Kaiana Kong allowed zero runs in 13 innings pitched last week, while striking out 15 hitters.
PORTLAND, Ore. – As the 2025 Great Northwest Athletic Conference softball and baseball seasons reach their climax, standout performances from the diamond headlined the latest list of GNAC Players of the Week announced on Monday.
SOFTBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Heather Ebner – Saint Martin’s
Second-career player of the week, first this season.
Ebner led the Saints to a sweep of Central Washington as the team upped its winning streak to eight games. The reigning GNAC Freshman of the Year led all GNAC players in hitting (.769), slugging (1.615), on-base percentage (.824), RBIs (11) and home runs (3) in last week’s games. Ebner’s series against the Wildcats was highlighted by a 4-for-5 performance in game two, in which she homered twice and matched her season high with five RBIs. She closed the series by going 4-for-4 with three RBIs and her third homer of the week, and she scored seven total runs to help the Saints sweep the series. Ebner ranks second in the GNAC this season in hitting at .441 and leads the league in slugging at .822 and in RBIs with 56.
SMU Head Coach Jim Peterson: “She is a tough hitter to pitch to. We have a lot of players getting on ahead of her, and teams have to pitch to her with runners on base. She is doing a great job of getting quality hits for us and a lot of RBIs, which has been helpful for our team.”
Also Nominated: Mia Flores, Central Washington; Wynter Hurst, Montana State Billings; Emma Mulligan, Northwest Nazarene; Hailey Rath, Western Washington.
SOFTBALL PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Kaiana Kong – Western Washington
Fourth-career pitcher of the week, second this season.
Kong was nearly untouchable in three appearances against Montana State Billings last week, allowing eight baserunners in 13 innings pitched to help WWU earn a series victory. Kong allowed zero runs while leading all GNAC players with 15 strikeouts last week, as she held the Yellowjackets to a batting average of .149 in her three outings. The sophomore issued just one walk in her conference-leading 13 innings pitched and scattered seven hits throughout the week. She capped off her performance by authoring her first collegiate shutout, allowing four runs while striking out seven in seven innings pitched in a 1-0 triumph on Saturday. Kong lowered her GNAC-leading ERA to 1.47, and she ranks second in the league in opponents’ batting average at .217 while ranking fifth in strikeouts with 62.
WWU Head Coach Sheryl Gilmore: “Ana works incredibly hard at her craft while owning her role and being the best at whatever is asked of her each week. She did a great job keeping a strong-hitting team off-balance both in relief and in her start this weekend. She is a model teammate and a consistent leader for us both on and off the field. I love the way she competes.”
Also Nominated: Payton Kessler, Central Washington; Emily Watters, Montana State Billings; Victoria Frias, Northwest Nazarene; Chloe Leverington, Saint Martin’s.
BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Owen Bischoff – Western Oregon
First-career player of the week.
Bischoff led all GNAC players in on-base percentage (.625) and slugging percentage (.636) last week, while batting .455 in the Wolves’ four-game series against Central Washington. The senior from Mt. Angel, Ore., had hits in all four games including a pair of doubles, and drove in four throughout the series. Bischoff also drew five walks on the week, reaching base in 10 of 16 plate appearances and adding a stolen base. The Wolves’ centerfielder was also perfect defensively in nine chances. On the season Bischoff is hitting .314 while reaching base at a clip of .397.
WOU Head Coach Kellen Walker: “Owen had some clutch hits for us this weekend. It is fun to watch his investment in each at-bat. No matter the result, you know he’s enjoying competing when he’s in the batter’s box.”
Also Nominated: Brandham Ponce, Central Washington; Jack Nehler, Montana State Billings; Nin Burns II, Northwest Nazarene.
BASEBALL PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Devin Bell – Western Oregon
Second-career pitcher of the week, second this season.
Bell turned in another stellar performance on the mound, propelling the Wolves to a 6-0 triumph over Central Washington on Saturday. The junior right-hander threw eight shutout innings in the series opener, allowing two walks and three hits while striking out eight. After working out of a jam in the first inning, Bell retired 10 in-a-row into the fifth inning to keep the Wildcats quiet offensively. CWU managed just two baserunners in scoring position during Bell’s outing, and he induced an inning-ending double play in the eighth to close off the 107-pitch performance. Bell ranks third in the GNAC this season with an ERA of 2.32 and with 52 strikeouts in his 54 1/3 innings of work.
WOU Head Coach Kellen Walker: “Devin really settled in during the middle innings and had another great start for us. He has been very consistent with the way he competes for us on the mound.”
Also Nominated: Brandham Ponce, Central Washington; Hayden Mullins, Montana State Billings; Ernesto Lugo-Canchola, Northwest Nazarene.
WOMEN’S GOLF PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Dana Smith – Simon Fraser
Fifth-career player of the week, third this season.
Smith led the way at the Sonoma State Invitational, tying for third place among a field of 58 competitors in her final appearance before the GNAC Championships. The reigning GNAC medalist notched a 4-over-par 148 (75-73) on the par-72, 5,890-yard course. Smith lowered her season scoring average to 75.1 strokes per round, which ranks her second in the conference.
SFU Head Coach Krysta Schaus: “Dana’s performance at Sonoma marked her second consecutive top-three individual finish. She played the par-3s at even-par and was 1-under on the par-5s, which ultimately led to another strong performance. Dana has set ambitious goals for herself this postseason, and I am excited to see her hard work continue to pay off.”
Also Nominated: Christine Cho, Northwest Nazarene.
MEN’S GOLF PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Gavin Klein – Saint Martin’s
First-career player of the week.
Klein had a breakout performance at the RJGA Palm Valley Classic, tying for 14th place amid a field of 105 players last week in Goodyear, Ariz. The Saint sophomore posted a three-round score of 5-under-par 211 (70-70-71) and was the lone GNAC player at the event to post under-par scores in all three rounds. Klein lowered his season scoring average to 74.5 strokes per round with his standout effort last week.
SMU Head Coach Anne Bahr: “Gavin played so steady at Palm Valley last week. His game has been trending in the right direction and it was great to see him put it all together. I am so proud of him for posting three rounds under par and notching a top-15 finish in our final regular-season event before conference.”
Also Nominated: Pete Netrnilweerachot, Montana State Billings; Benjamin Mulder, Northwest Nazarene.
MEN’S TRACK ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Western Washington 4x400 Meter Relay
Brian Le | Ryan Greenwalt | Evin Ford | Isaac Ford
The quartet of Vikings ran the third-fastest 4x400 meter relay time in GNAC outdoor history, clocking in at 3:10.73 minutes at the Battle of Sparta. The winning performance elevated the Vikings to No. 12 on the NCAA national performance list, and the group was just 0.13 seconds shy of the GNAC record of 3:10.60 set by Alaska Anchorage in 2016.
Also Nominated: Josh Boast, Central Washington; JayCee Herbert, Montana State Billings; Samuel Gray, Saint Martin’s; Andrew Thomson, Simon Fraser; Western Oregon Men’s 4x100m Relay.
WOMEN’S TRACK ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Western Washington 4x400 Meter Relay
Bec Bennett | Annabelle Heiman | Caitlyn Cheney | Kennedy Cook
The Western Washington women broke the conference record in the 4x400 meter relay, checking in with a time of 3:40.87 minutes at the Battle of Sparta on Saturday. The winning mark topped the previous GNAC mark of 3:41.17 set by Simon Fraser in 2022, as WWU became the first unit to run a sub-3:41.00 minute time. The time also stands as the fifth-fastest in Division II this year, as the Vikings trail national leader Southwest Baptist (3:39.04) by just under two seconds.
Also Nominated: Liv Heite, Alaska Anchorage; Donna Marie Harris, Central Washington; Cecily Eagleton, Montana State Billings; Madison Vu, Saint Martin’s; Emma Cannan, Simon Fraser; Nerissa Thompson, Western Oregon.
MEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Nicholas Monro – Simon Fraser
First-career field athlete of the week.
Monro posted a major PR in the long jump at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational, as he cleared 24-6.5 feet (7.48 meters) to win the event. That elevated the junior’s name up to No. 5 on the GNAC all-time outdoor performance list. It was the top long jump by any GNAC athlete thus far in 2025, and it stands as the No. 10 long jump on the NCAA national performance list.
SFU Head Coach Brit Townsend: “Nick has been edging towards something special for weeks now. His jump in Pomona was textbook and for the first time in his career he has achieved an NCAA provisional mark. We believe he has a real chance of his first national championship this year. He is hard-working and dedicated, and his performance was well-deserved. I can’t wait to see what the next few meets bring for him.”
Also Nominated: Matthew Bender, Central Washington; Isaac Perkins, Montana State Billings; Gerohm Rihari, Northwest Nazarene; Gage Pedro, Saint Martin’s; Jakob Braunstein, Western Washington.
WOMEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Destany Herbert – Northwest Nazarene
Fourth-career field athlete of the week, third this season.
Herbert had two PRs, two event victories and broke a school record in the Nighthawks’ home meet last week. The NNU senior won both the shot put and discus, while finishing second in the hammer throw. Her PR hammer throw of 173-1 feet (52.77 meters) took down the Nighthawks’ school record, and stands as the top throw by any GNAC competitor this spring. Herbert’s discus throw of 138-0 feet (42.06 meters) was also a PR, and moved her name up to No. 2 on the GNAC performance list this spring.
NNU Coach Jake Knight: “I am so happy for Destany. She has been wanting to break our school record in the hammer throw for some time now. She had a great week of practice last week. We dialed in some things together in the hammer and discus technique wise, and it really showed. The thing I am most pleased with is the consistency she had with her hammer series. It is exciting to see where we are at the moment, knowing there is a lot more there.”
Also Nominated: Mya Campbell, Alaska Anchorage; Tehya Moore, Central Washington; Hannah Cooper, Montana State Billings; Alyssa Duncan, Saint Martin’s; Olivia Windbiel, Simon Fraser; Hannah Polkinghorn, Western Washington.