PORTLAND, Ore. – A triple-double and a near triple-double by Alaska Anchorage’s Taylor Searcey highlighted the latest list of Great Northwest Athletic Conference Players of the Week announced on Monday.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Taylor Searcey – University of Alaska Anchorage
First-career player of the week.
Searcey posted the eighth triple-double in GNAC history and the first since 2023, and came a whisker away from having two triple-doubles last week. In the Seawolves’ 92-91, double-overtime loss to Montana State Billings on Saturday, Searcey scored 22 points while adding 10 rebounds, 10 assists, three steals and two blocks. She made 5 of 8 field goals and 11 of 12 free throws, and committed zero turnovers while playing 45 of 50 minutes. It was the first triple-double by a GNAC player since Central Washington’s Samantha Bowman achieved the feat on Jan. 12, 2023, and the first by an Alaska Anchorage player since Rebecca Kielpinski on Feb. 18, 2006. She became the eighth player in Division II to achieve a triple-double this season. In a narrow 101-98 loss to Seattle Pacific on Thursday, Searcey flirted with a triple-double as she scored 25 points, added 10 assists, eight rebounds and three steals. She made 10 of 19 shots from the floor and played 35 of 40 minutes. Overall on the week Searcey committed one turnover in 80 minutes played, while averaging 23.5 points, 10.0 assists, 9.0 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. Her 25 points against the Falcons marked her collegiate career high as well.
UAA Head Coach Matt Thune: “Taylor competed relentlessly all week. She was aggressive on both ends of the floor, played with tremendous poise and elevated everyone around her. She is fully bought into our standards and I couldn’t be more proud of how she showed up.”
Also Nominated: Pearle Green, Alaska; Asher Cai, Central Washington; Rae Smart, Montana State Billings; Trinidie Nichols, Northwest Nazarene; Layne Kearns, Seattle Pacific; Sophie Bergeron, Simon Fraser; Demi Dykstra, Western Washington.
MEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Diego Trejo-Delgado – Saint Martin’s University
First-career player of the week.
Trejo-Delgado helped lead the Saints to a pair of wins, extending their winning streak to 14 consecutive as they moved to a perfect 9-0 in league contests. Against reigning GNAC champion Central Washington on Thursday, Trejo-Delgado matched his collegiate career high with 31 points and completed his second double-double of the year with 11 rebounds. He followed that by pouring in 24 points – including 16-for-18 from the foul line – and adding seven more assists in Saturday’s win over Northwest Nazarene. Overall on the week Trejo-Delgado led all GNAC players in scoring at 27.5 points per game, while averaging 9.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 blocks per game. On the season he ranks 10th in the conference with 15.1 points per game and ninth with 6.1 rebounds per game.
SMU Head Coach Aaron Landon: “In a challenging moment Diego stepped up for us, and I think in his heart he knew he needed to be at his absolute best without Kaden Hansen in our lineup. We always talk about being a family and during tough times we need to take care of each other. That is exactly what all our guys did this weekend. Diego obviously scored a lot, but his physicality, defending, rebounding and overall competitive level put us in a position to win two tough road games. We will need him to sustain this focus and energy as we face the tough road in front of us.”
Also Nominated: Hasaan Herrington, Alaska Anchorage; Tyriq Luke, Alaska; Jordan Clark, Central Washington; Miles Gurske, Montana State Billings; Easton Reagan, Northwest Nazarene; Trace Evans, Seattle Pacific; Sartaj Bhangu, Simon Fraser; Noah Ogoli, Western Oregon; Aidan Rice, Western Washington.
WOMEN’S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Elise Hopper – Central Washington University
Second-career track athlete of the week, first this season.
Hopper clocked a pair of GNAC all-time indoor top-10 times at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Invitational hosted by New Mexico over the weekend. Running a career best in the 200 meters, Hopper’s time of 24.18 seconds (24.25 seconds, altitude) stands as sixth-fastest in GNAC indoor history. She followed with a time of 55.19 seconds (55.30 seconds, altitude) in the 400 meters, which was good enough for seventh-fastest in GNAC indoor history. Hopper is second on the GNAC performance list with provisional qualifying marks in both the 200 meters and 400 meters this season, and also sits tied for seventh in the conference in the 60 meters at 7.84 seconds.
CWU Head Coach Jonathan Hill: “There’s nothing Elise wants more than to run really fast. The schedule put her in a spot with the 200 and 400 being about 90 minutes apart, but she wanted to double and handled it so well. She knows both of her races could’ve even been a little cleaner, but to lay down those marks, in that environment in January is a great sign she is ready for high-level, championship racing.”
Also Nominated: Liv Heite, Alaska Anchorage; Micah Strong, Montana State Billings; Kekaihulali Halpern, Saint Martin’s; Aaliyah Taba, Western Oregon.
WOMEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Vivien Liessfeld – University of Alaska Anchorage
Second-career field athlete of the week, first this season.
Liessfeld got her name onto the GNAC indoor all-time top-10 list, posting a career-best pentathlon score of 3,518 points to finish second at the University of Idaho Lauren McCluskey Memorial meet last week. Liessfeld’s effort – the 10th-highest point total in conference history – featured personal bests in the long jump at 19-4 feet (5.89 meters), high jump at 5-2.25 feet (1.58 meters) and the 60-meter hurdles at 9.00 seconds. Liessfeld’s long jump was also a school record. The junior is atop the GNAC performance list in the pentathlon this season, after earning the bronze medal in the multis at each of the last two GNAC Indoor Track & Field Championships meets.
UAA Head Coach Ryan McWilliams: “What a weekend for Vivien. She has steadily and quietly been making progress in these events, and to have her make such a big announcement this weekend was great to see. A new school record is just the cherry on top. We feel very confident she has more to show before this indoor season is done.”
Also Nominated: Kamila Salanoa, Central Washington; Hannah Cooper, Montana State Billings; Nicole Avery, Western Washington.
MEN’S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Colton Magruder – Central Washington University
First-career track athlete of the week.
Magruder had a productive showing at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M., competing in both the 60 meters and 200 meters. Making his collegiate debut in the 200 meters, Magruder ran a time of 22.09 seconds (22.16 seconds, altitude) which slots him sixth on the GNAC performance list this season. He also clocked a 60 meters time of 6.88 seconds, which was just a hair off his season best of 6.77 seconds. He has been one of the conference’s top sprinters thus far in 2025-26, ranking second in the 60 meters as well.
CWU Head Coach Jonathan Hill: “Colton is about four weeks into his track career with us after coming over from the football season. He is a local Ellensburg kid who was the state champion in the 100 meters and 200 meters last year, and he wants to see what the best looks like. He stood toe to toe with grown folks from the SEC and Big 12 last week. This meet was so important for him and was just the start of a huge career.”
Also Nominated: Kalub Padilla, Montana State Billings; Jackson McQuain, Western Oregon.
MEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Tobin Schmidtke – University of Alaska Anchorage
First-career field athlete of the week.
Schmidtke had a strong opening performance in the heptathlon, racking up a personal-best 4,868 points for the top mark by a GNAC competitor so far this season. His total, which also slotted his name at No. 16 on the NCAA Division II national performance list, featured personal bests in six of the seven events. He used second-place finishes in the shot put at 39-10.5 feet (12.15 meters), pole vault at 14-1.25 feet (4.30 meters), long jump at 22-5.75 feet (6.85 meters) and 1,000 meters in 2:49.55 minutes) to place third overall among a field of 11 competitors at the Lauren McCluskey Memorial. The reigning GNAC champion in the decathlon, Schmidtke is the early favorite in the heptathlon in his first collegiate indoor season.
UAA Head Coach Ryan McWilliams: “It is great to see Tobin putting it together. He had the type of opening multi performance you want to see as a coach and athlete. There was a little bit of everything in there; some great individual event personal bests, some solid performances and some performances we are happy with but know can easily be better. Coming out of the multi with an overall personal best and a positive outlook for a bigger score later is a great position to be operating from.”
Also Nominated: Brady Holland, Central Washington; Cort Sandefur, Montana State Billings; AJ Dixson, Western Oregon; Kaden Miller, Western Washington.