Tuesday, May 16, 2023

PORTLAND, Ore. – A total of 13 athletes from six of the conference’s institutions are headed to Pueblo, Colorado for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships, May 25 to 27 at the CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl.

The field of five men and eight women includes four entrants from Western Washington, three from Simon Fraser, two from Northwest Nazarene and one each from Seattle Pacific and Western Oregon.

The selected athletes for the Division II Championships include 11 GNAC champions and eight athletes that competed in last year’s meet.

In the men’s field, Northwest Nazarene sophomore Steven Schmidt and Western Washington sophomore Drew Weber are each qualified in two events. Schmidt enters the meet tied for eighth in the high jump with a clearance of 7 feet, 0.5 inches that ties him for No. 2 on the GNAC all-time list. He also ranks 11th in the decathlon with a score of 7,047 points that ranks 11th in Division II.

Weber owns the No. 14 time in Division II in the 1,500 meters at 3:44.83, ranking No. 7 on the GNAC all-time list, and No. 17 time in Division II in the 800 meters at 1:49.34, ranking No. 6 on the GNAC all-time list. Weber placed 16th last year in the 800.

Simon Fraser junior Charlie Dannatt and Seattle Pacific senior David Njeri also return to the Division II Championships after competing there in 2022. Dannatt placed seventh in the 1,500 meters to earn All-American honors and has the second-fastest time in the field this season at 3:41.38 to rank No. 3 on the GNAC all-time list. He won the 800 meters at last week’s GNAC Championships but did not race in the 1,500. Njeri placed 18th in the triple jump last year and tied for 15th in the field at 49 feet, 7.25 inches.

The women’s field is led by a pair of two-event Simon Fraser qualifiers in sophomore Marie-Éloïse Leclair and junior Megan Roxby. Leclair finished 14th last year in the 100 meters and 13th in the 200 meters. She enters this year’s championships ranked No. 7 in the 200 meters in a GNAC record 23.42 seconds and No. 10 in the 100 meters in a GNAC record 11.44 seconds.

Roxby competed in the 1,500 meters in 2022, placing 15th. She enters this year ranked 21st in the event with a time of 4:24.56. She has the No. 19 time in the field in the 800 meters at 2:09.34.

Western Washington sophomore Ila Davis makes a return appearance in the women’s steeplechase. The two-time GNAC champion in the event placed 15th at last year’s Division II meet and ranks No. 7 this year at 10:21.10. Vikings junior Marian Ledesma competed in last year’s championships for Azusa Pacific, placing 11th in the 800 meters. She ranks No. 17 in the event this year.

Western Oregon senior Kaylee Wright placed 13th in last year’s javelin and sits No. 16 this season at 146 feet, 1 inch.

First-time competitors at the Division II Outdoor Championships include Western Washington sophomore Jeret Gillingham in men’s steeplechase, Central Washington senior Lauryn Chandler in the women’s 100-meter hurdles, Wildcats junior E’lexis Hollis in the women’s 100 meters and Northwest Nazarene sophomore Kinsey Yenor in the women’s pole vault.

NCAA DIVISION II OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
GNAC QUALIFIERS
MEN
Northwest Nazarene: Steven Schmidt (High Jump, Decathlon)
Seattle Pacific: David Njeri (Triple Jump)
Simon Fraser: Charlie Dannatt (1,500 Meters)
Western Washington: Jeret Gillingham (Steeplechase), Drew Weber (800 Meters, 1,500 Meters)

WOMEN
Central Washington: Lauryn Chandler (100-Meter Hurdles), E’lexis Hollis (100 Meters)
Northwest Nazarene: Kinsey Yenor (Pole Vault)
Simon Fraser: Marie-Éloïse Leclair (100 Meters, 200 Meters), Megan Roxby (800 Meters, 1,500 Meters)
Western Oregon: Kaylee Wright (Javelin)
Western Washington: Ila Davis (Steeplechase), Marian Ledesma (800 Meters)

MEET SCHEDULE FOR GNAC COMPETITORS
All Times Mountain Daylight
Thurs., May 25
10:30 a.m.: Decathlon Day 1 (Steven Schmidt, NNU)
5:10 p.m.: Women’s 1,500 Meters Preliminaries (Megan Roxby, SFU)
5:25 p.m.: Men’s 1,500 Meters Preliminaries (Charlie Dannatt, SFU; Drew Weber, WWU)
6:10 p.m.: Women’s 100 Meters Preliminaries (E’lexis Hollis, CWU; Marie-Éloïse Leclair, SFU)
6:40 p.m.: Women’s Steeplechase Preliminaries (Ila Davis, WWU)
7:10 p.m.: Men’s Steeplechase Preliminaries (Jeret Gilliingham, WWU)

Fri., May 26
9:30 a.m.: Decathlon Day 2 (Steven Schmidt, NNU)
5:05 p.m.: Men’s Triple Jump (David Njeri, SPU)
5:30 p.m.: Women’s 200 Meters Preliminaries (Marie-Éloïse Leclair, SFU)
6 p.m.: Women’s 800 Meters Preliminaries (Megan Roxby, SFU; Marian Ledesma, WWU)
6:15 p.m.: Men’s 800 Meters Preliminaries (Drew Weber, WWU)
6:35 p.m.: Women’s 100-Meter Hurdles Preliminaries (Lauryn Chandler, CWU)
7:15 p.m.: Women’s Steeplechase Final
7:30 p.m.: Men’s Steeplechase Final

Sat., May 27
11 a.m.: Women’s Pole Vault (Kinsey Yenor, NNU)
11:30 a.m.: Women’s Javelin (Kaylee Wright, WOU)
4:45 p.m.: Men’s High Jump (Steven Schmidt, NNU)
5:35 p.m.: Women’s 1,500 Meters Final
5:45 p.m.: Men’s 1,500 Meters Final
5:55 p.m.: Women’s 100-Meter Hurdles Final
6:35 p.m.: Women’s 100 Meters Final
6:55 p.m.: Women’s 800 Meters Final
7:05 p.m.: Men’s 800 Meters Final
7:45 p.m.: Women’s 200 Meters Final