PORTLAND, Ore. – Strong early track and field marks from Western Washington’s throws department and Central Washington’s sprinters highlighted the latest list of Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Week selections, announced on Monday.
MEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Calvin Gutierrez – Western Washington University
First-career athlete of the week.
Gutierrez had quite the start to his 2025-26 indoor season, posting the second-best weight throw in GNAC indoor history at the Spokane Invitational. Gutierrez launched a toss of 62-1 feet (18.92 meters), topping a field of 30 competitors in the event. Gutierrez now sits behind only Western Oregon’s Mark Warren on the GNAC all-time list, with the conference record sitting at 63-8.75 feet (19.42 meters) achieved last season.
WWU Head Coach Ben Stensland: “Calvin has been working really hard this offseason and clearly it has been paying off. He put together a great series in his first meet and we are really looking forward to seeing what he does this season.”
Also Nominated: Makhi Odoms, Saint Martin’s; Tawaf Aboudou, Seattle Pacific.
WOMEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Jessica Polkinghorn – Western Washington University
Fourth-career athlete of the week, first this season.
Polkinghorn, like Gutierrez, broke a WWU school record in her event last week as she posted the third-best shot put in GNAC indoor history. Polkinghorn’s toss of 49-10 feet (15.19 meters) was enough to best a field of 31 throwers at the Spokane Invitational. It was also the sixth-best throw by any NCAA Division II competitor this season. Polkinghorn matched Concordia’s Christina MacDonald for No. 3 on the GNAC all-time performance list. The conference indoor record – which is also the Division II indoor all-time record – was set by Concordia’s McKenzie Warren in 2017 with a shot put of 57-9.75 feet (17.62 meters).
WWU Head Coach Ben Stensland: “Jessica is coming off a remarkable freshman season. It is great to see her really eager to build on that. She has been putting in a lot of great work and has grown in her confidence. Coach Damien Fisher has been doing a wonderful job with Calvin, Jessica and the entire throws crew.”
Also Nominated: Maliyah Gordon, Central Washington; Taryn Wochnick, Saint Martin’s.
MEN’S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Boogy Brown – Central Washington University
First-career athlete of the week.
Brown got a speedy time in the 60-meter hurdles under his belt last week at the Spokane Invitational. The Wildcat sprinter posted a mark of 8.03 seconds, just 0.02 seconds shy of the GNAC record of 8.01 set by Seattle Pacific’s Andrew Bell last winter. Brown as the top Division II finisher among a field of 30 competitors at the event, clocking a PR to kick off his season. It was tied for the 11th-fastest time in Division II so far this year.
CWU Head Coach Jonathan Hill: “Boogy had a really nice fall. He's balancing being a football player/track athlete, but he does it all with a great attitude and lots of hard work and discipline. He's the leader of a strong hurdle group so he makes sure those guys bring it every day.”
Also Nominated: Treyton Corpuz, Saint Martin’s; Tawaf Aboudou, Seattle Pacific; Isaac Ford, Western Washington.
WOMEN’S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Ashlyn Nielsen – Central Washington University
First-career athlete of the week.
Nielsen had a strong showing at the Spokane Invitational, putting up a pair of GNAC all-time top-10 marks in the sprints. Nielsen had a provisional qualifying time of 7.57 seconds in the 60 meters finishing fourth overall among 39 competitors and posting the top non-Division I time. She then won the 200 meters ahead of 25 other competitors, running a time of 24.37 seconds. The sophomore climbed to No. 15 nationally in the 60 meters and No. 5 nationally in the 200 meters. Her 60 meters time ranks her eighth in GNAC indoor history and her 200 meters time was sixth-fastest in conference indoor history.
CWU Head Coach Jonathan Hill: “Ashlyn has been improving steadily across the board. After outdoors, she set some goals for herself and went to work. It was clear in the fall she was ready to have a strong indoor season. I know she's pleased with her double PR day (and relay anchor) but is excited for faster races down the line.”
Also Nominated: Charis Deitemeyer, Saint Martin’s; Hannah Chang, Seattle Pacific; Kennedy Cook, Western Washington.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Kylani Rookstool – Western Oregon University
First-career player of the week.
Rookstool helped lead Western Oregon to a pair of wins last week, continuing her stellar offensive output thus far in 2025-26. Playing all 40 minutes in WOU’s 74-71 win over Cal Poly Humboldt, Rookstool scored 26 points on 8-for-12 shooting including 5-for-6 accuracy from 3-point range. She added eight rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block. That performance came after 25 points on 10-for-12 shooting and another 5-for-6 effort from the arc in a 107-48 blowout of Warner Pacific last Wednesday. Overall on the week Rookstool shot 83.3% (20-for-24) including 83.3% (10-for-12) from long distance, averaging 25.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. In her first season at WOU after transferring from North Idaho College, Rookstool ranks fourth in the GNAC with 18.8 points per game, fifth in field-goal percentage at 54.3% and second in 3-point shooting at 47.8%. Her 3.2 made 3-pointers per game also rank her second in the conference.
WOU Head Coach Jessica Peatross: “Kylani puts the extra work in and it shows. She has been pretty efficient so far this season for us. I think she is becoming more comfortable and confident in her role each game. She made some big shots Saturday in Arcata and throughout the season. She plays hard on both ends of the floor, she is a great teammate who is unselfish and I’m proud of her growth so far. I’m looking forward to seeing her continued growth the remainder of the season.”
Also Nominated: Asher Cai, Central Washington; Tailey Harris, Montana State Billings; Jada Travis, Saint Martin’s; Madison Rubino, Seattle Pacific.
MEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Ronyo Obou – Saint Martin’s University
First-career player of the week.
Obou led the Saints to a win in their only game last week as they crushed Douglas 114-34. Obou had the GNAC’s first 40-point game of the season, making 14 of 19 field goals and 9 of 12 threes. The SMU newcomer did not disappoint in his first start of the year, adding five assists, four rebounds and a pair of steals while committing just one turnover in 32 efficient minutes. It was the second time in eight games played this season that Obou reached double figures in scoring, as the big performance boosted his season average to 8.3 points per game.
SMU Head Coach Aaron Landon: “Ronyo had an exceptional shooting night following a very important week of final exams. He has been working hard since his arrival on campus in late August, and it’s awesome to see him have a special night like this before the break.”
Also Nominated: Mike Miller, Alaska; Bradley Swillie, Central Washington; Jakob Milling, Montana State Billings; Easton Reagan, Northwest Nazarene; Henry Sandberg, Seattle Pacific; Braydon Olson, Western Oregon; Nehemiah Pollard, Western Washington.