By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

PORTLAND, Ore. – Continuing its unprecedented stretch of dominance across the Great Northwest Athletic Conference track & field realm, Western Washington added to its trophy count with two more at last week’s indoor conference championship meet.
 
The Viking women and men each posted 143 points to top the team standings at The Podium last week, with each gender relying on comprehensive performances up and down the roster to claim the team victories. It was the GNAC-record 10th indoor team title for the WWU men’s program, while the women claimed their second overall after picking up their first last year at the 2024 championships. “Our program, coaches and athletes take immense pride in being a unified group, and I think that was on full display at this championship,” WWU head coach Ben Stensland said. “With a competition roster of 25, we had representation in every event, which speaks to the depth and balance of our team. But beyond just competing, what truly stood out was the way our athletes supported one another - whether it was warming up together, cheering from trackside or pushing through some events that didn’t go as planned, we fought as a collective unit. That sense of camaraderie and shared purpose is what makes this team special, and it played a huge role in securing both the men’s and women’s team titles.”
 
The back-to-back team titles only begin to tell the story of what has grown into perhaps the most dominant stretch of track & field/cross country team success since the conference was founded in 2001. In the spring of 2023 the Vikings took home both team titles at the GNAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, marking the beginning of what is now 12 consecutive trophies across the sports of cross country and track & field. WWU became the first school in GNAC history to sweep all six team trophies during a single academic year in 2023-24, and picked up right where it left off by claiming both men’s and women’s cross country team titles on its home course in the fall of 2024.
 

The Viking XC/TF Title Streak
Season	Sport	Men's Team Finish	Women's Team Finish
Spring, 2023	Outdoor Track & Field	First	First
Fall, 2023	Cross Country	First	First
Winter, 2024	Indoor Track & Field	First	First
Spring, 2024	Outdoor Track & Field	First	First
Fall, 2024	Cross Country	First	First
Winter, 2025	Indoor Track & Field	First	First

“It’s been an incredible journey, and this men’s and women’s indoor championships are a testament to the buy-in, hard work and belief of so many people within our program,” said Stensland. “I especially want to acknowledge our seniors - many of whom have been instrumental in building something truly special here. There are far too many to name, but their leadership, dedication and determination to make this program what it is leaves a lasting impact. Losing around 35 seniors after this year is going to be tough, no doubt, but with the mentorship they’ve shown, their legacy will continue to be built on. I also want to recognize the rising level of competition across the GNAC. If you compare performances from 2021 and 2022 to now, it’s remarkable to see how much stronger the conference has become. Other programs are pushing us to be better every season, and that’s a credit to the coaches and athletes across the GNAC. The standard is rising, and we’re honored to be part of that growth.”

It was no surprise to see senior Kevin McDermott defend his titles in both the 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters, as he was the program’s top point scorer with 20 total at the meet. In a dominant overall effort, McDermott cruised to a time of 8:15.30 minutes in the 3,000 meters and followed with a time of 14:38.56 minutes in the 5,000 meters to snag a pair of gold medals. As of Monday McDermott stands 16th on the national performance list in the 3,000 meters with a season-best time of 7:57.88 minutes.
 
Newcomer Bec Bennett took home gold in the 400 meters, earning 10 points with her meet-record time of 54.65 seconds. The Australia native was the favorite in the event, after running the second-fastest time in GNAC history earlier this season at 54.40 seconds. That mark has her sitting at No. 11 on the NCAA Division II performance list. Bennett also grabbed two points in the 200 meters, finishing seventh with a time of 25.12 seconds. Kennedy Cook chipped in five points in the 400 meters, running a fourth-place time of 56.59 seconds.
 
Kora Cook brought the Vikings success in the women’s high jump, where she cleared 5-8 feet (1.73 meters) to snag the gold medal and 10 points. On the men’s side Gabe Menicke had a productive meet with six points in the triple jump with a third-place finish of 46-4.75 feet (14.14 meters) and four points in the long jump with a fifth-place finish of 22-7 feet (6.88 meters).
 
The tandem of freshmen Jessica Polkinghorn and Kathryn Chapin came through in a big way for WWU, finishing first and second in the women’s shot put for 18 total points. Polkinghorn took the crown with a PR toss of 46-2.75 feet (14.09 meters) and Chapin had a PR throw of 43-8.75 feet (13.33 meters). Chapin also scored five points in the weight throw, finishing fourth at 50-7.25 feet (15.42 meters). Another gold medal from the field athletes came from Noah Turner, who successfully defended his title in the men’s shot put. Turner secured 10 points with a toss of 51-5 feet (15.67 meters), becoming the first-ever Viking to win consecutive indoor titles in the event. Miller Campbell made the podium in the men’s weight throw at 56-10.25 feet (17.33 meters) for six points and placed eighth in the shot put at 45-10 feet (13.97 meters) for a point.
 
The Vikings relied heavily on a corps of standout women’s distance runners who also had a hand in the cross country team titles earlier this year. Mia Crocker became the first-ever WWU champion in the women’s 800 meters, running a time of 2:11.62 minutes to bring home 10 points. Emmy Kroontje was right behind in third place at 2:12.65 minutes and Sophie Wright took fourth at 2:13.14 minutes to combine for 11 more points. Wright was also the team’s top finisher in the mile, taking second in 5:06.32 minutes for eight points. Ila Davis added a fifth-place finish in the mile in 5:09.85 minutes and Elie Bassett was seventh in 5:13.74 minutes to combine for six more points. Davis also scored three points in the 3,000 meters with a sixth-place finish in 10:16.24 minutes.
 
WWU’s women’s distance crew completed its stellar showing with 11 total points in the 5,000 meters with Emma Smith (fourth, 18:02.49 minutes), Alexis Parker (sixth, 18:04.30 minutes), Ella Edens (seventh, 18:06.06 minutes) and Laura Halsell (eighth, 18:13.47 minutes) all finishing in the top-eight.
 
Solid all-around efforts by the WWU relay teams played a major role in the success, as the men’s and women’s 4x400 meter relay squads and distance medley relay squads combined for 30 total points. The women’s 4x400 meter relay, women’s DMR and men’s 4x400 meter relay each finished in second place, while the men’s DMR squad took third place.

“One of the biggest takeaways from this championship was seeing our core values - Attitude, Effort, and Community - fully come to life,” said Stensland. “We had competitors in every event, but more than just filling spots, our athletes showed up with the right mindset, competed with heart and lifted each other up throughout the weekend. The energy and commitment were contagious. From the first event to the last, you could feel how bad we wanted it. We talk a lot about ‘controlling the controllables,’ and this group embodied that concept. They stayed locked in, focused on the things within their control and delivered.”

Also contributing from WWU’s distance/middle distance unit was Ryan Clough, who took fourth in the 3,000 meters in a PR time of 8:21.19 minutes and fifth in the 5,000 meters in 14:53.36 minutes for a total of nine points. Andrew Oslin was fourth in the 5,000 meters in 14:51.55 minutes for five points, Jonah Bloom placed fifth in the 800 meters with a time of 1:53.82 minutes to secure four points, Will Henry placed fifth in the mile in 4:15.65 minutes for four points, and George Fernandez ran a 3,000 meters PR of 8:28.73 minutes to add two points.
 
Freshman Isaac Ford raced to a PR time of 48.23 seconds in the 400 meters to finish second and earn eight points, and teammate Brian Le added sixth place with his third-place finish in 48.24 seconds.
 
Viking freshman Corbin Herron raced his way to a PR in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.18 seconds to pick up six points, and reigning champion Hunter Flick was close behind in 8.19 seconds to add five points for the team. Kurt Montero was another big point contributor with a third-place finish in the pole vault at 14-9 feet (4.50 meters) to secure six points. Women’s counterpart Sydney Mohlman also made the podium in the pole vault, finishing third at 12-6.25 feet (3.82 meters) for six points as well.
 
Caitlyn Cheney picked up seven points for the Vikings, advancing to the finals of the 60 meters where she placed sixth with a time of 7.66 seconds and the 200 meters where she placed fifth with a time of 24.79 seconds. Ari Nguyen was another women’s sprinter who contributed to the winning effort, finishing sixth in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.19 seconds to pick up three points.
 
WWU’s women’s jumps unit found success, earning nine total points in the long jump thanks to Hannah Polkinghorn (fifth, 18-0.25 feet/5.49 meters), Kora Cook (sixth, 17-11.5 feet/5.47 meters) and Nicole Avery (seventh, 17-7.5 feet/5.37 meters).
 
Other point scorers included Cameron Trichel in the 60 meters (eighth place, 6.99 seconds) and the 200 meters (seventh place, 22.05 seconds), to chip in three points total. Evin Ford added a point with an eighth-place finish in the 200 meters in 22.09 seconds and Hewie Nguyen scored two points in the long jump at 22-0.75 feet (6.72 meters) and one in the triple jump at 40-9 feet (12.42 meters). Angelo Ramos contributed five points in the men’s weight throw, taking fourth with a toss of 56-4.75 feet (17.19 meters).

“I can’t say enough about our WWU coaching staff,” said Stensland. “The time, energy and passion they pour into this program is second to none. Our student-athletes are not just receiving top tier coaching, they’re also benefiting from mentorship that extends far beyond athletics. I’m genuinely impressed by our staff every single day, and they are the key ingredient to our success. I’m just incredibly grateful to be surrounded by such a dedicated and talented group of people.”