Central Washington's Emy Ntekpere broke the GNAC indoor record in the triple jump at 42-1.25 feet (12.83 meters) last week (Photo: Loren Orr).
PORTLAND, Ore. – Three reigning Great Northwest Athletic Conference indoor track & field champions all took down conference records last week, highlighting the latest edition of GNAC Players of the Week.
MEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Mark Warren – Western Oregon University
Fifth-career field athlete of the week, second this season.
Warren broke the conference record in the weight throw with a heave of 62-3.75 feet (18.99 meters) on Saturday at the George Fox indoor meet. He topped a field of 17 competitors at the event and moved his name up to No. 13 on the NCAA national performance list. Warren surpassed Central Washington’s Aidan Cain, who previously broke the GNAC record at 61-10.25 feet (18.85 meters) in 2020. It was an improvement of nearly three feet from his previous best of 59-7 (18.16 meters) which he achieved earlier this season. Warren won last year’s GNAC indoor title in the weight throw and last year’s outdoor title in the hammer throw.
Also Nominated: Marc Mercier, Alaska Anchorage; Cal’von Baker, Central Washington; Cort Sandefur, Montana State Billings; Carter Alberts, Northwest Nazarene; Nicholas Monro, Simon Fraser.
WOMEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Emy Ntekpere – Central Washington University
Fourth-career field athlete of the week, second this season.
Ntekpere soared to new heights in the triple jump at the Riverfront Multis, recording a GNAC-record distance of 42-1.25 feet (12.83 meters). That put the sophomore’s name at the top of the NCAA DII national performance list and surpassed a jump of 41-8 (12.70 meters) by Keshara Romain of Saint Martin’s which had stood as the indoor record since 2020. Ntekpere, the reigning GNAC indoor and outdoor champion in the triple jump, finished third among a field of 27 competitors at the event with only Division I jumpers out-leaping her last week.
CWU Head Coach Jonathan Hill: “Emy opened up in the triple jump this week and it’s obvious the work she has been putting in. We weren’t going to compete until she was ready, and she showed that she was definitely ready laying down a top-25 all-time NCAA mark. It is so exciting to watch her continue to develop and grow into a better and better jumper. She is not done by a longshot and we’ve got some big meets coming up that we are really looking forward to.”
Also Nominated: Hannah Cooper, Montana State Billings; Alberta Samuelu, Saint Martin’s; Kerlinda Chatwin, Simon Fraser.
MEN’S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Joshua Caleb – University of Alaska Anchorage
Fifth-career track athlete of the week, third this season.
Caleb continued to rewrite the GNAC record books last week, becoming the first man in conference history to run a sub-21 second 200 meters time at the Riverfront Multis. Caleb broke his own indoor record with a time of 20.82 seconds, keeping his name at the top of the NCAA DII national performance list. He was the only non-Division I runner in his section at the meet, finishing second among a field of 18 top-level competitors. Caleb also won the 60-meters at the meet, running a time of 6.62 seconds.
UAA Head Coach Ryan McWilliams: “Joshua continues to show an encouraging consistency. Not every race is perfect or goes according to plan, but he continues to stay relaxed and not force things. His races have had stiffer competition in them as the season has progressed, and he continues to rise to the challenge and compete well. We think he is building toward something special.”
Also Nominated: Bautista Diamante, Central Washington; Jaycee Herbert, Montana State Billings; Grady Mylander, Northwest Nazarene; Kainalu Pagente, Saint Martin’s; Jacob Hall, Simon Fraser; Brennen Murphy, Western Oregon.
WOMEN’S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
First-career track athlete of the week.
Cannan had a career performance at the Nevada Wolf Pack Classic last week, running career bests in both the 60 meters and the 200 meters. Her time of 23.82 seconds in the 200 meters was the second-fastest in GNAC indoor history, behind only teammate
Marie-Eloise Leclair’s record time of 23.39 seconds. Cannan also clocked in at 7.51 seconds in the 60 meters, which stands as the fifth-fastest time in conference history. The junior climbed to No. 5 on the NCAA DII national performance list in the 200 meters, a jump of 23 spots from her previous place at No. 28. She also pushed up to No. 24 on the national list in the 60 meters.
SFU Head Coach Brit Townsend: “Emma has shown continuous development and progression in her sprinting. Her absolute shock in her performance last week was evident in the tears she had following the race. We decided to have her focus on the 60m and 200m this year and only run 400s in the relays, and it has definitely paid off. This was a tremendous result from a wonderful young woman.”
Also Nominated: Liv Heite, Alaska Anchorage; E’lexis Hollis, Central Washington; Madeline Severson, Montana State Billings; Alejandra Gomez, Northwest Nazarene; Nerrissa Thompson, Western Oregon.
MEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Garrett Anderson – Central Washington University
Second-career player of the week, second this season.
Anderson led the Wildcats to wins over Alaksa Anchorage and Alaska Fairbanks last week with a pair of headline performances. He made 9 of 14 shots on his way to 29 points in the win over the Seawolves, including a 4-for-6 line from 3-point range for his second-most made threes in a game this season. Anderson followed with 17 points and a season-high four assists, while adding eight rebounds in the win over the Alaska Nanooks. Overall on the week Anderson averaged 23.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and shot 58.6% from the floor.
CWU Head Coach Brandon Rinta: “Garrett had two great all-around games this weekend. He played great defense, was efficient from the floor shooting 59%, had six assists and led us in rebounding both nights.”
Also Nominated: Bishop Tosi, Alaska Anchorage; Paul Johnson, Alaska Fairbanks; Kael Robinson, Montana State Billings; Yaru Harvey, Northwest Nazarene; Diego Trejo-Delgado, Saint Martin’s; Mason Landdeck, Seattle Pacific; Irish Coquia, Simon Fraser; Garrett Levesque, Western Washington.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Capri Sims – Central Washington University
Second-career player of the week, first this season.
Sims led all GNAC players in field-goal percentage last week, hitting at a clip of 73.7% to highlight a pair of dominant performances. The sophomore had double-doubles in each of the Wildcats’ victories, as they knocked off Simon Fraser and Western Washington to remain in the hunt for the conference title. Sims started her week with an 11-point, 13-rebound double-double in the 74-63 win over the Vikings, knocking down 5 of 6 shots while adding two blocks, a steal and an assist. She followed that with a career-high 21 points in a narrow, 79-72 win over Simon Fraser, making 9 of 13 shots and adding a dozen rebounds. Sims also posted her second-highest steal total of the season with three and added two more assists in the win over the Red Leafs. Overall on the week Sims averaged 16.0 points per game and 12.5 rebounds per game.
CWU Head Coach Randi Richardson: “Capri plays so hard and empties her tank every time she touches the floor. The effort she plays with is inspiring. She always does so many little things that do not show up on stat sheets, which has contributed immensely to our team’s success and culture. Capri stepped up big for us this week scoring and rebounding, and was extremely efficient. She was the anchor of our defense in both games and executed tremendously on that side of the floor. I am so happy for her – she deserves this recognition.”
Also Nominated: Ashlyn Rean, Alaska Anchorage; Tristian Martin, Alaska Fairbanks; Kortney Nelson, Montana State Billings; Kendall Clark, Northwest Nazarene; Sarah Lamet, Saint Martin’s; Hunter Beirne, Seattle Pacific; Myrlaine Shelvey, Simon Fraser; Alyson Deaver, Western Washington.
BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jack Nehler – Montana State University Billings
Second-career player of the week, first this season.
Nehler was the conference’s leading hitter in last week’s games, slashing .600/.700/.733 to help the Yellowjackets to a 3-2 week on the diamond. Nehler had a pair of three-hit performances and drove in four runs while crossing the plate five times. He also drew four walks and had a pair of doubles, contributing to his lofty .700 on-base percentage and .733 slugging percentage. In a total of 21 plate appearances Nehler struck out just once. In addition to his offensive contributions Nehler played error-free defense in 29 chances at first base and helped MSUB turn four double plays.
MSUB Head Coach Derek Waddoups: “It is great to have an intelligent, quality hitter like Jack Nehler in the middle of our order. He had an outstanding weekend with clutch at-bats. It was great to see him take what the game gave him, whether that was drawing a walk or driving in runs. Jack had a great weekend and was really locked in at the plate, and he also made several outstanding defensive plays. He makes our lineup and infield better by how he plays the game.”
Also Nominated: Justin Birch, Central Washington; Adrian Arechiga, Northwest Nazarene; Collin Bell, Saint Martin’s.
BASEBALL PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Ernesto Lugo-Canchola – Northwest Nazarene University
First-career pitcher of the week.
Making his second start of the season, Lugo-Canchola delivered a stellar performance to help the Nighthawks to a 5-2 win over Chico State. The left-hander struck out six batters in 6-plus innings, allowing just one run on three hits. Lugo-Canchola limited the opposition to just five baserunners in the quality start and pitched into the seventh inning for the first time in his NNU career. Across his first two outings of the season, Lugo-Canchola holds a 0.77 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP with 12 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings pitched.
NNU Head Coach Joe Schaefer: “Ernesto was outstanding last week. He commanded the zone really well, worked quickly and was very efficient. He held down a very good offense in a big opening-series game.”
Also Nominated: Kellen Berg, Central Washington; Malcolm Bartholomew, Montana State Billings; Devin Bell, Western Oregon.
SOFTBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Bryn Lucht – Montana State University Billings
First-career player of the week.
Lucht had the top offensive numbers among GNAC players last week, slashing .545/.643/.818 in the Yellowjackets’ four games. The sophomore’s performance was highlighted by her first home run in a Yellowjacket uniform – a grand slam that paved the way for the team’s first win of the season, 6-4 against Jamestown. Lucht’s four RBIs were tied for the most by any GNAC player last week and her nine total bases were the most in the conference.
MSUB Head Coach Joe Yegge: “Bryn had great at-bats, and worked counts to take advantage of her at-bats. She is really seeing the ball and has bought into what we are trying to do offensively. She did a great job tracking balls down in a tough indoor environment, where she had to move over to center field for the weekend.”
Also Nominated: Ava Clark, Northwest Nazarene.
SOFTBALL PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Miah Lusk – Northwest Nazarene University
Second-career pitcher of the week, second this season.
Lusk was outstanding on the way to her second straight weekly award, leading all GNAC pitchers with an ERA of 1.75, an opposing batting average of .172 and 15 strikeouts in 16 innings pitched. The freshman right-hander picked up her third save of the year in NNU’s 4-1 win over Biola, tossing 4 2/3 shutout innings of relief and limiting her opponent to just two baserunners. Lusk then matched her season best with eight strikeouts across 4 1/3 innings while allowing just one run in a 4-1 loss to Concordia-Irvine. Across the first eight appearances of her career Lusk holds a 1.59 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings pitched.
Also Nominated: Emily Watters, Montana State Billings.
WOMEN’S GOLF PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Lauren F. Lee – Western Washington University
Second-career player of the week, second this season.
Lee was the conference’s top performer at the Cal State LA Spring Kickoff tournament last week, opening up her 2025 spring season with a tie for seventh place among a field of 85 competitors. Lee displayed consistency on the par-71, 5,919-yard course layout, notching a 3-over-par 74 in each of the two rounds for a total score of 6-over-par 148. Lee improved her season scoring average to 74.9 strokes per round, ranking her second in the conference for 2024-25.
WWU Head Coach Luke Bennett: “Lauren’s game has taken a very solid and consistent step forward this year. It starts with her body language and mental strength and staying calm and in the moment has allowed her talent and athleticism to do its thing while she plays. She is driving the ball as well as I’ve seen her drive it, giving her more scoring opportunities.”
Also Nominated: Zoe Garcia, Seattle Pacific.