PORTLAND, Ore. – Annika Esvelt clocked the fastest 5,000 meters time in NCAA Division II this spring, headlining the latest group of Great Northwest Athletic Conference Players of the Week unveiled on Monday.
 
WOMEN’S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Annika Esvelt – Seattle Pacific
Fourth-career track athlete of the week, second this season.
 
The reigning GNAC Female Scholar Athlete of the Year was phenomenal at the Stanford Invitational, posting a time of 15:56.94 minutes – the fastest of any Division II runner so far in 2025. Competing among a field of 28 runners, Esvelt was the only Division II competitor and wound up in 11th place. It was the third-fastest 5,000 meters time in GNAC outdoor history, behind only Caroline Kurgat of Alaska Anchorage (15:40.45, 2019) and Jessica Pixler of Seattle Pacific (15:44.07, 2010). Esvelt became the fifth woman in conference history to go sub-16 minutes in the event, as she shattered her previous collegiate best of 16:14.31 which she ran during the 2022 outdoor campaign.
 
SPU Coach Eric Hansen: “You could tell from the first lap that she was on a mission. We knew the fitness was there. She just needed the right race to do it. It was one of the coolest races I’ve ever seen. You could tell from the look on her face and the rhythm she was running with that she knew what she wanted today.”
 
Also Nominated: Liv Heite, Alaska Anchorage; Carley Huber, Central Washington; Rachael Watkins, Simon Fraser; Kennedy Cook, Western Washington.
 

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WOMEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Katie Potts – Western Washington
Eighth-career field athlete of the week, first this season.
 
Potts posted a provisional national qualifying mark in the discus, with a heave of 152-9 feet (46.56 meters) at the Triton Invitational last week. That lifted her name to the top of the GNAC performance list and stands as the No. 18 throw thus far in Division II this spring. Potts also competed in the shot put at the event, where she logged a throw of 45-4.25 feet (13.82 meters) which ranks her fourth in the conference.
 
WWU Head Coach Ben Stensland: “Katie has been working incredibly hard her whole career at Western. We talk about buildup to breakthrough in our program and Katie has been in the process of building something special. Coach (Damien) Fisher has been doing an incredible job and we are all getting excited about things coming together for Katie in the next couple weeks.”
 
Also Nominated: Payton Elenbaas, Central Washington; Hannah Cooper, Montana State Billings; Destany Herbert, Northwest Nazarene.
 

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MEN’S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Maurice Woodring – Western Washington
Second-career track athlete of the week, second this season.
 
Woodring blazed to a provisional qualifying mark in the 400-meter hurdles, hitting a PR of 51.69 seconds and breaking a WWU school record that had stood since the 1970s. Woodring’s time was the fastest by any GNAC runner and the seventh-fastest in Division II so far in 2025. He flirted with the GNAC record of 51.48 seconds, set by Simon Fraser’s Vladislav Tsygankov in 2017, moving his name up to the second-fastest time in conference history in the event. He beat a field of 25 competitors at the UC San Diego Triton Invitational and was the lone competitor to post a sub-52 second time at the meet.
 
WWU Head Coach Ben Stensland: “Maurice has been locked in this year and our hurdle coach Laurent Birade thinks there is more to come from Mo. Taking down a 52-year-old school record is something special, and he’s got his eyes set on the GNAC legend Vlad Tsygankov’s record as well.”
 
Also Nominated: Joshua Caleb, Alaska Anchorage; Johan Correa, Central Washington; Brody Kemble, Northwest Nazarene; Jacob Hall, Simon Fraser.
 

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MEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Gerohm Rihari – Northwest Nazarene
First-career field athlete of the week.
 
Rihari leapt to a PR in the high jump at the Whitworth Peace Meet, clearing 6-9 feet (2.06 meters) to emerge victorious among a field of 26 competitors. The jump was good enough to tie Rihari for the eighth-best high jump in GNAC outdoor history, and it put his name at the top of the conference performance list for this season. Rihari’s jump also pushed his name up to No. 13 on the NCAA Division II national performance list this spring. After the victory, Rihari moved over the long jump where he cleared 22-6.5 feet (6.87 meters) to place fourth among 32 jumpers. Rihari’s long jump was his best of the season, and moved his name up to No. 4 on the GNAC performance list.
 
NNU Head Coach Greg Mitchell: “It was pretty impressive to see Gerohm set personal bests in both the high jump and the long jump at Whitworth. It is always difficult to juggle multiple events at the same time, and Gerohm basically finished the high jump and went straight to the long jump. It shows how talented and mentally tough he is.”
 
Also Nominated: Wyatt Franklin, Central Washington; Ryan Fenley, Montana State Billings; Jarrett Chong, Simon Fraser; Noah Turner, Western Washington.
 

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SOFTBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Cassidy Affeldt – Simon Fraser
Third-career player of the week, first this season.
 
Affeldt propelled the Red Leafs to a series win over Central Washington, posting a slash line of .750/.714/1.417 across her four games on the weekend. The junior led all GNAC players in hitting, on-base percentage, slugging, RBIs (7), hits (9), runs scored (5) and doubles (3), with five of her nine knocks on the week going for extra bases. Affeldt had multiple hits in each of the four games on the weekend, and matched her season high with four RBIs in the series finale to secure a 3-1 series win for her team. Affeldt is seventh in the GNAC on the season hitting .388, while adding five home runs, 32 RBIs and an on-base percentage of .460.
 
SFU Head Coach Stacy Fournier: “Cass is such a fun athlete to work with. She plays with high intensity, routinely gets extra work in on her own and is a selfless teammate. She has a confident and carefree approach to the game right now, which showed over this past weekend especially. We are so proud of where she’s at right now, and know she’ll be a key contributor down the stretch.”
 
Also Nominated: Gabi Casco, Central Washington; Ashley Akers, Montana State Billings; Keana Bell, Northwest Nazarene; Elissa Dewees, Saint Martin’s; Olivia Matlock, Western Washington.
 

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SOFTBALL PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Chloe Leverington – Saint Martin’s
Third-career pitcher of the week, first this season.
 
Leverington was outstanding in the Saints’ three wins over Montana State Billings last week, as she earned a pair of victories to push her season record to 15-1. The senior right-hander threw a one-hitter on Saturday, striking out four and silencing the conference’s leading slugging team in a 9-0, five-inning win. She followed that up with a season-high seven strikeouts on Sunday, scattering six hits across seven innings and limiting MSUB’s offense to three runs – two earned – in the 4-3 triumph. Overall in her 12 innings pitched Leverington totaled 11 strikeouts and issued zero walks, while posting a WHIP of 0.58 and an ERA of 1.17. Leverington’s 15 wins this season are most in the conference, and she has 56 strikeouts in 94 innings pitched to go along with a 3.13 ERA. She moved up to No. 15 in GNAC history with 45 career wins and her 6.19 strikeouts per seven innings rank her 13th in conference history. Leverington’s 25 career saves are the most in GNAC history as well.
 
SMU Head Coach Jim Peterson: “Chloe has been very consistent for us all year and she really started pitching well after our initial Houston tournament. We have a young group and her experience in the circle helps our entire team. Chloe and our senior catcher Kekai Schultz have been teammates for four years, and having that chemistry is very beneficial.”
 
Also Nominated: Payton Kessler, Central Washington; Victoria Frias, Northwest Nazarene; Monica Bourque, Simon Fraser; Joie Baker, Western Washington.
 

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BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Brandham Ponce – Central Washington
Second-career player of the week, second this season.
 
Ponce helped lead the Wildcats to a sweep of Saint Martin’s last week, leading all GNAC players in hitting (.625), slugging (1.125), RBIs (11), hits (10), doubles (2) and home runs (2). The Wildcat newcomer had three hits in each of the first three games of the week, kicking things off with a double and a home run on his way to five RBIs in the series opener. He followed that with four RBIs in the nightcap, giving him six hits and nine runs driven in for Friday’s doubleheader. Saving his most influential swing of the series for last, Ponce delivered a walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the seventh inning in the series finale, securing the sweep for CWU. The GNAC leader in home runs with 15, RBIs with 48 and slugging at .835, Ponce ranks fifth in the league with an average of .386.
 
Also Nominated: Kaleb Karpstein, Northwest Nazarene.
 

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BASEBALL PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Daniel Charron – Central Washington
Third-career pitcher of the week, second this season.
 
Charron did his part in the sweep of the Saints, turning in a solid outing in his eighth start of the season. The right-hander posted a season-high eight strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings of work, scattering eight hits and limiting the Saints to a pair of runs in the 9-2 CWU win. Charron had zero walks in the game, and earned his third victory of the 2025 season.
 
CWU Head Coach Desi Storey: “It was a great weekend for both Brandham at the plate and Daniel on the mound. Those two are extremely competitive, and it shows every time they are on the field.”
 
Also Nominated: Cole Calnon, Northwest Nazarene.
 

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WOMEN’S GOLF PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Kelsie Inouye – Saint Martin’s
Second-career player of the week, second this season.
 
Inouye was stellar at the RJGA Palm Valley Classic, tying for 13th place among a field of 116 players to lead all GNAC competitors at the event. The junior posted a two-round score of 1-over-par 145 (73-72), executing consistently across all 36 holes at the tournament. Inouye was nearly spotless in the opening round, carding 16 pars and one birdie against just one double bogey on her way to a 1-over-par 73. She was equally impressive her second time through, offsetting two bogeys with two more birdies to card an even-par 72 including a 2-under-par 34 on the front-nine. Inouye lowered her season scoring average to 75.6 strokes per round, ranking her fifth in the conference in 2024-25. She has made par or better in five rounds this season.
 
SMU Head Coach Anne Bahr: “Kelsie continues to play steady golf. She was striking the ball well and giving herself great opportunities for low numbers. It was an awesome finish against one of the most competitive fields we have seen all year.”
 
Also Nominated: Christine Cho, Northwest Nazarene; Lauren F. Lee, Western Washington.
 

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WOMEN’S CREW OF THE WEEK
Cal Poly Humboldt Varsity 8+
cox - Sonja Scollon, 8 - Lily Storseth, 7 - River Walkington, 6 - Dana Foley, 5 - Emily Marsolais, 4 - Kealey Scott, 3 - Gabriella Griffin, 2 - Kylie Mosley, 1 - Leah Dunn
 
The Lumberjacks put forth a dominant performance at the Central Oklahoma Invitational regatta on Saturday, winning all four races they competed in. Twice emerging with victories among a field that featured fellow GNAC competition Central Oklahoma and Seattle Pacific, the Lumberjacks’ varsity 8+ boat won its opening session with a time of 7:04.9 minutes to top second-place UCO (7:11.8). The team then shaved off time in the second session of the event, dropping its time to 7:04.0 minutes which was plenty to hold off second-place Seattle Pacific (7:08.0).
 
Also Nominated: Central Oklahoma Varsity 8+; Seattle Pacific Varsity 4+.