Thursday, February 16, 2023

SPOKANE, Wash. – Western Washington and Simon Fraser are favored to repeat as the GNAC Indoor Track and Field Championships return to The Podium on Monday and Tuesday.

The Western Washington men were runaway winners in 2022, picking up a 61-point victory over Simon Fraser. While the Vikings have the lineup in place to repeat, Northwest Nazarene hopes its depth in the field events could lead to its first men’s title. Likewise, Western Oregon will make a charge for its first championship since 2004.

Simon Fraser’s women hope their strength in the running events will point the way to a repeat, led by sophomore Marie-Éloïse Leclair’s record-breaking season. Western Washington and Western Oregon are also expected to rival the Red Leafs for the team championship.

MEN
For Western Washington, the quest to repeat will come down to its depth. The Vikings have the potential for multiple point-scorers in all but a handful of events and have three events with three top-eight marks entering the meet.

Much of that depth comes in the middle and long distances. Junior Drew Weber heads that depth, leading the conference and ranking 12th in Division II in the 800 meters. He also has an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time in the mile. Sophomore Will Henry has NCAA provisional qualifying times in the 800 meters and mile while senior Andrew Oslin leads the conference in the 5,000 meters.

Western Washington will also rely on sophomore Nolan Mickenham, who ranks third in the conference in the 200 meters, and sophomore Miller Campbell with his top mark in the weight throw.

Northwest Nazarene’s depth in the sprints and field events makes the Nighthawks a title contender. Sophomore Steven Schmidt is the defending champion in the pentathlon and owns NCAA provisional qualifying marks in the pentathlon and the high jump. His season best of 6 feet, 11.75 inches is No. 3 on the GNAC all-time list. Schmidt also ranks No. 3 in the GNAC this season in both the 60-meter hurdles and the pole vault.

Sophomore Hunter Breseth and junior Brayden Durfee rank first and second, respectively, in the 200 meters with Durfee also ranking third in the 60 meters. Senior Dylan Hendry ranks No. 2 in the conference in both the shot put and weight throw.

Simon Fraser will also bring great depth to the distances. Junior Charlie Dannatt became just the third athlete in GNAC history to break four minutes for the mile last weekend with a time of 3:58.54. With the No. 2 time in Division II, Dannatt leads five GNAC runners who have run under 4:10 in the mile this season. Dannatt is also the favorite in the 3,000 meters with the No. 7 time in Division II at 7:58.32.

Junior Sebastian Brinkman owns the conference’s No. 2 time in the 5,000 meters while junior Jordan Schmidt ranks second in the 800 meters. Sophomore Jesaiah Penson-Mccoy also owns the GNAC’s top time in the 60 meters.

Western Oregon also has strength in the distances. Junior Hunter Hutton had the GNAC’s top time in the mile until Dannatt ran his four-minute mile. He continues to rank 12th in Division II in the event and is fourth in the GNAC in the 3,000 meters. Junior Bailey Smith enters the meet ranked No. 6 in the GNAC in the 5,000 meters.

Junior Dominique Loggins, the 2022 outdoor champion at 100 meters, has the conference’s No. 2 time in the 60 meters. In the field events, senior transfer Dayne Gordien owns the GNAC’s top mark in the shot put by nearly six feet. Junior Marlon Harrison ranks third in the conference in the triple jump and senior JJ Walker is third in the heptathlon.

Alaska Anchorage’s best scoring chances come from sophomore Coleman Nash, whose time of 13:48.46 in the 5,000 meters ranks No. 2 on the GNAC all-time list and his 3K time of 8:03.41 is No. 4. Senior Drew Johnson owns NCAA Championships provisional qualifying times in the mile and 3,000 meters.

The Seawolves also feature junior Collin Sample, who leads the conference in the long jump, and freshman Maximilian Kresmer, whose time of 48.25 seconds in the 400 meters is No. 4 on the GNAC all-time list. Junior Joshua Wagner is the defending champ in the 60-meter hurdles and leads the GNAC this season with a time of 8.13 seconds.

Braydon Maier aims to win his first heptathlon for Central Washington since 2018. The senior leads the GNAC in the combined event and the pole vault. Freshman Drew Klein is second to Maier in the pole vault while freshman Isaiah Webster and sophomore Christopher Hines add depth in the horizontal jumps.

Seattle Pacific senior David Njeri looks to defend his title in the triple jump. He owns the top mark in the conference at 48 feet, 5.5 inches. Sophomore Isaiah Archer will be a contender in the 400 meters after setting an SPU record in the event last weekend.

Saint Martin’s junior Andrew Boyd is expected to contend for the title in the 60-meter hurdles while Montana State Billings senior Ase Ackerman is a scoring threat in the mile.

WOMEN
Simon Fraser will make a solid bid to repeat as champion with the depth to score significant points in every running event between the 60 meters and the mile.

Leclair has established herself as one of the top athletes in Division II, setting conference records in the 60 meters (7.45 seconds), 200 meters (23.80 seconds) and 400 meters (53.82 seconds). She ranks in the top 10 in Division II and among the top Canadians this season at all three distances. Freshman Emma Cannan is second in the GNAC in 200 meters while sophomore Claire Bosma is third in the 400.

Junior Megan Roxby owns the GNAC’s top time in the mile and ranks second in the 800 meters, both in NCAA Championships provisional qualifying times. In the field events, sophomore Sydney Kania leads the conference in the high jump and sophomore Kennedy Primrose leads the way in the triple jump.

Western Oregon’s scoring potential comes in the field events. Senior Jenelle Hurley leads the conference in the pentathlon while senior Ana Popchock is the defending champion in the triple jump. Freshman Ujunwa Nwokoma enters with the top mark in the long jump of 18 feet, 7 inches.

Junior Maliyah Thompson owns the No. 2 mark in the 60-meter hurdles and will be among the contenders in the 60 meters. Senior Caitlin Heldt owns the conference’s top time in the 3,000 meters.

Western Washington stands to score significant points in the distances, jumps and throws. Sophomore Ila Davis owns the conference’s No. 2 time in the mile and sophomore Sophie Davis is ranked third. Junior Marian Ledesma owns the third-best time in the 800 meters while sophomore Meaera Shannon is third in the 5,000 meters.

In the jumps, junior Jessica Neal is tied for first in the conference in the high jump and junior Matty Lagerwey is second in the long jump. Sophomore Raine Westfall leads the throws with the top mark in the weight throw. Junior Katie Potts and freshman Mara Parks rank second and third, respectively, in the shot put.

Central Washington will be led by junior E’lexis Hollis, who will challenge for the 60-meter title. Her best of 7.48 seconds ranks a close second to Leclair’s 7.45. Junior Lauryn Chandler leads the other straightaway race, the 60-meter hurdles, while freshman Elise Hopper ranks second in the 400 meters. Junior Juliette Williams ranks fourth in both the 60 and 200 meters.

The Wildcats also have the Nos. 2, 3, and 4 point totals in the pentathlon, led by freshman Ellie DeGroot with a score of 3,174 points. Central also enters with the top time this season in the 4x400-meter relay.

Seattle Pacific is led by senior Vanessa Aniteye, who enters with the top time in Division II in the 800 meters at 2:07.53. The distances continue to be a strength for the Falcons with sophomore Libby Michael ranking second in the GNAC in the 3,000 meters and fifth in the mile and freshman Matise Mulch ranking fifth in the 5,000. In the sprints, freshman Hannah Chang is fifth in the GNAC in the 60-meter hurdles.

The Falcons also enter the meet with three of the top four performers in the pole vault. Freshman Kayla Tassara leads that trio with a mark of 11 feet, 11.25 inches while junior Charlie Hill aims to defend her championship.

Northwest Nazarene has title contenders in the pole vault, shot put and sprints. Sophomore Kinsey Yenor’s best in the pole vault of 12 feet, 10.25 inches ties her for No. 2 on the GNAC all-time list. Junior Destany Herbert leads the shot put with her best of 45 feet, 9.25 inches ranking in the top 25 in Division II. Sophomore Abbey Wood owns the conference’s No. 3 times in both the 60 and 200 meters.

Saint Martin’s is led by senior Margaret Zilla, who is second in the GNAC in the triple jump, and sophomore Sara Sabra, who ranks second in the 5,000 meters. Freshman Alauna Carstens ranks third in the 3,000 meters with freshman Alyssa Duncan ranked fourth in the long jump.

Sophomore Kendall Lynn leads Montana State Billings in the horizontal jumps, ranking third in the triple jump. Freshman Olivia Manley leads Alaska Anchorage as she ranks fifth in the 200 meters and ninth in the 60 meters.