Thursday, May 12, 2016

MONMOUTH, Ore. – For the last six years, the battle for the GNAC women’s outdoor track and field championship has been a battle between Seattle Pacific and Alaska Anchorage.

It is shaping up to be a similar battle this year as the Falcons and Seawolves come in as favorites on the women’s side at the GNAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which take place Friday and Saturday at Western Oregon University’s McArthur Field.

The Falcons captured five individual championships, along with the 4x100-meter relay title, to win the 2015 team trophy by 29 points. Five of those champions return for SPU, but the Seawolves are prepared with three returning champions of their own and a number of top GNAC and Division II Championships qualifying marks.

Seattle Pacific enters the weekend with an 11-point cushion thanks to Maliea Luquin’s win last week in the heptathlon at the GNAC Multi-Event Championships. The senior will also be a title contender in the 100-meter hurdles, where she has the top time in the league at 14.01 seconds.

Senior Lynelle Decker will look to repeat as 1,500-meter champion for the Falcons and will also aim to add the 800 meters to her list. Decker enters the meet with the top time in the GNAC in both events and is ranked fifth in Division II in the 800 meters at 2:08.08. Senior Jahzelle Ambus is the defending 400-meter champion and sits 16th in Division II with a time of 54.58 seconds.

Junior Michaella Kahns is the returning champion in the pole vault, but sits third in the event this season. She will need a big day to beat Central Washington’s McKenna Emmert, who leads the league with a mark of 12 feet, 3.5 inches. Junior Kyra Brannan leads the GNAC in her quest to repeat as long jump champion with a mark of 19 feet, 1.5 inches. Seattle Pacific also returns 10,000-meter champ Anna Patti, who owns the third fastest time in the GNAC this season at 36:09.37. The Falcons also expect points from senior Jalen Tims in the 400-meter hurdles (GNAC best 1:00.06).

Alaska Anchorage is led by senior Jamie Achcroft, who is the two-time defending champion in both the 100 meters and 200 meters. Her times this season of 11.70 seconds in the 100 (13th in Division II) and 24.07 in the 200 (16th in Division II) have already surpassed her previous winning times.

Senior Joyce Chelimo returned from a redshirt season to become one of the top distance runners in the country. An All-American during both the cross country and indoor seasons, Chelimo is automatically qualified for nationals in both the 5,000 meters (15:59.55) and the 10,000 meters (33:14.41) and was the 2014 GNAC champion in the 10,000 meters. Sophomore Caroline Kurgat is also an automatic nationals qualifier in the 10,000 meters with a time of 33:38.30 and is 12th in Division II in the 5,000 (16:30.85).

Other expected point scorers for the Seawolves include junior Mary-Kathleen Cross in the 200 meters (24.50), freshman Yvonne Jeschke in the 400-meter hurdles (1:02.09) and sophomore Mariah Burroughs in the steeplechase (11:03.90).

Central Washington placed third in last year’s championships and enter this year’s meet with good scoring potential. Senior Tayler Fettig won the high jump in 2014 and owns the GNAC’s top mark at 5 feet, 8.25 inches, tying her for seventh in Division II. Senior Dani Eggleston leads the league in the steeplechase and is 10th in Division II with her time of 10:27.63 with senior teammate Erin Chinchar second in the GNAC at 10:50.71.

Sophomore Ali Anderson earned six points for the Wildcats with her third place finish in the heptathlon. Freshman Mariyah Vongsaveng won the 60-meter hurdles at the GNAC Indoor Championships and is second in the GNAC in the 100-meter hurdles at 14.15 seconds. Senior Megan Rogers also has potential point scoring potential in both the 5,000 meters (17:26.40) and the 10,000 meters (36:24.46).

Western Washington features two returning champions and will do plenty of damage in the field events. Junior Megan Mortensen won the discus last year and her best of 155 feet, 4 inches in 2016 is 13 feet better than her winning mark in 2015. Senior Katie Reichert won the javelin in 2014 and is automatically qualified for nationals in the event (164-7). Reichert is joined by junior Bethany Drake, who reset her own GNAC record in the event and sits third in the nation with a throw of 171 feet, 7 inches.

Drake and Reichert lead four Vikings’ javelin throwers in the GNAC’s top-five. Freshman Mariah Horton is eighth in Division II at 156 feet, 3 inches, and freshman Anosi Laupola is 14th in the nation at 149 feet, 3 inches.

Junior Jasmine McMullin will look to add an outdoor title in the triple jump, entering the meet with a personal best of 39 feet, 9.75 inches. She will be challenged by Simon Fraser freshman Ella Brown, who is second in the GNAC with a mark of 39 feet, 5.25 inches. Junior Miranda Osadchey will challenge for the title in the high jump (5-7.25) while junior Brittany Grant and senior Taylor Guenther will be potential point scorers in the steeplechase and 5,000 meters, respectively.

Western Oregon returns one champion in senior Emmi Collier, who won the shot put in 2015. Her current mark of 46 feet, 5.5 inches, is a foot better than her winning mark last year and second in the GNAC. Freshman Olivia Woods is fourth in the GNAC in the 400 meters (56.66) while sophomore Suzie Van De Grift is fourth in the 800 meters (2:11.76). Senior Stephanie Stuckey ranks fifth in the 1,500 meters (4:30.59) and sophomore Sara Madden is sixth in the 400-meter hurdles (1:04.79).

Northwest Nazarene is led by junior Taylor Deskins, who has emerged as one of the conference’s top sprinters. Her school record of 11.95 seconds is No. 2 on the GNAC all-time list and second in the league this season behind Ashcroft. Two-sport sophomore Lexi Tubbs is third in the league in the 100-meter hurdles with her time of 14.18 seconds. Freshman Ellie Logan is 11th in Division II in the javelin (151-11) and gave the Crusaders eight points with her second place finish in last week’s heptathlon.

Simon Fraser’s best scoring chance comes from the freshman Brown in the triple jump. Sophomore Alana Mussatto has the GNAC’s third best time in the 800 meters (2:11.74) while freshman Addy Townsend is fifth in the event (2:11.85). Sophomore Sophie Dodd is sixth (2:12.05). Senior Rebecca Bassett is third in the league and 18th nationally in the 5,000 meters (16:42.50). Freshman Valda Kabia ranks fifth in the 100 meters (12.20).

Newcomer Concordia will be a factor in the field events. Freshman Katrina Linenko leads the GNAC and is 19th in the nation in the shot put at 46 feet, 10 inches. Sophomore Christina MacDonald should score in three events with the league’s third best mark in both the shot put (44-9.75) and hammer (167-0) and fifth best in the javelin (150-0). Freshman Tori Johnson enters the meet ranked fourth in the high jump (5-5.75) while juniors Rachel Siltman and Emma Hill and third and fourth in the triple jump (37-10.75 and 37-8.5).

Saint Martin’s will pin their scoring hopes on senior Kirby Neale and junior Shannon Porter. Neale leads the GNAC in the hammer with her mark of 174 feet, 2 inches, is sixth in the shot put (43-10) and seventh in the discus (131-8). Porter enters with the third best mark in the 5,000 meters, a NCAA Championships provisional qualifier of 16:42.50. Sophomore Deanna Avalos is sixth in the javelin with a provisional qualifying mark of 149 feet, 3 inches.

Senior Della Lyle provides the best scoring chance for Montana State Billings. Lyle enters with the conference’s fifth best time in the steeplechase, a school record 11:03.90. She will also compete in the 5,000 meters where she holds the school record at 17:20.62. Freshman Janessa Williams comes into the meet with the sixth best mark in the triple jump (36-6.75).