Simon Fraser's Marie-Eloise Leclair is No. 1 in Division II in the 200 meters after running a time of 23.61 seconds last week.
PORTLAND, Ore. – Headlining the latest list of Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Week selections was Simon Fraser’s
Marie-Eloise Leclair, who clocked the top 200-meters time by a Division II runner this season over the weekend in Boston.
WOMEN’S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Marie-Eloise Leclair – Simon Fraser University
10th-career track athlete of the week, first this season.
Leclair clocked in at 23.61 seconds at the Boston University Terrier Classic, putting her name at the top of both the GNAC and NCAA Division II national performance lists. She was just 0.22 seconds off her own GNAC indoor record of 23.39 seconds in the event, which she recorded last season. Leclair also played her part in SFU’s 4x400-meter relay time of 3:44.22, which was the eighth-fastest by any quartet in Division II thus far in 2025. Leclair anchored the relay, leading her team to the third-fastest mark in conference history. The senior also ran the 60-meters last week, posting a time of 7.48 seconds as she was just off her season-best of 7.42 seconds.
SFU Head Coach Brit Townsend: “Marie continues to show dominance in the sprint events. She had a great weekend in Boston, including a 53.2 split in our 4x4 relay helping us to a top-10 ranking in the NCAA. She’s very strong this year which is showing her tremendous range from 60m to 400m. We are excited to see what’s to come in the next month.”
Also Nominated: Jess Chisar, UAA; Carley Huber, CWU; Annika Esvelt, SPU; Nerissa Thompson, WOU; Bec Bennett, WWU.
WOMEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Emy Ntekpere – Central Washington University
Third-career field athlete of the week, first this season.
Ntekpere’s opening long jump of the season was a good one, as she cleared 18-9.25 feet (5.72 meters) at the UW Invitational. That slotted the Wildcat sophomore third on the GNAC performance list, and gave her a provisional national qualifying mark as well.
CWU Head Coach Jonathan Hill: “Emy opened up in the long jump this weekend and it went pretty well. It is a fun one for her because it is still new and offers a break from high jumping sometimes. I feel like we left the meet happy with what we accomplished and confident in what we need to do to achieve even better results in the future.”
Also Nominated: Hannah Cooper, MSUB; Olivia Windbiel, SFU; Hannah Polkinghorn, WWU.
MEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Brendon Johnson – Montana State Billings
First-career player of the week.
Johnson led the Yellowjackets to a pair of big victories at home, as they upended No. 25 Saint Martin’s 73-65 and topped Western Oregon 90-68 last week. Producing consistent performances in both games, Johnson started his week with 20 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals while playing 39 of 40 minutes in the win over the Saints. He followed with 19 points, five rebounds and two more assists in the win over the Wolves, and matched his season high with five made 3-pointers. Overall on the week Johnson shot 75.0% (12-for-16) and his seven made 3-pointers were third-most among any GNAC player last week. In his first season with the Yellowjackets, Johnson is averaging 13.0 points per game and 5.1 rebounds per game while starting all 24 contests and shooting 49.3% overall.
MSUB Head Coach Luke Fennelly: “Brendon’s skill level was on full display last week. He not only was an efficient scorer for us but also rebounded and passed the ball very well. His versatility was really a difference-maker during our homestand, and hopefully we can build on that as we hit the road this week.”
Also Nominated: Hasaan Herrington, UAA; Isaiah Saams-Hoy, UAF; Maverick Sanders, CWU; Kye Dickson, NNU; Myles Samuels, SMU; Mason Landdeck, SPU; Irish Coquia, SFU; Tijan Saine, WWU.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Demi Dykstra – Western Washington University
First-career player of the week.
Dykstra helped the Vikings win a pair of games last week as they ran away from Saint Martin’s 79-56 and Western Oregon 82-61. The sophomore started off with a bang on Thursday, pouring in a career-high 25 points on an efficient 8-for-11 shooting and a mark of 6-for-6 from the foul line. Dykstra followed with 17 points and added five assists in the win over the Wolves. Overall on the week she shot 63.6% and made all 10 of her free throws, while adding 2.0 steals per game. Dykstra has started all 17 games for the Vikings this season, and is averaging 12.1 points per game.
WWU Head Coach Carmen Dolfo: “Demi is an incredibly hard worker who is getting better and better. She makes things happen on the court and can both score and create for her team. She is truly a team player.”
Also Nominated: Ashlyn Rean, UAA; Destiny Reimers, UAF; Asher Cai, CWU; Kortney Nelson, MSUB; Mya Hatchett, SMU; Sophia Wisotzki, SFU.
MEN’S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Evin Ford – Western Washington University
First-career track athlete of the week.
Ford had a strong all-around week at the UW Invitational, contributing both individually and as a member of the Vikings’ relay unit. Ford helped WWU record the third-fastest 4x400-meter relay time in GNAC history at 3:13.10, which slotted his team at No. 11 on the national performance list. Ford also clocked a top-10 GNAC time in the 200 meters running 21.94 seconds, the fastest mark of his freshman season thus far.
WWU Head Coach Ben Stensland: “Coach Dena Birade and I have been really impressed with Evin’s attitude and effort. His freshman year has gotten off to a really great start, and we are all really looking forward to seeing how he progresses.”
Also Nominated: Charlie Hulbert, UAA; David Brown, CWU; Brody Kemble, NNU; Kainalu Pagente, SMU; Colton Plummer, SFU; Jack Burgett, WWU.
MEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Drew Klein – Central Washington University
Fourth-career field athlete of the week, first this season.
The reigning GNAC champion in the heptathlon was outstanding in his first multi of the season, tying his personal best with 5,198 points at the UW Invitational. That was good enough for a third-place finish and the highest of any Division II competitor at the meet. Klein stands at No. 9 on the Division II national performance list in the event, and his mark last week tied for the seventh-highest point total in GNAC history. Among Klein’s performances last week was a pole vault of 16-2.75 feet (4.95 meters) which tied his own mark for fifth-best in GNAC indoor history.
CWU Head Coach Jonathan Hill: “Drew had a really nice weekend for being early in his season. He was really consistent through seven events and came away tying his lifetime best in the heptathlon without having any lifetime individual bests. His vault was really nice and shows how much work he has been putting in. He is ready for another one in a couple weeks.”
Also Nominated: Ryan Fenley, MSUB; Gerohm Rihari, NNU; Nicholas Monro, SFU; Noah Turner, WWU.
BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Brandham Ponce – Central Washington University
First-career player of the week.
Ponce introduced himself to the Wildcat lineup and the conference in a big way on opening weekend, smashing five home runs to help the Wildcats to a four-game sweep of Stanislaus State. Ponce slashed .438/.571/1.438 in his first four games in a Wildcat uniform, with six of his seven hits going for extra bases. He drove in eight runs, scored six times and reached base in 12 of 21 plate appearances. In addition to his offensive production, Ponce authored 2 2/3 shutout innings on the mound while striking out four and allowing just two baserunners in CWU’s narrow 6-5 victory.
CWU Head Coach Desi Storey: “Brandham had a fantastic weekend at the plate and on the mound, and it was a great approach to the first weekend of the season. He is one of our leaders and this weekend he carried us with his ability and poise.”
Also Nominated: Kaden Kirshenbaum, MSUB; Nin Burns II, NNU; Hunter Sasaki, SMU; Collin Irwin, WOU.
BASEBALL PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Blake Hammond – Northwest Nazarene University
Second-career pitcher of the week, first this season.
Hammond was lights out in his season debut, striking out a GNAC-high six batters while allowing just four baserunners in his 5 1/3 innings of work. The Nighthawks needed every pitch of Hammond’s shutdown effort against Biola, as his margin for error was razor thin in the 2-0 triumph. The right-hander scattered three hits and issued just one walk in his shutout performance, on the way to his first victory of the season.
Also Nominated: Daniel Charron, CWU; Jackson Betancourt, MSUB; Jacob Memmott, WOU.
SOFTBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Maleah Andrews – Western Washington University
Second-career player of the week, first this season.
Andrews garnered all-tournament recognition at the Concordia Irvine Kickoff Classic, after hitting .533 (8-for-15) on the opening weekend of the season. The Viking sophomore delivered four doubles and her first home run of the year, while driving in four runs. Andrews also drew a pair of walks, posting an on-base percentage of .632 to go along with her slugging percentage of 1.000 across the spread of five games.
WWU Head Coach Sheryl Gilmore: “Maleah works so hard at her craft and it’s always fun to watch it all show up on gameday. She not only is a spark on offense and plays a lockdown hot corner, but Maleah has also really stepped up as a leader for our team. Her contagious energy doesn’t waver in the face of adversity and she is always looking for the next 1% to get better.”
Also Nominated: Karsyn Decker, CWU; Marleigh Nieto, MSUB; Keana Bell, NNU; Shelby Lawson, SMU; Cassidy Affeldt, SFU; Aaliyah Gaboriault, WOU.
SOFTBALL PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Miah Lusk – Northwest Nazarene University
First-career pitcher of the week.
Lusk was instrumental in helping the Nighthawks to three wins on their opening week of play, as she pitched 10 1/3 innings across four outings. The righty gave up just two earned runs for an ERA of 1.35, while striking out 14 hitters and allowing just nine baserunners for a WHIP of 0.87. Lusk pitched NNU to a 4-2 win over Cal State San Bernardino in her collegiate debut, striking out eight and allowing just one hit and one unearned run across five strong innings of work.
NNU Head Coach Rich Wagner: “Our pitching staff has been working really hard since September, pushing each other to get better every day. Miah did an amazing job in high-leverage situations for us all weekend. She is a great competitor who battles for her teammates.”
Also Nominated: Payton Kessler, CWU; Amanda Peterson, SMU; Jordyn Ruppel, SFU; Kennedy Abbas, WOU.