By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

PORTLAND, Ore. – Upon the completion of the 2025 indoor track and field season, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference special award winners were unveiled on Friday.
 

2025 GNAC Indoor Track & Field – Special Award Winners
Men’s Track Athlete of the Year	Joshua Caleb, Alaska Anchorage
Men’s Field Athlete of the Year	Isaiah Webster, Central Washington
Men’s Track & Field Freshman of the Year	Bautista Diamante, Central Washington
Men’s Track & Field Coach of the Year	Ben Stensland, Western Washington
Women’s Track Athlete of the Year	Marie-Eloise Leclair, Simon Fraser
Women’s Field Athlete of the Year	Emy Ntekpere, Central Washington
Women’s Track & Field Freshman of the Year	Jessica Polkinghorn, Western Washington
Women’s Track & Field Coach of the Year	Ben Stensland, Western Washington

Simon Fraser’s Marie-Eloise Leclair became the second woman in GNAC history to win the indoor track athlete of the year award in back-to-back seasons, after another historic campaign this winter. The Red Leaf senior landed three first-team All-America finishes at last week’s NCAA Championships, placing third in the 200 meters, fourth in the 60 meters and third as a member of her team’s 4x400-meter relay unit. Her efforts helped SFU finish eighth in the NCAA team standings, the highest finish by a GNAC women’s indoor program since 2019. Leclair upped her individual All-American total to six in her career, the most of any athlete in conference history. Leclair broke the GNAC indoor records in the 200 meters (23.39 seconds), 400 meters (53.82 seconds) and 4x400 meter relay (3:37.95 minutes), and posted the second-fastest 60 meters time (7.30 seconds) in conference history. She is the fourth woman overall to win the award multiple times, joining Seattle Pacific’s Jessica Pixler (2007-10), and Simon Fraser’s Helen Crofts (2011, 2013) and Addy Townsend (2017, 2020).
 
Joshua Caleb of Alaska Anchorage had another record-breaking indoor campaign, on his way to collecting the top track athlete award. At the end of his sophomore campaign, Caleb holds the GNAC records in the 60 meters at 6.57 seconds, the 200 meters at 20.82 seconds and the

400 meters at 47.22 seconds. He finished fourth in the 60 meters at the NCAA Championships with a time of 6.70 and sixth in the 200 meters with a time of 21.29 seconds, to claim his first two indoor All-America titles. Caleb was named the GNAC Indoor Track & Field Championships Track Athlete of the Meet after winning gold medals in both the 60 meters and 200 meters and helping the Seawolves’ 4x400 meter relay unit to a bronze medal. The reigning GNAC Male Athlete of the Year, Caleb is the third Seawolf to win the indoor athlete of the year award joining Micah Chelimo (2013-14) and Cody Thomas (2015-16).
 
Bringing home the conference’s lone national title this season, Central Washington’s Emy Ntekpere made history with a gold medal in the triple jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships. The Wildcat sophomore broke her own GNAC record in the triple jump at the national meet, clearing 42-8 feet (13.00 meters) to finish on top. She then broke the GNAC indoor record in the high jump, as she cleared 5-10 feet (1.78 meters) on her way to a sixth-place finish at the national championship meet. Ntekpere earned the GNAC Indoor Championships Field Athlete of the Meet and High Point Scorer awards, after winning the long jump and triple jump and claiming the bronze medal in the high jump at the conference meet. Ntekpere is the first woman from Central Washington to claim a GNAC Indoor Track Athlete of the Year award.
 
A fourth-place national finish in the triple jump earned Central Washington’s Isaiah Webster the GNAC Indoor Field Athlete of the Year award, as he claimed his first All-America honor in record-breaking fashion. Webster’s first notable leap of the indoor season came at the GNAC Championships, where he cleared 50-0.5 feet (15.25 meters) on his final attempt to win the conference gold medal and break the league record. He bested that at last week’s NCAA Championships, where he jumped 50-3.25 feet (15.32 meters) to end the season by extending his conference record. Webster’s stellar indoor season also included a GNAC gold medal in the long jump, where he won with a mark of 23-10.75 feet (7.28 meters). Webster is just the second Wildcat in league history to win an athlete of the year award, joining 2007 honoree Cameron Neel.
   

Taking home the GNAC Men’s Freshman of the Year award was Bautista Diamante of Central Washington, who ran alongside UAA’s Caleb for much of the indoor season. In his debut collegiate campaign, Diamante ran the second-fastest 200 meters time in conference history at 21.18 seconds and the sixth-fastest 60 meters time at 6.80 seconds. Diamante was the GNAC Indoor Championships runner up in both events, and punched his ticket to the national championship meet with his 200 meters PR time achieved at the conference meet. He wound up 14th in the 200 meters at the NCAA Championships to cap off his freshman season. He is the third Wildcat in GNAC history to win GNAC Freshman of the Year, joining Matt Rogstad (2006) and Braydon Maier (2018).

On the women’s side the top debut performance belonged to Western Washington’s Jessica Polkinghorn, who claimed the GNAC Women’s Freshman of the Year award. Polkinghorn kicked off her collegiate career with a gold medal in the shot put, posting a throw of 46-2.75 feet (14.09

meters) to claim the title. That toss stands as the 10th best in GNAC indoor history, and she has already surpassed it at the outset of her outdoor season hitting 47-10.5 feet (14.59 meters) in her first meet of the spring season. Polkinghorn is the second woman from WWU in GNAC history to win the top freshman award, joining 2023 winner Meaera (Shannon) Nystrom.
 
Claiming both the women’s and men’s GNAC Coach of the Year awards for the second straight season was Western Washington’s Ben Stensland. After guiding the Vikings to two more GNAC indoor team titles, Stensland was voted by his peers for the top indoor coach honor. WWU has experienced unprecedented team success under Stensland’s leadership, currently in the midst of 12 consecutive team titles across the sports of women’s and men’s cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field dating back to the spring of 2023. WWU had its distance medley relay team qualify for the indoor national championships this season, along with individuals Bec Bennett in the 400 meters, Kevin McDermott in the 3,000 meters and Kora Cook in the high jump. Stensland is the second WWU coach in league history to win the award, joining seven-time recipient Pee Wee Halsell.