Contact: Bob Guptill (503-305-8756/www.gnacsports.com)
Jan. 15, 2015
Indoor Season Gets Underway For Five Teams Saturday at UW
THIS WEEK: Friday - Montana State Open (MSUB); Boise State Ed
Jacoby Invitational (NNU). Saturday – University of Washington
Preview (UAA, CWU, SMU, SPU, SFU, WOU, WWU); BSU Ed Jacoby
Invitational (NNU).
Following is a complete list of GNAC Top 10 and national
qualifying marks so far this season:
GNAC All-Time Top 10 2014-15 Performances
PORTLAND, Ore. – While four Great Northwest Athletic
Conference teams have already seen action this winter,
the real start to the 2015 Indoor Track and Field season is
this weekend.
Men: 3000 – 2. *Robert Peterson, MSUB, 8:15.2 (Jan. 10). 60
Hurdles – 10. David Durden, SMU, 8.35 (Dec. 13). High Jump – 3.
*Mikel Smith, SMU, 2.06 – 6-9 (Dec. 13). Pole Vault – 2. **Payton
Lewis, NNU, 5.11 – 16-9 1/4 (Dec. 13). Triple Jump – 7. *Luke
Plummer, CWU, 14.41 – 47-3 ½. *NCAA PNQ **NCAA Automatic
Qualifier
All nine GNAC track-and-field teams will compete in meets
at Seattle, Nampa and Bozeman, Mont.
Women: 60 Hurdles – 9. Chelsey Knott, NNU, 8.93 (Dec. 13).
Note: Becki Duhamel of Central Washington had a PNQ Dec. 13 at
Nampa in the women’s weight throw with a mark of 53-7 ½. Her
career best is 54-2 ½ in 2013.
Making their season debuts, all at the Dempsey Indoor on
the campus of the University of Washington, are Alaska
Anchorage, Seattle Pacific, Simon Fraser, Western Oregon
and Western Washington.
Vikings, Seawolves Defending GNAC Champions
Joining that fivesome are Central Washington and Saint
Martin’s which made their season debuts Dec. 13 at
Nampa.
Western Washington and Alaska Anchorage will be seeking
their third consecutive GNAC Indoor men’s and women’s
team titles this February when the conference
championship meet returns to Nampa for the 12th year in a
row Feb. 20-21 at the Ford Idaho Center.
Northwest Nazarene will remain in Nampa for Boise
State’s Ed Jacoby Invitational, while Montana State Billings
will travel to Bozeman for the Montana State Open.
The Vikings outpointed the UAA men 157-134 last year to
earn their fourth team title in the 11-year history of the
meet (2005-06, 2013-14).
It’s the third meet of the young season for the
Yellowjackets, who completed at Spearfish, S.D., Dec. 5-6
and Jan. 10.
In prior meets, GNAC athletes posted six marks that rank
on the GNAC All-Time Top 10 list including two No. 2s.
Three defending champions return this winter for WWU
including Outstanding Performer Award winner Alex
Donigian who swept the 60 (GNAC-record 6.75) and 200
(meet record 31.79).
MSUB’s Robert Peterson ran the 3,000-meters in a schoolrecord time of 8:28.68 last Saturday at Spearfish, finishing
second.
Also back for the Vikings are Brett Watson and Kevin
Yates, who won the high jump (6-8 ¾) and long jump (2210 ½), respectively.
Converting for altitude and track size, his time equates to
8:15.52. Only 2014 NCAA national champion Micah
Chelimo of Alaska Anchorage has run quicker (8:09.83).
Central Washington, which finished fourth, returns two
defending champions - triple jumper Luke Plummer (46-3
¼) and weight thrower Kevin Stanley (58-1 ¼).
Payton Lewis of Northwest Nazarene also had a No. 2
GNAC all-time Top 10 mark, pole vaulting 16-9 ¼ at
Jacksons Open Dec. 13 at Nampa.
Also back to defend their 2014 titles are Josh Hanna of
Western Oregon in the 800 (1:54.14), Robert Peterson of
MSU Billings in the mile (meet-record 4:11.05), and UAA’s
Cody Thomas in the heptathlon (meet-record 4094).
Lewis’ mark automatically qualifies him for the NCAA
national meet in March, while Peterson’s time is a PNQ for
the national championships March 13-14 at Birmingham,
Ala.
Donigian (60, 200), Yates (long jump) and Thomas
(heptathlon) are all two-time champions.
Alaska Anchorage outpointed Seattle Pacific 154-125 to
win its second straight women’s team title a year ago.
In all GNAC athletes have secured five qualifying marks (4
provisional, 1 automatic) so far this season.
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