By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

Photography by: Loren Orr

SPOKANE, Wash. – The stage is set for the 2025 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships, which kick off on Monday morning at The Podium.
 
In partnership with Spokane Sports, the event will be hosted at the state of the art facility for the fourth consecutive year.
 

Headlining the bill of competitors this week are reigning sprints champions Joshua Caleb of Alaska Anchorage and Marie-Eloise Leclair of Simon

Fraser. Caleb was selected as the GNAC Male Athlete of the Year in 2023-24 after an unprecedented freshman campaign, and Leclair was named the GNAC Female Athlete of the Year.
 
Caleb has continued to rewrite the GNAC record books, entering the meet ranked No. 1 on the Division II performance list in the 60 meters and 200 meters, and No. 7 in the 400 meters. Caleb’s season-best times of 6.57 seconds in the 60 meters, 20.82 seconds in the 200 meters and 47.22 seconds in the 400 meters are all conference records, and he is the reigning indoor champion in both the 60 meters and 200 meters.
  Leclair, who represented team Canada at the Paris Olympics last summer, is No. 1 on the Division II performance list in the 200 meters with a time of 23.61 seconds. Last year she became the first woman in GNAC history to win that event in three consecutive seasons, as she will have a chance to make it four 200 meters titles in a row this week. Leclair is also No. 6 in Division II in the 60 meters with a season-best time of 7.37 seconds. In addition to her individual success, Leclair anchors one of the top 4x400 meter relay teams in Division II as well. Simon Fraser’s season-best time of 3:44.22 – just under two seconds off the GNAC indoor record – slots the Red Leafs at No. 10 on the Division II performance list. Leclair and the relay squad will look to reclaim a title that it won in 2022 and 2023, before finishing as the indoor runner-up to Central Washington last winter.
  Reigning men’s and women’s team champion Western Washington will look to defend last year’s sweep of the titles, including a record point total of 187.7 by the Viking men on the way to their eighth GNAC indoor crown. WWU’s women meanwhile totaled 143 points in last year’s meet to collect their first-ever team indoor title. WWU head coach Ben Stensland was voted by his peers as the GNAC Coach of the Year in 2024. The Vikings have the top GNAC times this season in three of the four relay races, including the men’s 4x400 meters (3:13.10), the men’s distance medley relay (9:46.21) and the women’s distance medley relay (11:26.85). The women’s DMR time was the third-fastest in GNAC history, as the Vikings look to bring home their third straight title in that event. The men’s 4x400 relay time was also third-fastest in GNAC history and the Vikings are also the reigning champion in that race.
 
Caleb isn’t the only men’s sprinter turning heads this winter, as Simon Fraser’s Jacob Hall ran the third-fastest time in GNAC history at 6.76 seconds in the 60 meters earlier this season. Hall also clocked a 200 meters time of 21.51 seconds, tying him for fourth in GNAC history in that event. Central Washington newcomer Bautista Diamante will be another key competitor in the two shortest races, as he enters the meet with the seventh-fastest 60 meters time in GNAC history at 6.80 seconds and tied with Hall at 21.51 seconds in the 200 meters.
 
Caleb’s teammate Maximilian Kremser posted the seventh-fastest 400 meters time in conference indoor history at 47.88 seconds, as he figures to be a top contender in that event. Western Oregon’s Brennen Murphy, who won the 400 meters crown at the 2024 GNAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, will also be in contention after running the eighth-best time in conference history at 48.05 seconds.
 
If the women’s sprints are anywhere near as exciting as they played out last year, then spectators are once again in for a treat. Central Washington’s E’lexis Hollis ran a GNAC-record 60 meters time of 7.29 seconds to win the gold medal just 0.01 seconds ahead of Leclair in an unforgettable dash last year. Hollis is the favorite to defend her title, having run the second-fastest 60 meters time in Division II this year at 7.32 seconds. Hollis is also expected to compete at the top of the 200 meters field, as she currently occupies the No. 3 spot on the GNAC performance list with a time of 23.94 seconds.
 
While Leclair is the favorite to defend her 200 meters crown, she’ll likely have to out-stride both Hollis and her teammate Emma Cannan to do so. Cannan had a breakout performance two weeks ago, running the second-fastest time in GNAC history at 23.82 seconds which put her at No. 5 on the Division II performance list. Hollis, who ranks seventh on the Division II performance list, makes it three runners in the top-10 nationally who will produce what figures to be one of the most entertaining events of the meet.
 
Western Washington newcomer Bec Bennett has quickly made a name for herself in her first season competing for the Vikings, and she enters her first indoor championship as the favorite in the 400 meters. The Australian international ran the fifth-fastest time in Division II this season at 54.40 seconds, which also stands as the second-fastest in GNAC indoor history. Like Leclair, Bennett runs the invaluable anchor leg of a WWU 4x400 meter relay team that ranks No. 13 nationally at 3:45.10 – the fifth-best time in GNAC indoor history.
 
The men’s 800 meters field features four runners who have posted provisional national qualifying times this season, headlined by Western Oregon’s Isaiah Rodriguez who ran the sixth-fastest time in GNAC history at 1:50.44. Johan Correa of Central Washington was just off that mark at 1:50.48 this season, with those two ranking 14th and 16th, respectively on the Division II national performance list. WOU’s Keeton Sanchez is the reigning indoor champion in the event and ranks fourth in the conference this season at 1:52.17. Colton Plummer of Simon Fraser is also projected as a contender, ranking third on the GNAC list at 1:51.39.
 
Jess Chisar of Alaska Anchorage made headlines as a freshman last winter, when she became just the second woman in school history to claim the GNAC indoor crown in the 400 meters. She enters the meet as the favorite to defend that title, ranking No. 1 on the GNAC performance list with a season-best time of 2:08.27 which is No. 10 all-time in conference indoor history. A trio of Vikings will give Chisar a run for her money, as Mia Crocker (2:11.11), Emmy Kroontje (2:11.63) and Sophie Wright (2:12.34) have each also posted a provisional national qualifying time this season. No Viking has ever won gold in the indoor 800 meters, giving the aforementioned three further motivation to cross the line in first place.
 
Kevin McDermott of Western Washington was named the 2024 GNAC Indoor Male Track Athlete of the Year, after making history by becoming the first man in conference history to win the mile, 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters at the same championship. The Viking senior is at the top of the GNAC performance list in the mile and the 3,000 meters, with season-bests 4:06.20 and 8:02.90 under his belt. SFU’s Andrew Thomson and CWU’s Correa figure to be close contenders in the mile, as both have provisional qualifying times of 4:08.39 and 4:08.74, respectively. It will take a breakout performance for anybody to catch McDermott in the 3,000 meters, as NNU star Brody Kemble has the next closest time of 8:22.11 – nearly 20 seconds slower than McDermott’s season best. Kemble, the outdoor 10,000 meters champion from last spring, also sits second this season in the 5,000 meters at 14:39.42. That trails only WWU’s Ryan Clough, whose conference-leading mark of 14:18.47 stands as a provisional qualifier ahead of the championship.
 
The women’s mile projects as a two-horse race between Simon Fraser and Western Washington, with the two schools combining for the top eight times in the GNAC thus far in 2025. Topping the list is SFU junior Rachael Watkins, who clocked a PR of 4:51.18 two weeks ago in Boston. WWU’s Wright (4:52.16), Kroontje (4:55.11) and Crocker (4:55.37) have comparable marks, as does Watson’s teammate Selin Tasdemir at 4:55.38. Reigning champion Ila Davis also cannot be counted out of defending her title, ranking sixth in the GNAC this season at 4:55.68.
 
Watkins also enjoyed a PR time in the 3,000 meters of 9:44.71 to slot her second on the indoor performance list in that event, but it is reigning champion Annika Esvelt of Seattle Pacific who is the heavy favorite to defend her title. Esvelt, the 2024 GNAC Female Scholar Athlete of the Year, ran the fourth-fastest 3,000 meters time in GNAC history at 9:24.80 earlier this season. She also projects as the frontrunner to claim her second-career indoor gold medal in the 5,000 meters, with her season-best run of 16:09.93 slating her third on the national performance list and second in GNAC history. Esvelt, last year’s national runner-up in the outdoor 10,000 meters, also won the indoor crown in the 5,000 meters at the 2022 championship.
 
Esvelt’s teammate Hannah Chang appears poised to challenge for her first title in the 60-meter hurdles, having run the fifth-fastest time in GNAC history at 8.55 seconds this season. After just missing the podium last indoor season, taking fourth, Chang broke through with a gold-medal performance in the outdoor 100-meter hurdles last spring. Her closest competition this week figures to be UAA’s Liv Heite, whose season-best 8.64 seconds ranked her 10th on the GNAC all-time performance list.
 
Reigning GNAC Freshman of the Year Emy Ntekpere of Central Washington has continued the momentum she built last season into what has become a record-setting sophomore campaign. She enters the meet No. 1 in Division II in the triple jump, breaking the GNAC record with a leap of 42-1.25 feet (12.83 meters). Also the reigning indoor champion in the high jump, Ntekpere’s season-best height of 5-8.5 feet (1.74 meters) ranks her second on the GNAC performance list this season.
 
While it will be difficult for anyone to catch Ntekpere in the triple jump – the next closest top mark this year was more than three feet shorter – she will face stern competition in both the high jump and long jump. Western Washington’s Kora Cook has the top high jump this season at 5-9.25 feet (1.76 meters), while MSU Billings’ Hannah Cooper (5-6.5 feet/1.69 meters) and Western Oregon’s Amity Deters (5-6 feet, 1.68 meters) will be other contenders. Cooper also projects as a title contender in the women’s weight throw, where her school-record toss of 55-3.5 feet (16.85 meters) has her at the top of the GNAC performance list and ninth in GNAC history. The Yellowjackets are looking for their first-ever gold medal in that event.
 
Western Oregon’s Ujunwa Nwokoma will have a chance at history this week, as she attempts to become the first woman in GNAC indoor history to claim three consecutive gold medals in the long jump. The two-time reigning champion holds the top mark in the league this season at 19-3.5 feet (5.88 meters). Nwokoma is also second in the conference in the triple jump at 38-9 feet (11.81 meters) this season.
 
The women’s pole vault competition is an all-out slugfest on paper, with three of the conference’s top competitors set to go head-to-head. Reigning indoor champion Lauryn McGough of Central Washington broke the GNAC record as a freshman, clearing 13-3.5 feet (4.05 meters) last season. She came close to surpassing that mark a week ago when she hit a GNAC-leading 13-2.25 feet (4.02 meters) in a meet at the Podium. Right behind her are a pair of Seattle Pacific vaulters who finished first and second at last year’s GNAC Outdoor Championships. Lizzy Daugherty was the outdoor gold medalist and ranks second in the GNAC this season at 12-10 feet (3.91 meters) – the seventh-best mark in GNAC indoor history. Emily Thomason is close behind, also holding a provisional qualifying mark of 12-4 feet (3.76 meters).
 
The men’s pole vault has been dominated the last two seasons by reigning heptathlon champion Drew Klein of Central Washington. The senior has already matched his own PR of 16-2.75 feet (4.95 meters) this season, keeping him tied for fourth on the GNAC all-time indoor performance list. That’s more than a foot higher than the next-best men’s pole vault mark thus far in 2025, with Ryan Doidge of Saint Martin’s clearing 15-1.75 feet (4.62) to sit second in the GNAC. Klein has also recorded a PR in the heptathlon this season, racking up 5,198 points for the seventh-most in conference indoor history. That puts him as the favorite to defend his title in the multis, with Western Oregon’s Gabe Burchfield (season-best 4,881 points) expected to contend as well.
 
The women’s multis feature four athletes who have each cleared at least 3,000 points this season, with Central Washington’s Carley Huber topping the list at 3,319 points. Right behind her in the pentathlon are a pair of proven GNAC competitors in Vivien Liessfeld of Alaska Anchorage and Macy Clemens of Western Oregon, both of whom have scored 3,300 points this season. Liessfeld won gold in the heptathlon at last year’s outdoor championships, while Clemens made the podium in that event as the bronze medalist.
 
Nicholas Monro will vie to become the second athlete in Simon Fraser school history to claim the men’s indoor long jump title, after Vladislav Tsygankov won it four straight times from 2015-18. Monro sits atop the GNAC performance list at 23-9 feet (7.24 meters) – the fifth-best indoor long jump in conference history. Marc Mercier has a legitimate chance to give Alaska Anchorage its first-ever winner in the men’s indoor long jump, as he is right behind Monro at 23-8.75 feet (7.23 meters) this season.
 
Reigning men’s triple jump champion Isaiah Webster of Central Washington appears to be in top shape, entering the meet with the top jump in the conference at 49-0.25 feet (14.94 meters). That was the third-best triple jump in GNAC indoor history and put Webster into the top-25 in Division II this season. Teammate Nick Jenkins figures to be another triple jumper to watch, as he cleared 48-7.25 feet (14.81 meters) for the fifth-best leap in GNAC indoor history earlier this year. Webster will look to join a lineage of CWU success in the event and become the fourth Wildcat to win back-to-back conference titles after Rendel Jones (2009-10), Luke Plummer (2014-17) and Zach Whittaker (2019-20).
 
Mark Warren has shown every sign that he’s ready to bring home a second straight weight throw title for Western Oregon, as he is fresh off a GNAC-record toss of 62-3.75 feet. The monster throw just last week is more than five feet further than any other GNAC competitor this season and put Warren at No. 13 on the Division II national performance list.
 
Noah Turner of Western Washington is another reigning champion who is the favorite on paper to repeat, as his shot put of 53-4.25 feet (16.26 meters) was the best in the conference this season and just missed an all-time GNAC top-10 distance. Turner became the second Viking to win the men’s indoor shotput last season as he looks to be the first to repeat in the event since Concordia’s Josh Koch in 2018-19. On the women’s side, Turner’s teammate Jessica Polkinghorn sits atop the GNAC performance list with a shot put of 46-0.5 feet (14.03 meters). She will ride the 10th-best throw in GNAC indoor history with hopes of becoming the first-ever Viking woman to claim the indoor crown in the event.