Wednesday, March 24, 2021

THIS WEEK'S GNAC ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MEN’S TRACK
Calahan Warren, Western Washington
Senior • Auburndale, Fla.

Warren made quite the splash in his Western Washington and GNAC debut, winning the 5,000 meters at the Doris Heritage Track Festival. His time of 14:16.17 is an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier, ranks No. 2 on the WWU All-Time List and No. 6 on the GNAC All-Time List. The time currently leads Division II and ranks No. 10 across all college divisions.

Also Nominated: Enrique Campbell (Alaska Anchorage), Gunner Valentini (Central Washington), Mason Schram (Montana State Billings), Michael Russell (Saint Martin’s), Justin Crosswhite (Western Oregon).

MEN’S FIELD
Beau Ackerman, Montana State Billings
Senior • Glendive, Mont.

Throwing the javelin for the first time since 2018, Ackerman won the event at the Yellowjacket-Battlin’ Bear Ice Breaker with a mark of 220 feet, 7 inches. The throw is the fourth-longest in MSUB history, is an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier, currently ranks No. 3 in Division II this season and ranks 17th across all college divisions.

Also Nominated: David Sramek (Alaska Anchorage), Aidan Cain (Central Washington), Micah Au-Haupu (Saint Martin’s), Jalon Fields (Western Oregon), Trent Kibler (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Dania Holmberg, Seattle Pacific
Junior • Eagle, Idaho

Running the 5,000 meters for the first time since 2019, Holmberg cruised to the win in the race at the Doris Heritage Track Festival. She won by 1 minute, 3 seconds with a time of 17:04.76. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time currently ranks No. 2 in Division II.

Also Nominated: McCall DeChenne (Central Washington), Kailee Stoppel (Montana State Billings), Cassidy Walchak-Sloan (Saint Martin’s), Maya Hopwood (Western Oregon), Karlie Hurley (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S FIELD
Hannah Nienaber, Western Washington
Junior • Battle Ground, Wash.

Nienaber placed second in the javelin at the Doris Heritage Track Festival. Her mark of 146 feet, 4 inches was a personal best, is a provisional qualifying mark for the NCAA Championships and ranks No. 9 in Division II this season.

Also Nominated: Megan Smallbeck (Central Washington), Taylor Stringari (Montana State Billings), Brianna Cabrera (Saint Martin’s), Moana Gianotti (Western Oregon).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage opened the 2020-21 season by taking part in the Doris Heritage Track Festival in Seattle.

• Sophomore Enrique Campbell led the Seawolves with a pair of top-three finishes in the sprints. He won the men’s 400 meters in 49.75 seconds, moving up to No. 9 on the UAA All-Time List. He took third in the 200 meters in 22.36 seconds.

• Senior David Sramek earned the win in the men’s long jump, leaping 21 feet, 3.25 inches. He went on to place fourth in the 400-meter hurdles in 57.29 seconds, which ranks No. 9 on the UAA All-Time List.

• Senior Lawson Sims took second in the 1,500 meters in 4:00.68. Freshman Cole Nash took third in a fast 5,000 meters in 14:45.66.

• Senior Elena Cano led the UAA women, finishing third in the 400-meter hurdles in 1:03.60. She went on to place seventh in the high jump, clearing 5 feet, 1 inch.

• Junior Tylantiss Atlas placed fifth in the women’s 800 meters in 2:22.47 while sophomore Victoria Johansen finished fifth in the 400 meters in 1:03.09.

• Alaska Anchorage will return to competition on Saturday, April 3, taking part in the WWU Invitational in Bellingham, Washington.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington put its full squad on display for the first time this season on Saturday at the Doris Heritage Track Festival.

• Junior Meagan Smallbeck was the lone winner for the Wildcats, winning the women’s hammer with a GNAC-leading mark of 160 feet, 5 inches.

• Junior Avery Fisk took second in the women’s shot put with a mark of 42 feet, 4.75 inches.

• Sophomore McCall DeChenne led the CWU women on the track with a second-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:03.45. Senior Jasmyne Neria finished third in the open 400 meters with a time of 1:00.15.

• Senior Ethan Tonder led the CWU men with a second-place finish in the shot put at 49 feet, 6.25 inches, while senior Aidan Cain placed third with a mark of 48 feet, 10 inches. Cain also notched a third-place finish in the hammer at 175 feet, 3 inches while freshman Ryan Thoma placed third in the javelin with a throw of 166 feet, 7 inches.

• On the track, senior Doc Porter led the Wildcats’ men with a second-place finish in the 400 meters with a time of 49.82 seconds. Porter also took eighth in the 200 meters in 22.88 seconds. Sophomore Gunner Valentini placed third in the 400-meter hurdles in 56.32 seconds.

• Central Washington will be right back in action this week, taking part in the Ed Boitano Invitational on Saturday in Tacoma, Washington.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• An NCAA Championships provisional qualifier and two school-record performances led Montana State Billings in its outdoor season opener, the Yellowjacket-Battlin’ Bear Ice Breaker on Friday in Lockwood, Montana.

• Senior Beau Ackerman was named the GNAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week after he notched the provisional qualifying mark in the javelin. He won with a throw of 220 feet, 7 inches, which currently ranks third in Division II and is the fourth-best throw in MSUB history.

• Senior Taylor Stringari set the MSUB record in the women’s hammer, winning with a mark of 153 feet, 6 inches. She bettered the previous record of 149-2 set by Anica Knispel in 2012. Stringari also won the discus with a throw of 106 feet.

• Freshman Jordan Cookman bettered the MSUB record in the women’s javelin in her first collegiate meet, winning with her mark of 123 feet, 7 inches. That broke the previous record of 119 feet, 9 inches, set by Courtney Henry in 2014.

• The Yellowjackets won a total of eight women’s events. The wins included sophomore Kaitlin Mason in the 100 meters (13.30), freshman Kendall Lynn in the long jump (16-5.75), freshman Joleen Pollat in the shot put (38-10.5) and both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.

• The MSUB men won seven events, including senior Mason Schram in the 100 meters (11.22), freshman Cody Welch in the 110-meter hurdles (17.80), senior Isaiah Girard in the high jump (6-5), freshman Bryce Olson in the long jump (20-5.25), freshman Cody Gisuti in the discus (120-7) and the hammer (140-4) and the 4x100 relay team.

• Montana State Billings will be back in action on Saturday, competing in the Yellow Jacket Spring Open in Spearfish, South Dakota.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene will open the outdoor season at the Team 4 Titus meet on Friday, Mar. 26 and Team 4 Ely meet on Saturday, Mar. 27. Both meets are in Irvine, California.

• One of two GNAC teams to compete during the indoor season, the Nighthawks finished the year ranked No. 1 in both the USTFCCCA West Region men’s and women’s team indexes.

• Junior Colton Burr was named the USTFCCCA West Region Indoor Male Field Athlete of the Year. Burr had the region’s top mark in the weight throw with a best of 54 feet, 1.75 inches, at the BYU Cougar Indoor III meet on Feb. 20. He also had the No. 2 mark in the region in the shot put at 45 feet, 11.25 inches.

• Freshman Kinsey Langin was the only GNAC athlete to earn a provisional qualifying mark for the NCAA Championships during the indoor season. Langin was fifth in the women’s pole vault at the BYU Cougar Indoor III with a mark of 12 feet, 0.5 inches. The mark finished tied for 36th in Division II this season.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• The sprints and middle distances led Saint Martin’s efforts at the Doris Heritage Track Festival in Seattle.

• Sophomore Michael Russell scored a pair of second-place finishes. He took second in the 100 meters in a GNAC-leading time of 11.03 seconds. His time of 22.31 seconds in the 200 meters is the second-fastest in the GNAC this season.

• Freshman Jack Farrell added a fourth-place finish in the men’s 1,500 meters in 4:02.29 and went on to place ninth in the 800 meters at 2:00.68. Sophomore Micah Al-Haupu placed fifth in the men’s shot put with a mark of 44 feet, 11.5 inches.

• Freshman Cassidy Walchak-Sloan led the Saint Martin’s women, placing third in the 800 meters with a time of 2:20.96. Sophomore Briana Cabrera added a fourth-place finish in the pole vault, clearing 10 feet, 10 inches.

• Junior Ashley Vest added a fifth-place finish in the women’s high jump with a clearance of 5 feet, 3 inches.

• Saint Martin’s gets right back on the track this weekend, competing in the Ed Boitano Invitational on Saturday in Tacoma, Washington.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Five women’s event victories paced Seattle Pacific as it hosted the annual Doris Heritage Track Festival at West Seattle Stadium.

• Senior Dania Holmberg was named the GNAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week after she cruised to the win in the 5,000 meters. Her time of 17 minutes, 4.76 seconds is an NCAA Championships provisional qualifier and No. 2 in Division II this season. It was her first race at the distance since 2019 as she won the race by 63 seconds.

• Freshman Ellie Rising led a one-two finish in the women’s 800 meters, winning in 2:16.18. Junior Elizabeth Thompson was close behind in second place with a time of 2:17.16.

• In the sprints, junior Jenna Bouyer and senior Grace Bley each clocked 12.28 seconds to win the women’s 100 meters and tie the duo for the top-time in the GNAC this season. Bley added a second-place finish in the 200 meters in 24.95 seconds while Bley was third in 25.52 seconds.

• Senior Scout Cai was a winner again in the women’s pole vault, leading the field by nearly a foot with her mark of 11 feet, 9.75 inches.

• Freshman Brad Bowman led the efforts for the SPU men, clearing 11 feet, 11.75 inches before the competition was halted due to rain.

• Junior Brayden Schultz placed fourth in the men’s 800 meters, clocking in at 1:57.65, and was fifth in the 1,500 meters in 4:02.55. Both times were lifetime bests.

• Seattle Pacific returns to competition on Saturday at the Ed Boitano Invitational in Tacoma, Washington.

SIMON FRASER
• Due to the closure of the U.S./Canada border due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Simon Fraser’s track and field season is on hold.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon hosted a pair of three-way meets at McArthur Field over the last week. The Wolves welcomed Humboldt State and Oregon State on Saturday and hosted Humboldt and Pacific (Ore.) on Tuesday.

• Junior JJ Walker picked up victories in both meets in a variety of events. On Saturday, Walker won the men’s 400 meters in 53.64 seconds. On Tuesday, Walker was the winner in the pole vault with a clearance of 15 feet, 3 inches, and the long jump with a leap of 20 feet, 8.5 inches.

• Freshman Maya Hopwood won both women’s short sprints on Saturday. She took the 100 meters in a time of 12.56 seconds and the 200 meters in 26.45 seconds.

• Junior Owen Collins won the men’s shot put in both meets, winning on Saturday with a mark of 47 feet, 2.5 inches, and on Tuesday with a mark of 44 feet, 7.75 inches. Junior Sam Cole won the hammer on both days, throwing 162 feet, 6 inches on Saturday and 155 feet, 11 inches on Tuesday. Junior Karsten Collins won both discus competitions, winning on Saturday with a mark of 138 feet, 4 inches, and on Tuesday with a mark of 141 feet, 2 inches.

• Sophomore Aaron Hanible won both men’s hurdles events on Tuesday, clocking a time of 16.40 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles and 57.85 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles.

• Freshman Kaylee Wright improved her NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark in the javelin on Tuesday, winning with a throw of 144 feet, 2 inches. She currently ranks No. 13 in Division II.

• Western Oregon will take the next two weekends off from competition before hosting the annual John Knight Twilight on Friday, April 9 and Saturday, April 10.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington put together a solid start to the season with some impressive performances at the Doris Heritage Track Festival in Seattle.

• Senior Calahan Warren was named the GNAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week after his impressive win in the 5,000 meters in his WWU debut. Warren clocked a time of 14:16.17, which is No. 2 on the WWU All-Time List and No. 6 on the GNAC All-Time List. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time leads Division II and is 10th across all college divisions.

• Junior Hannah Nienaber was named the GNAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week after she placed second in the javelin with a lifetime-best mark of 146 feet, 4 inches. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark is currently No. 9 in Division II this season.

• Senior Eric Hamel followed Warren for second place in the men’s 5,000 meters. His time of 14:43.56 is No. 9 on the GNAC All-Time List.

• Senior Karlie Hurley won the women’s 400 meters in a time of 57.62 seconds, moving her to No. 10 on the WWU All-Time List.

• The Vikings’ men recorded two victories in the field events. Junior Ben Malquist won the shot put with a GNAC-leading mark of 50 feet, 2 inches. Freshman Trent Kilber took top honors in the high jump with his mark of 6 feet, 4.75 inches.

• After the long layoff, Western Washington will be right back to competition on Saturday, taking part in the Ed Boitano Invitational in Tacoma, Washington.