 7.62 seconds. That not only improved her WOU record, but moved her to No. 3 on the GNAC All-Time List. Her converted mark of 7.57 seconds from the 55 meters at the Candy Cane XII meet ties her for 10th in Division II this season. On Sunday, Hopwood took second in the 200 meters in a time of 26.10 seconds.

• The Wolves had a trio of victories in the women’s field events. Junior Moana Gianotti won the weight throw with a mark of 49 feet, 5 inches, ranking her fifth in the GNAC this season. Freshman Jenelle Hurley won the long jump with a mark of 17 feet, 10.75 inches while junior Kalulusno Ngaido took the high jump with a clearance of 5 feet, 3 inches.

• In the men’s track events, freshman Brennen Sorah debuted with a victory in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.96 seconds. The Wolves also saw the 4x400-meter relay team of Deshaun Stevens, Trey Reed, Emmett Klus and Max Carmona win in a time of 3:24.75.

• Western Oregon took second and third in the men’s weight throw. Sophomore Owen Collins took second with a mark of 51 feet, 9 inches, while junior Sam Cole was third at 49 feet, 10.5 inches.

• The Wolves’ men are ranked No. 5 in this week’s USTFCCCA West Region Team Index. The WOU women are ranked No. 7.

• Western Oregon will be among eight GNAC teams competing in Seattle this weekend at the UW Invitational.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Sophomore Seren Dances was Western Washington’s lone competitor at the Ed Jacoby Invitational & Multis in Nampa.

• Dances placed fifth in the men’s heptathlon with a score of 4,694 points. He was in second place through the first day of competition thanks to a win in the long jump with a mark of 22 feet, 7.75 inches and second-place finishes in the 60 meters (7.18) and high jump (6-3.25). Dances’ second day was highlighted by a third-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles (8.55).

• The Western Washington men enter the week ranked No. 2 in the USTFCCCA West Region Team Index.

• Western Washington’s full squad will be in action in Seattle this weekend, taking part in the UW Invitational.