Thursday, February 27, 2020

GNAC INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS SPECIAL AWARDS WINNERS
MEN’S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE MEET
Logan Blake, Northwest Nazarene
Senior • Bend, Ore.

Blake won the GNAC championship in the men’s 400 meters, running 48.52 seconds to finish just ahead of Myles Smith of Western Washington. Blake came back to place third in the 200 meters with a time of 22.20 seconds and also ran the leadoff leg of the Nighthawks’ 4x400-meter relay team.

MEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE MEET
Tyler Cronk, Saint Martin’s
Sophomore • Kent, Wash.

Cronk repeated as the men’s high jump champion, clearing 7 feet, 1 inch to automatically qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships. Cronk went on to finish second in the long jump with a mark of 22 feet, 11.75 inches, and fourth in the triple jump with a mark of 46 feet, 3.5 inches. Cronk accounted for 23 of the Saints’ 39 men’s points in the meet.

MEN’S PERFORMANCE OF THE MEET
Aidan Cain, Central Washington
Senior • Monroe, Wash.

Cain was recognized for his win and meet record mark in the men’s weight throw. The winning mark of 61 feet, 2 inches surpassed the previous meet record of 61 feet, 1.75 inches, set by Concordia’s Tyler Lamott in 2016.

WOMEN’S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE MEET
Addy Townsend, Simon Fraser
Senior • Coquitlam, B.C.

Townsend became a four-time champion in the women’s 800 meters, winning the title in 2:10.87. She also won the mile in a time of 4:58.67. Townsend also ran the leadoff leg of the Clan’s winning distance medley relay team and ran the third leg of the second-place 4x400-meter relay team.

WOMEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE MEET
Keshara Romain, Saint Martin’s
Sophomore • Lacey, Wash.

Romain set the GNAC and meet record in the women’s triple jump. Her winning mark of 41 feet, 8 inches surpassed the previous record of 41 feet, 7.25 inches, set by Western Washington’s Jasmine McMullin in 2018. Romain also placed second in the long jump with a mark of 19 feet, 2.5 inches.

WOMEN’S PERFORMANCE OF THE MEET
Paige Johnson, Concordia
Sophomore • Los Angeles, Calif.

Of the three titles that Johnson won, none was as impressive as the 60 meters. Johnson ran a winning time of 7.52 seconds to eclipse not only the meet record of 7.55 seconds run by Alaska Anchorage’s Jamie Ashcroft in 2017, but also the conference record of 7.54 seconds that also belonged to Ashcroft.

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Distance runners carried the day for both the Alaska Anchorage men and women at the GNAC Indoor Championships. Both teams placed fifth with the men scoring 83 points and the women scoring 65 points.

• Junior Wesley Kirui repeated as the men’s 5,000-meter champion with a time of 14:48.55. He went on to place fourth in the 3,000 meters in a time of 8:35.37. Junior Felix Kemboi earned the 3,000-meter title with a time of 8:31.50 as the Seawolves scored 22 points in the event.

• Senior Emmah Chelimo was the winner of the women’s 5,000 meters in a time of 17:21.08, scoring a 43-second victory over second-place Chelsea Ribiero of Simon Fraser. Chelimo went on to place fourth in the 3,000 in 10:03.70 while junior Nancy Jeptoo was third in 9:48.73.

• The men’s distance medley relay team of Lawson Sims, Daryl Bushnell, Eduardo Orozco and Kemboi picked up UAA’s first victory in the event since 2013 with a time of 10:05.60.

• Senior Elena Cano beat three-time champion Scout Cai of Seattle Pacific for her first pentathlon title. Her score of 3,543 points moves her up to No. 8  on the GNAC All-Time List and No. 14 in Division II this season. Cano was the individual winner in both the high jump (5-4.5) and the long jump (18-1).

• Senior David Sramek was the runner-up in the men’s heptathlon, dueling champion Dakota Tidwell of Northwest Nazarene to the finish for a score of 4,795 points.

• Alaska Anchorage moved up to No. 3 in this week’s USTFCCCA West Region Team Index while the women remained at No. 6.

• Alaska Anchorage will compete on Saturday at the SPU Final Qualifier in Seattle.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington placed a close third in the men’s team race at the GNAC Indoor Championships with 86 points while the women placed third with 102 points.

• Senior Aidan Cain earned the Men’s Performance of the Meet Award for his meet-record victory in the weight throw. His winning mark of 61 feet, 2 inches surpassed the previous record of 61 feet, 1.75 inches set by Concordia’s Tyler Lamott in 2017.

• Senior Erykah Weems picked up two championships in the sprints. She won the women’s 200 meters in 24.56 seconds and the 400 meters in 56.69 seconds. Weems also placed second in the 60-meter hurdles in 8.61 seconds.

• Weems also anchored the Wildcats’ winning women’s 4x400-meter relay team. The squad of Noelia Juarez, McCall DeChenne, Sidney Trinidad and Weems won in a time of 3:49.73, which ranks 23rd in Division II this season.

• The Wildcats swept the gold medals in the pole vault. Senior Halle Irvine earned what had been an elusive first women’s title with a clearance 12 feet, 0.75 inches. Sophomore Tysen Campbell took home the men’s title with a clearance of 15 feet, 7 inches.

• Senior Zach Whittaker became a two-time champion in the men’s triple jump. Whittaker tied with Alaska Anchorage’s Chris Brake with a mark of 48 feet, 4.5 inches, but Whittaker was awarded the title based on his second-best mark. The leap ties Whittaker for No. 24 in Division II this season.

• Central Washington’s women remained at No. 4 in this week’s USTFCCCA West Region Team Index. The men dropped one spot to No. 7.

• Central Washington will compete on Saturday at the SPU Final Qualifier in Seattle.

CONCORDIA
• Dueling with Seattle Pacific right down to the end, the Concordia women won their first and only GNAC indoor championship. The Cavaliers scored 128.33 points to the Falcons’ 121. The Concordia men placed second with 87 points.

• Sophomore Paige Johnson received the Women’s Performance of the Meet award after setting the meet & conference record in the 60 meters with her time of 7.52 seconds. That broke the meet record of 7.55 seconds and conference record of 7.54 seconds set by Alaska Anchorage’s Jamie Ashcroft in 2017. The time ranks Johnson ninth in Division II this season.

• Johnson won three events and scored 35 total points in the meet, the second-most all-time in a single meet by a woman at the GNAC Indoor Championships. She also won the 60-meter hurdles in a time of 8.55 seconds and the high jump with a clearance of 5 feet, 5.75 inches. The hurdles time is tied for third in Division II this season and the high jump mark is tied for 24th.

• The Cavaliers swept the women’s throws. Senior Kori Sprague claimed her second title in the weight throw with a mark of 61 feet, 3 inches that broke the meet record of 60 feet, 0.25 inches set by the Cavaliers’ Christina MacDonald in 2018. Senior Katrina Linenko won the shot put with a mark of 46 feet, 2.75 inches.

• Senior Caleb Bridge provided Concordia’s only men’s title, taking the shot put with a mark of 54 feet, 7.25 inches to lead a top-three sweep in the event for the Cavaliers.

• Senior Adam Brown placed second in the men’s 60 meters in 7.05 seconds. Sophomore Jordan Gloden was second in the 60-meter hurdles in 8.35 seconds. Junior Jakob Chamberlin was second in the weight throw at 57-6.5

• Concordia’s women moved back to the No. 1 spot in the USTFCCCA West Region Team Index. The men climbed one spot to No. 4.

• Concordia will compete on Saturday at the SPU Final Qualifier in Seattle.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings finished 10th in both the men’s and women’s team races at the GNAC Indoor Championships.

• Senior Mason Schram was the top placer and point scorer for the Yellowjackets, placing fourth in the men’s 60 meters in a time 7.07 seconds.

• Senior Isaiah Girard picked up two points in the men’s high jump, placing seventh with a clearance of 6 feet, 5 inches. The remaining men’s points came from the distance medley relay team, which placed sixth in 10:34.11.

• Senior Nikki Aiken notched an eighth-place finish in the women’s 5,000 meters in a time of 18:34.62. She went on to place 10th in the 3,000 meters in 10:38.84 and also helped MSUB score a point in the distance medley relay which placed eighth in 13:02.71.

• Sophomore Mariah May was the other MSUB individual women’s point scorer, taking eighth in the weight throw with a mark of 49 feet, 3 inches.

• Montana State Billings will now turn its attention to the outdoor season. The Yellowjackets will compete next when they host the Yellowjacket Open on Saturday, Mar. 21 in Billings.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• The Northwest Nazarene men finished the GNAC Indoor Championships tied for seventh place with 39 points. The Nighthawks’ women placed ninth with 20 points.

• Senior Logan Blake was selected as the Men’s Track Athlete of the Meet. He won the 400 meters in a time of 48.52 seconds and also placed third in the 200 meters in 22.20 seconds. Blake also ran the lead leg of the Nighthawks’ 4x400-meter relay team.

• Senior Dakota Tidwell outlasted Alaska Anchorage’s David Sramek for the heptathlon title with a score of 4,813 points. The total is 30th in Division II this season. Tidwell won two individual events, the shot put (38-7.75) and the 60-meter hurdles (8.82). Tidwell also earned the silver medal in the pole vault with a clearance of 14 feet, 1.25 inches.

• Sophomore Madi VonBrethorst led the NNU women with a fourth-place finish in the women’s high jump. Her mark of 5 feet, 5.75 inches is an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier and is tied for 33rd in Division II this season.

• Senior Lauren Wuertz placed seventh in the women’s 400 meters in 57.77 seconds while sophomore McKenna Emerson was seventh in the 200 in 2:21.75.

• In the men’s competition, junior Spencer Hopkins placed seventh in the pole vault with a mark of 11 feet, 7.75 inches and junior Elijah Castro was eighth in the 60-meter  hurdles in 9.51 seconds.

• Northwest Nazarene’s men find themselves at No. 10 in this week’s USTFCCCA West Region Team Index.

• The Nighthawks will be among the GNAC teams competing at Saturday’s SPU Final Qualifier in Seattle.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s tied for seventh place in the men’s competition at the GNAC Indoor Championships with 39 points. The Saints’ women finished eighth with 26 points.

• Sophomore Keshara Romain was named the Women’s Field Athlete of the Meet after winning the triple jump and placing second in the long jump. Romain set GNAC and meet records in the triple jump with a mark of 41 feet, 8 inches. That surpassed the previous record of 41 feet, 7.25 inches set by Western Washington’s Jasmine McMullin in 2018. Already automatically qualified for nationals in the event, the mark is No. 2 in Division II this season. Romain also finished second in the long jump with a mark of 19 feet, 2.5 inches, which ranks 12th in Division II this season.

• Sophomore Tyler Cronk was named the Men’s Field Athlete of the Meet after repeating as high jump champion and earning top-four finishes in both horizontal jumps. Cronk cleared 7 feet, 1 inch in the high jump to automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships. The mark ranks No. 3 in Division II this season. Cronk placed second in the long jump at 22 feet, 4.75 inches and was fourth in the triple jump at 46 feet, 3.5 inches.

• Junior Alyssa Smith captured a fourth-place finish in the women’s pole vault with a clearance of 11 feet, 7 inches.

• Sophomore Michael Russell added a fourth-place finish in the men’s 200 meters with a time of 22.21 seconds. He also helped the Saints place fourth in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:22.16.

• The Saint Martin’s men remained at No. 9 in this week’s USTFCCCA West Region Team Index.

• Outside of trips to nationals for Romain and Cronk, Saint Martin’s has concluded the indoor season. The Saints open the outdoor schedule at the Ed Boitano Invitational in Tacoma on Saturday, Mar. 7.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• The Seattle Pacific women saw its string of three straight GNAC indoor titles snapped, finishing second with a score of 121 points. The Falcons’ men placed ninth with 21 points.

• Sophomore Peace Igbonagwam became the two-time champion in the women’s long jump, winning with a mark of 19 feet, 5.5 inches. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark ranks ninth in Division II this season. Igbonagwam also placed third in the 200 (24.78), fourth in the 60 (7.69) and seventh in the triple jump  (37-1.25).

• Senior Kate Lilly earned her first GNAC championship, winning the women’s 3,000 meters in a time of 9:47.88. Lilly finished just ahead of teammate Dania Holmberg, who was second in 9:47.95, and also ranks 20th in Division II this season. The time for Holmberg is good for 22nd in Division II this season.

• Senior Grace Bley led a 2-3-4 finish in the women’s 200 meters for the Falcons. Her time of 24.65 seconds is good for No. 6 on the GNAC All-Time List and ties her for 20th in Division II this season.

• Senior Scout Cai missed a fourth-straight title in the pentathlon. Hampered by injury, Cai placed second with a score of 3,406 points that ranks 24th in Division II this season.

• Sophomore David Njeri led the SPU men. Njeri placed third in the triple jump with a mark of 47 feet, 8 inches and less than five minutes later placed fourth in the 60-meter hurdles in 8.41 seconds.

• Freshman Brad Bowman placed fifth in the men’s pole vault with a mark of 13 feet,1.5 inches while sophomore Colby Otero was seventh in the 3,000 meters in 8:42.77.

• The Falcons’ women improved two spots to No. 2 in this week’s USTFCCCA Indoor Team Index.

• Seattle Pacific will host the SPU Final Qualifier on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser placed fourth in both team competitions at the GNAC Indoor Championships with the men scoring 85 points and the women scoring 83 points.

• Senior Addy Townsend was named the Women’s Track Athlete of the Meet after winning both the 800 meters and the mile. She became a four-time champion in the 800 meters with a time of 2:10.87 and captured the mile in a time of 4:58.62. Townsend also ran the leadoff leg on the Clan’s winning distance medley relay team and the third leg of the 4x400-meter relay team.

• Sophomore Jeremiah Lauzon took home the men’s 200-meter title with a time of 21.71 seconds, nearly a tenth of a second ahead of Adam Brown of Concordia.

• Freshman Charlie Dannatt completed an impressive comeback from injury, winning the men’s mile in a time of 4:13.72. Dannatt’s first meet of the season had been just the weekend before. Senior Rowan Doherty placed second in a time of 4:13.71.

• The women’s distance medley relay of Townsend, Renate Bluschke, Megan Roxby and Mairin Shields-Brown, won in a time of 12:03.65.

• Freshman Sydney Kania picked up a silver medal in the women’s high jump with a mark of 5 feet, 5.75 inches. Junior Chelsea Ribiero was second in the women’s 5,000 meters in 18:04.54.

• The Clan women dropped to No. 16 in this week’s USTFCCCA Division II Indoor Team Index. Both the men and women are No. 8 in the West Region Team Index.

• Simon Fraser will compete in the SPU Final Qualifier on Saturday in Seattle.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon captured sixth place in the men’s competition at the GNAC Indoor Championships with 73 points. The women placed seventh with 51 points.

• Freshman Dominique Loggins won the title for the Wolves in the men’s 60 meters with a time 6.68 seconds. Now No. 7 on the GNAC All-Time List, the NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time is 35th in Division II this season.

• Junior Derek Holdsworth led five scorers in the men’s 800 meters as he won the title with a time of 1:54.20. The Wolves went 1-2-4-5 in the event with sophomore Max Carmona placing second in a time of 1:55.25.

• Freshman Maya Hopwood collected a silver medal in the women’s 60 meters with a time of  7.64 seconds. She went on to place seventh in the 200 meters with a time of 25.25 seconds.

• The men’s 4x400-meter relay team of Gabe Arce-Torres, Lashaun Emile, Aaron Hanible and Holdsworth was just edged out for the title, placing second with a time of 3:17.80.

• Junior Moana Gianotti placed third in the women’s shot put with a mark of 43 feet, 7 inches. Freshman Jenelle Hurley was third in the women’s pentathlon with a score of 3,334 points. That ranks 30th in Division II this season.

• Western Oregon climbed one spot to No. 22 in this week’s USTFCCCA Division II Men’s Indoor Team Index. The Wolves are sixth in the men’s West Region Team Index.

• Western Oregon will be among the GNAC teams competing in the SPU Final Qualifier on Saturday in Seattle.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington ran away with its second consecutive GNAC men’s indoor title. The team’s 137 points was 50 points better than second-place Concordia. The WWU women placed sixth with 61.66 seconds.

• Senior Cordell Cummings led the individual champions with his repeat title in the men’s 60-meter hurdles in a time of 8.31 seconds. Sophomore Ethan Sterkel collected the gold medal in the men’s long jump. His mark of 23 feet, 8.75 inches is No. 5 on the GNAC All-Time List and tied for 22nd in Division II this season.

• The men’s 4x400-meter relay team of Bryant Welch, Mark Daniels, Jon Oglesby and Myles Smith just edged out Western Oregon for the title with a time of 3:17.76.

• Junior Ed Kiolbasa bolstered the point total with silver medals in both the men’s 3,000 and 5,000 meters. Kiolbasa finished the 5,000 with a time of 14:51.79 on Friday. He was just outdueled by Alaska Anchorage’s Felix Kemboi for the 3,000 title with a time of 8:31.80.

• Senior Lexi Perry led the WWU women with a second-place finish in the pole vault as she cleared  11 feet, 7 inches. Senior Sophia Galvez notched a third-place finish in the 5,000 meters with a time of 18:04.54. Junior Devon Olson was third in the triple jump with a mark of 38 feet, 2 inches.

• Western Washington remained No. 1 in this week’s USTFCCCA West Region Team Index for the third consecutive week. The Vikings’ women remained at No. 10.

• Western Washington will compete on Saturday at the SPU Final Qualifier in Seattle.