Tuesday, January 18, 2022

THIS WEEK'S GNAC ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MEN’S TRACK
Aaron Ahl, Simon Fraser
Junior • Calgary, Alta.

Ahl ran the second-fastest time in GNAC history in the 3,000 meters at Saturday’s UW Indoor Preview. Placing seventh, Ahl was the second collegiate finisher with a time of 7:53.89. That trails only the 7:50.81 Division II all-conditions record set by Western Oregon’s David Ribich in 2018. The time is the seventh-fastest in Division II history under all conditions and is the third-fastest time this season across all college divisions.

Joshua Wagner, Alaska Anchorage
Sophomore • Niederahr, Germany

Wagner ran the second-fastest time in GNAC history in the 60-meter hurdles, clocking a time of 8.15 seconds in the preliminaries at the Cougar Classic on Friday. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark ranks 18th in Division II this season. The effort was the second-fastest time of the prelims and Wagner went on to place fourth in the final with a time of 8.52 seconds. Wagner also placed fourth in the 200 meters with a time of 22.49 seconds, which ranks No. 9 all-time at UAA.

Also Nominated: Austin Albertin (Central Washington), Ase Ackerman (Montana State Billings), Hunter Hutton (Western Oregon), Mac Franks (Western Washington).

MEN’S FIELD
Ethan Sterkel, Western Washington
Sophomore • Longview, Wash.

Sterkel won the long jump at the UW Indoor Preview on Saturday, hitting an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark with his winning leap of 23 feet, 7.25 inches. The mark leads the GNAC and is No. 17 in Division II this season. Sterkel was also the top collegiate finisher in the high jump, placing second with a mark of 6 feet, 6.75 inches.

Also Nominated: Collin Sample (Alaska Anchorage), Zackary Kuzyk (Simon Fraser), Owen Collins (Western Oregon).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Alison Andrews-Paul, Simon Fraser
Junior • Ohope Beach, New Zealand

Andrews-Paul opened her SFU indoor career with a victory in the 800 meters at the UW Indoor Preview, running 2:08.61. She won the event by eight seconds over Hannah Wilson of Stanford. The time leads Division II and is No. 10 across all college divisions this season. The time also ranks No. 10 on the GNAC All-Time List.

Also Nominated: Makenna Hansen (Central Washington), Kailee Stoppel (Montana State Billings), Ana Popchock (Western Oregon), Mia Crocker (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S FIELD
Meagan Smallbeck, Central Washington
Senior • Tacoma, Wash.

Smallbeck was a winner in the weight throw at Friday’s Cougar Classic Open. Her mark of 54 feet, 0.5 inches was 20 inches better than second-place Gabriela Sanchez of UC Santa Barbara.

Also Nominated: Sydney Kania (Simon Fraser), Jenelle Hurley (Western Oregon), Raine Westfall (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Sophomore Joshua Wagner’s school-record performance in the men’s 60-meter hurdles led Alaska Anchorage in its debut at the Cougar Classic Open on Friday.

• Wagner ran 8.15 seconds in the preliminary heats, a time that is No. 2 on the GNAC All-Time List and ranks 18th in Division II this season. He went on to finish fourth in the finals in 8.52 seconds and also placed fourth in the 200 meters in 22.49 seconds. The performance earned Wagner selection as the GNAC Men’s Track Co-Athlete of the Week.

• In the women’s 60-meter hurdles, freshman Mette Van der Meer opened her collegiate career by running 9.20 seconds, which ranks No. 6 on the UAA all-time list.

• Freshman Coleman Nash took second in the men’s 3,000 meters in 8:28.95 while junior Jacob Moos was seventh in a time of 8:34.

• Senior Nancy Jeptoo opened the year by placing fifth in the women’s 3,000 meters in a time of 10:53.

• In the field events, senior Collin Sample placed second in the men’s long jump with a leap of 21 feet, 8 inches, which ranks No. 6 on the UAA all-time list. Sophomore Carlotta Duenninger finished 10th in the high jump with a clearance of 4 feet, 9 inches.

• Alaska Anchorage returns to action on January 28 and 29, competing at the UW Invitational in Seattle.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Senior Meagan Smallbeck’s winning effort in the weight throw led Central Washington’s performances at the Cougar Classic Open on Friday.

• Smallbeck was named the GNAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week for winning with a mark of 54 feet. 0.5 inches. She was 20 inches better than second-place Gabriela Sanchez of UC Santa Barbara. It is Smallbeck’s second Athlete of the Week award of the season.

• The Wildcats had a total of 11 top-five finishes in the meet with four top-three women’s finishes. In the running events, junior McCall DeChenne placed second in the 400 meters in 59 seconds while freshman Sarah Sewell placed third in the 800 meters in a time of 2:18.83.

• In the field events, Kylie Griffin placed second in the women’s high jump with a clearance of 5 feet, 3 inches.

• The other top-three finish came in the men’s 400 meters with senior Austin Albertin finishing second in a GNAC-leading time of 49.09 seconds.

• The Wildcats sent senior distance runners Rajesh Gill and Trevor Allen to compete in the loaded men’s 3,000 meters at the UW Indoor Preview on Saturday in Seattle. Allen ran 8:39.50 while Gill finished in 8:58.94.

• Central Washington returns to action this weekend, taking part in the Lauren McCluskey Memorial Open on Saturday in Moscow, Idaho.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• A sweep of victories in the triple jump led Montana State Billings as the Yellowjackets opened the season at the Bobcat Challenge on Friday in Bozeman, Montana.

• Sophomore Kendall Lynn was the winner in the women’s triple jump with her mark of 36 feet, 0.75 inches. Sophomore Garrett McMillen was uncontested in the men’s triple jump, putting up a mark of 41 feet, 7 inches.

• Junior Kailee Stoppel provided the third Yellowjackets victory of the day, winning the women’s 800 meters in a time of 2:24.72. She also ran a personal best in the mile, placing seventh in 5:31.52.

• Freshman William Ullery started his MSUB indoor career with a second-place finish in the 200 meters in a time of 23.47 seconds. Junior Ase Ackerman finished fourth in the men’s mile in a time of 4:22.01.

• Ackerman also combined with Logan Straus, Carson Jessup and Jackson Bailey to place third in the men’s 4x400-meter relay, running a time of 3:42.35.

• Montana State Billings returns to action this weekend, taking part in the Dave Little Mile meet in Spearfish, South Dakota on Friday and Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene’s scheduled weekend trip to the Snake River Open in Pocatello, Idaho was canceled. The Nighthawks are scheduled to compete next at the Stacy Dragila Invitational in Pocatello on Saturday, January 29.

• The Nighthawks opened the 2020-21 season at the Spokane Invitational on December 11.

• Freshman Miya Koch led the NNU women’s placers, tying for fourth in the high jump with a mark of 5 feet, 3 inches. Sophomore Destany Herbert placed seventh in the shot put with a mark of 42 feet, 4.75 inches and seventh in the weight throw at 49 feet, 5.5 inches. Both marks broke Herbert into the NNU top-10 lists.

• Junior Colton Burr led a number of solid NNU efforts in the men’s throws, placing fourth in the weight throw with a mark of 52 feet, 9.5 inches and eighth in the shot put with a mark of 43 feet, 10.75 inches. Junior Cody Robbins placed sixth in the men’s shot put with a mark of 44 feet, 8.75 inches.

• Freshman Steven Schmidt tied for fifth in the men’s high jump with a clearance of 6 feet, 6.75 inches. Sophomore Turner Nye added an eighth-place finish in the pole vault at 14 feet, 7.25 inches.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s last competed in the Spokane Open on December 11. The Saints are scheduled to compete at the Lauren McCluskey Memorial Open in Moscow, Idaho on Saturday.

• In Spokane, sophomore Andrew Boyd led the way with his seventh-place finish in the men’s 60-meter hurdles in 8.59 seconds. Boyd had the fourth-fastest time in the preliminaries at 8.52 seconds.

• Freshman Cassidy Walchak-Sloan added an eighth-place finish in the women’s mile with a time of 5:13.03.

• Sophomore Andrew Schulz was the leading Saints placer in the field events, finishing eighth in the long jump with a mark of 21 feet, 6.25 inches.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• A number of top-five performances in the men’s sprints and middle distances led Seattle Pacific’s efforts at the UW Indoor Preview on Saturday.

• Freshman Isaiah Archer won the men’s 1,000 meters in a time of 1:21.72 while freshman Gabe Woodard placed fifth in 1:29.38. Sophomore Jon Owen finished fourth in the 1,000 meters in 2:40.80 while sophomore Evan Carpenter was fifth in the 400 meters in a time of 51.56 seconds.

• Woodard, Archer, Carpenter and sophomore Julius Shepherd combined to take fifth in the 4x400-meter relay, running a time of 3:33.83.

• Junior David Njeri added a third-place finish in the men’s triple jump, beating a pair of Stanford competitors with his leap of 47 feet, 9 inches.

• Sophomore Annika Esvelt led the SPU women as she lowered her NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time in the 3,000 meters. She was the first non-Division I or open athlete in a time of 9:51.80, which ranks No. 12 in Division II this season.

• Senior Madison Licari was the top women’s field event performer, placing seventh in the pole vault with a clearance of 11 feet, 2.5 inches.

• Seattle Pacific returns to Dempsey Indoor on January 28 and 29 for the UW Invitational.

SIMON FRASER
• Running in its first official meet since March 2020, Simon Fraser made a big splash against top competition at the UW Indoor Preview in Seattle.

• Junior Alison Andrews-Paul was named the GNAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week and the USTFCCCA Division II Women’s Athlete of the Week after she won the 800 meters in 2:08.61. She won by eight seconds over Stanford’s Hannah Wilson. The time leads Division II, is No. 10 across all divisions this season and ranks No. 10 on the GNAC All-Time List.

• Junior Aaron Ahl was named the GNAC Men’s Track Co-Athlete of the Week after running 7:53.89 in the 3,000 meters. The top non-Division I or open competitor in the event, Ahl’s time is the eighth-fastest in Division II history under all conditions, leads Division II this season and is the third-fastest across all college divisions. On the GNAC All-Time List, Ahl only trails the Division II all-time best of 7:50.81 run by Western Oregon’s David Ribich in 2018.

• Junior Emily Lindsay took third in the women’s 400 meters in an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time of 56.39 seconds. The performance ranks fifth in Division II this season.

• Andrews-Paul and Lindsay combined with freshmen Erika Binder and Marie-Eloise Leclair to win the 4x400-meter relay in a time of 3:50.46. The performance ranks fourth in Division II this season. Leclair also took third in the 60 meters with a time of 7.72 seconds.

• Freshman Zackary Kuzyk took third in the men’s high jump, clearing 6 feet, 4.75 inches, and also took third in the long jump with a mark of 22 feet, 8 inches.

• Simon Fraser competes again in two weeks. The team will be in split-squad mode, sending some competitors to the John Thomas Terrier Classic in Boston and others to the UW Invitational in Seattle.

WESTERN OREGON
• Senior Ana Popchock’s performances in the hurdles and jumps highlighted Western Oregon’s performances at the UW Indoor Preview on Saturday.

• Popchock placed fifth in the women’s 60-meter hurdles in a time of 9.05 seconds. Her time of 9.04 seconds in the preliminaries ranks No. 2 on the WOU all-time list. Popchock also ran strong in the 60-meter preliminaries with a time of 8.10 seconds and placed fifth in the triple jump with a mark of 35 feet, 9 inches.

• Junior Maya Hopwood placed eighth in the finals of the women’s 60 meters in a time of 7.98 seconds.

• Junior Hunter Hutton ran an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time in the men’s mile. His 15th-place time of 4:07.78 ranks fifth in Division II this season and No. 9 on the GNAC All-Time List.

• Junior Brennan Sorah ran strong in the men’s 60-meter hurdles. He ran a time of 9.05 seconds in the preliminaries and went on to place fifth in the finals in a time of 9.00 seconds. Freshman Caleb Southworth added a fourth-place finish in the men’s 600 meters in 1:26.95.

• In the field events, junior Jenelle Hurley led the way with a third-place finish in the women’s long jump, leaping 17 feet, 9.75 inches. Senior Moana Gianotti was fourth in the women’s shot put with a mark of 40 feet, 5 inches and sixth in the weight throw at 48 feet, 8 inches.

• Western Oregon returns to action this weekend, participating in the Portland Indoor No. 2 meet in Newberg, Oregon on Saturday and Portland on Sunday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Two school records and junior Ethan Sterkel’s winning performance in the long jump led Western Washington’s efforts at Saturday’s UW Indoor Preview.

• Sterkel was named the GNAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week after winning the long jump with a school-record mark of 23 feet, 7.25 inches. The NCAA Championships provisional qualifying performance ranks 17th in Division II this season. Sterkel also took second in the high jump with a mark of 6 feet, 6.75 inches.

• Junior Mac Franks established a WWU record in the 3,000 meters with a time of 8:14.59. He placed 19th in the 50-competitor field. His time ranks No. 10 on the GNAC All-Time List and No. 6 in Division II this season. In the same event, freshman Kevin McDermott ran an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time of 8:19.37, which ranks 10th in Division II this season.

• Sophomore Raine Westfall set the WWU record in the women’s weight throw, placing fourth with a mark of 49 feet, 10.5 inches.

• Freshman Mia Crocker added a third-place finish in the women’s 800 meters with a time of 2:20.16, The time ranks No. 8 on the WWU all-time list.

• In the men’s sprints, freshman Tyrone Woodard placed eighth in the 60 meters with a time of 7.22 seconds after running 7.12 seconds in the preliminary heats. Freshman Ryan Henry placed third in 200 meters in 22.85 seconds with freshman Lucas Brenek right behind in fourth at 23.09 seconds.

• Western Washington will return to the track on January 28 and 29, competing in the UW Invitational in Seattle.