By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

SPOKANE, Wash. – The streak of Great Northwest Athletic Conference team trophies continued on Tuesday afternoon at The Podium, as Western Washington swept both the women’s and men’s team titles at the 2026 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships.
 
The Viking men broke the record for most-ever points by a men’s team at the indoor meet, totaling 191 to run away with the trophy. That topped the previous mark of 187.66 points, set by WWU in 2024, by nearly four points. Central Washington’s men finished a distant second with 102.5 points, and Simon Fraser placed third in the men’s team race with 92.5 points. The women’s team race was much tighter, with the Vikings overcoming a Day 1 deficit to surpass runner-up Central Washington with a team total of 163 points. The Wildcat women finished with 152 points, and Simon Fraser’s women took third with 135 points.
 
Dating back to the 2023 outdoor season, Western Washington has now claimed 18 consecutive women’s and men’s team trophies across the sports of cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field. It is the longest such streak by any school since the conference was formed in 2001-02. It was the 10th indoor men’s title for the Vikings, marking the most of any school in GNAC history. For the WWU women it was the third indoor title, tying them for second-most in conference history.
 

The Viking XC/TF Title Streak
Season	Sport	Men's Team Finish	Women's Team Finish
Spring, 2023	Outdoor Track & Field	First	First
Fall, 2023	Cross Country	First	First
Winter, 2024	Indoor Track & Field	First	First
Spring, 2024	Outdoor Track & Field	First	First
Fall, 2024	Cross Country	First	First
Winter, 2025	Indoor Track & Field	First	First
Spring, 2025	Outdoor Track & Field	First	First
Fall, 2025	Cross Country	First	First
Winter, 2026	Indoor Track & Field	First	First

 
Central Washington’s Emy Ntekpere won her third straight Women’s Field Athlete of the Meet award as well as the Women’s High Point Scorer award, racking up 34 total points across four events throughout the championship. That was just four points shy of the GNAC indoor record for points in a meet, with Seattle Pacific’s Ali Worthen reaching 38 points in both 2009 and 2012. Raiya Matonovich of Simon Fraser took home Women’s Track Athlete of the Meet honors, after winning the mile, 800 meters, the distance medley relay and finishing second in the 4x400-meter relay. Her teammate Emma Cannan earned the Women’s Performance of the Meet, breaking the championship record in the 200-meters and winning the title in 23.21 seconds. Mataonovich was the fourth SFU woman to earn the Women’s Track Athlete of the Meet honor, joining Lindsey Butterworth (2015), Addy Townsend (2020) and Marie-Eloise Leclair (2023 & 2024).
 
On the men’s side, Western Oregon’s Brennen Murphy took home Track Athlete of the Meet honors after accumulating 18.25 points including a win in the 200-meters, a silver medal in the 400-meters and running a leg of the Wolves’ 4x400-meter relay team. Murphy is the fifth WOU Athlete of the Meet winner, following Isaac Frederick (2004), Zeb Udell (2008), Zeke Van Patten (2009), Matson Hardie (2010) and David Ribich (2018). Men’s Field Athlete of the Meet honors went to Western Washington’s Gabe Menicke, who won the triple jump and took silver in the long jump. Seattle Pacific’s Tawaf Aboudou meanwhile earned the Men’s High Point Scorer award, totaling a meet-high 24.25 points in winning the long jump, taking silver in the triple jump and placing fourth in both the 60-meters and the 4x400-meter relay. Zachary Jeggo of Simon Fraser broke the GNAC overall record in the 400-meters in 46.72 seconds and earned the Men’s Performance of the Meet.
 
2026 GNAC Indoor Track & Field Championships – Special Award Winners
Female Track Athlete of the Meet – Raiya Matonovich, SFU
Female Field Athlete of the Meet – Emy Ntekpere, CWU
Female Performance of the Meet – Emma Cannan, SFU
Female High Point Scorer – Emy Ntekpere, CWU
Male Track Athlete of the Meet – Brennen Murphy, Western Oregon
Male Field Athlete of the Meet – Gabe Menicke, Western Washington
Male Performance of the Meet – Zachary Jeggo, Simon Fraser
Male High Point Scorer – Tawaf Aboudou, Seattle Pacific
 
 
Cannan’s meet record time of 23.21 seconds was plenty to take home the gold in the 200-meters, as she finished just 0.02 seconds off her own GNAC indoor all-time record in the event. She became the third woman in SFU history to take the gold medal in the event, joining Jane Channell (2011) and four-time champion Marie-Eloise Leclair (2022-25). Cannan doubled down in the 60-meters, where she ran a personal-best time of 7.33 seconds on Tuesday for her second gold medal. That stands as the third-best time in conference history and moved her up to No. 3 in Division II this season. It was her fourth-career GNAC indoor medal in the 200-meters, after she took silver in 2023 and 2025 and bronze in 2024.
 
SFU’s Jaeland Cummings was right behind Cannan in both the 60-meters and 200-meters, claiming the silver medal in each event. Cummings’ 60-meters time of 7.34 seconds was fourth-fastest in GNAC history, and she ran 23.91 seconds in the 200-meters on Tuesday on her way to a second-place finish. The Red Leafs’ Kerlinda Chatwin clocked in at 7.55 seconds in the 60-meters, running the eighth-fastest GNAC time to earn the bronze medal. It marked just the second time in GNAC history that a school swept all three podium spots in the 60-meters, with Seattle Pacific’s Latasha Essien (gold), NyEma Sims (silver) and Jessica Hinton (bronze) achieving that feat at the 2007 GNAC Indoor Championships.
 
Elise Hopper of Central Washington was another standout sprinter at the championship meet, earning the silver medal in the women’s 400-meters and the bronze medal in the 200-meters. Hopper clocked a season-best time of 54.93 seconds in the 400-meters, earning her third podium finish after winning in 2024 and taking bronze last year. She followed with a time of 24.00 seconds in the 200-meters, earning her first-career GNAC indoor medal in that event.
 
The top women’s 400-meters runner on Tuesday was Western Washington’s Bec Bennett, who not only took the individual gold medal but was the Vikings’ rock en-route to the women’s 4x400-meter relay crown. Bennett made it back-to-back titles in the 400-meters, running a time of 54.33 seconds to hold off CWU’s Hopper by 0.60 seconds. She became the fifth woman in conference history to win two in-a-row in the 400-meters, joining CWU’s Terran Legard (2004-06), WWU’s Ellie Siler (2009-10), SPU’s Jahzelle Ambus (2015-16) and CWU’s Erykah Weems (2019-20). Siler, who also won the title in 2012, and Heidi Dimmitt, the 2007 champion, are the only two other women in program history to win the indoor event.
 
Bennett’s 400-meter leg in the relay was crucial as well, as she went head-to-head against SFU’s Cannan on the final two laps of the women’s competition. Bennett helped the Viking women to a time of 3:42.98 minutes, as Casie Kleine, Jayda Darroch and Kennedy Cook combined with her to win the relay and earn their team 10 points. It was the Vikings’ second-ever GNAC indoor title in the 4x400-meter relay, with the other coming in 2010 and featuring the lineup of Ellie Siler, Michelle Howe, Sarah Brownell and Megan O’Connell. Simon Fraser took the silver medal in the final relay with a time of 3:43.67 minutes, and Central Washington finished third in 3:45.54 minutes.
 
In a freshman year that has been full of historic performances, Jeggo saved his best to date for the conference meet as he became the first man in league history to break 47 seconds in the 400-meters. Jeggo sped his way to gold in the finals on Tuesday, running 46.72 seconds which stands as the fifth-best time in NCAA Division II so far this winter. He became the fifth man in school history to win the event, joining Andrew Boss (2011), Joel Webster (2015-16), Vladislav Tsygankov (2017) and Callum Robinson (2022). It took him less than 24 hours to break his own GNAC record of 47.07 seconds, which he set in Monday’s preliminary round. WOU’s Murphy, the reigning champion in the event, took home the silver medal with a personal-best time of 47.13 seconds to move his name up to No. 2 on the GNAC indoor all-time top-10 list. Western Washington’s Lucas Brenek took the bronze medal, running 47.48 seconds for the fourth-best indoor time in league history.
 
Jeggo was also a key contributor on SFU’s gold-medal winning 4x400-meter relay unit, as he anchored the squad and made up a deficit to claim the crown. Joined by Tyson Carr, Liam Barnes and Colton Plummer, the Red Leafs clocked in at 3:11.70 minutes to hold off second-place Western Washington (3:13.35 minutes). It was the second-ever 4x400-meter relay title for SFU, with the other coming in 2015 and featuring Joel Webster, Stuart Ellenwood, Cameron Proceviat and Daniel Kelloway. Alaska Anchorage took the bronze medal in the final relay, running 3:20.13 minutes.
 
Colton Magruder of Central Washington was also responsible for rearranging the GNAC record books on Tuesday, as he set a meet record on his way to gold in the 60-meters. The Wildcat freshman ran the fastest time in NCAA Division II so far this season, clocking in at 6.62 seconds to blow away the field for the title. It was the second-fastest 60-meters time in conference history, as he came up just 0.05 seconds shy of UAA’s Joshua Caleb’s record of 6.57 seconds set last year. Magruder became the latest Wildcat in a tradition of success in the event, as he was the seventh man in school history to win gold in the event. Simon Fraser’s Jacob Hall got onto the podium for the second straight year, running 6.77 seconds for the silver medal after taking bronze in 2025. Jack Burgett of Western Oregon finished third meanwhile, running a time of 6.79 seconds.
 
Murphy’s signature performance of the championship came in the 200-meters, where he clocked a time of 21.30 seconds to earn his first gold in that event. His prelims time of 21.24 seconds put his name at No. 3 on the GNAC all-time performance list and was the fastest run of the 2026 season by a GNAC competitor. It was the first 200-meters title for the Wolves since back-to-back wins by Cody Warner in 2015-16, and the fifth overall after Ashtin Mott (2008) and Isaac Frederick (2004). SFU’s Hall grabbed the silver medal with a time of 21.41 seconds, and Magruder ran a PR time of 21.49 seconds to pick up the bronze medal.
 
Central Washington’s Drew Klein finished strong in the men’s heptathlon, winning the pole vault on Tuesday to boost himself to his second-career indoor gold medal in the multis. The 2024 heptathlon champion, Klein totaled 5,149 points to edge Anders Larsen of Alaska Anchorage who finished with 5,132 points. UAA’s Tobin Schmidtke placed third with 4,830 points, as the Seawolf duo earned their first indoor medals in the heptathlon.
 
The top-two finishers from last year’s men’s high jump competition put on a show once again, as the title came down to the wire. Central Washington’s Cal’von Baker successfully defended his 2025 crown, and Northwest Nazarene’s Gerohm Rihari picked up his second straight silver medal. Both competitors got over the 6-8.25 feet (2.04 meters) bar, with Baker winning gold by virtue of clearing 6-7 feet (2.01 meters) in two attempts compared to three tries by Rihari at that height.
 
Ntekpere wasted no time breaking the meet record in the women’s triple jump, as she cleared 42-0.5 feet (12.81 meters) on her very first attempt. That topped the previous mark of 41-8 feet (12.70 meters) set by Keshara Romain of Saint Martin’s in 2020. Simon Fraser’s Olivia Windbiel logged a personal best with a jump of 40-0.75 feet (12.21 meters), moving up to fifth all-time in GNAC indoor history. It was Windbiel’s second-career silver medal in the indoor event, as she also finished second in 2024. Azariah Miller of Central Washington also landed a PR and on the GNAC top-10 list, hitting 39-6.5 feet (12.05 meters) on her third attempt to earn bronze.
 
The women’s 60-meter hurdles featured another classic race between Seattle Pacific’s Hannah Chang and Alaska Anchorage’s Liv Heite. That duo replicated last year’s indoor results, with Chang winning gold and Heite taking silver each with personal-best marks. Chang’s time of 8.52 seconds moved her to No. 2 on the GNAC all-time top-10 list, just 0.01 seconds shy of the indoor record of 8.51 seconds set by Central Washington’s Mariyah Vongsaveng in 2017. Heite meanwhile ran 8.53 seconds, moving her to a tie for third on the all-time top-10 list. Chang is the fourth woman in GNAC history to go back-to-back in the 60-meter hurdles, joining WWU’s Michelle Howe (2008-10), WWU’s Tanya Bjornsson (2013-14) and CWU’s Lauryn Chandler (2023-24). Arianna Nguyen of Western Washington earned her first podium finish in the event, clocking a personal-best 8.90 seconds to take the bronze medal.
 
Kathryn Chapin of Western Washington took home the gold medal in the women’s shot put, hitting a mark of 45-10.5 feet (13.98 meters) on her second attempt. She joined teammate Jessica Polkinghorn, who won the 2025 indoor shot put title, as the second woman in WWU history to claim the crown. It was also her second indoor medal in the event, after she took silver last winter. Central Washington’s Kamila Salanoa earned silver with a PR throw of 44-8.25 feet (13.62 meters), while WWU’s Lydia Bailey took bronze with a PR of 44-7 feet (13.59 meters).
 
Connor Inman of WWU drew a roar from the shot put pit on Tuesday, launching a personal-best throw of 56-4.75 feet (17.19 meters) to claim his first GNAC gold medal. The freshman moved his name up to No. 5 on the GNAC indoor all-time performance list, surpassing his previous best of 54-11.25 feet (16.74 meters). Central Washington’s Wes Kriete also hit a personal-best in the shot put, moving into a tie for No. 9 on the GNAC all-time list with a throw of 54-1.75 feet (16.50 meters) to take home the silver medal. Noah Turner of WWU, the 2024 and 2025 champion, earned his third straight medal in the event as he took bronze at 53-10.5 feet (16.42 meters). Inman became the fourth Viking to win the men’s indoor shot put, joining Jacob Gilbert (2014), Ben Malquist (2022) and Turner from the previous two events.
 
The Western Washington women’s team win was aided by strong performances in the pole vault, where Sydney Mohlman claimed gold and Effie Armstrong tied for second place. Mohlman cleared a season-best height of 12-4.5 feet (3.77 meters) for her first victory, after earning the bronze medal at last year’s indoor championships. She is the fifth WWU woman overall to win the event, joining Danielle Juarez (2004), Christy Miller (2009), Karis Anderson (2013) and Anna Paradee (2017 & 2019). Matching Armstrong’s clearance of 11-5.75 feet (3.50 meters) was Central Washington’s Addy Claybrook, who earned her first-career GNAC silver medal.
 
Menicke wound up on the podium for the fourth year in-a-row in the men’s triple jump, earning his first-ever gold medal after taking silver in 2023 and bronze in both 2024 and 2025. His winning leap of 48-3.25 feet (14.71 meters) came on his fourth attempt of the competition, as he moved his name to No. 9 on the GNAC all-time indoor performance list. Aboudou of SPU took silver with a jump of 47-7.75 feet (14.52 meters), and Simon Fraser’s Daanish Adams took third with a jump of 47-5 feet (14.45 meters). Menicke was just the second man in WWU history to win the GNAC indoor triple jump, and the first since Tim Clendaniel achieved the feat in 2011.
 
Matonovich took care of business in the women’s mile, posting a time of 4:54.77 minutes to pick up her first individual gold medal of the championship. She joined a long line of success among SFU runners in the event, with former women’s mile champions being Jessica Smith (2011), Lindsey Butterworth (2012, 2013 & 2015), Addy Townsend (2020) and Megan Roxby (2022 & 2023). Western Oregon freshman Maren Anderson ran a personal-best time of 4:56.87 minutes to finish just two seconds behind Matonovich for the silver medal, becoming just the second woman in school history to achieve a medal in the event at the conference indoor meet. The other was a silver medal by Suzie Van De Greift in 2018. Western Washington’s Emmy Kroontje earned her first-career women’s mile medal, taking third place with a time of 4:57.57 minutes.
 
Matonovich’s second gold came in the women’s 800-meters, as she ran 2:09.40 minutes to become the seventh woman in school history to win the indoor event. Jess Chisar of Alaska Anchorage earned her third straight medal, taking silver with a time of 2:11.23 minutes. Chisar won the 800-meters in 2024 before taking second place at last year’s championship. She is the first Seawolf to earn three medals in the event. SFU’s Veronica Dee took home the bronze medal, running 2:12.40 minutes.
 
The Western Washington men grabbed two of the three podium slots in the mile, with Will Henry taking gold and George Fernandez earning bronze. Henry finished with a time of 4:16.28 minutes while Fernandez was close behind in 4:16.93 seconds. The photo finish also featured silver-medalist Braden Ahl of Simon Fraser, who was just 0.02 seconds behind Henry finishing in 4:16.30 minutes. Henry became the fourth man in WWU history to win the GNAC indoor mile, joining Sam Brancheau (2007), Anthony Tomsich (2010) and Kevin McDermott (2024). Ahl and Fernandez each earned their first-ever medals in the event.
 
David Brown of Central Washington emerged with the men’s 60-meter hurdles gold medal, finishing with a time of 8.07 seconds to win the race on Tuesday. After earning the silver medal last year, he held off reigning champion Andrew Bell of Seattle Pacific who ran 8.18 seconds on Tuesday to claim the silver. Ian Calhoon of CWU took bronze, finishing with a time of 8.25 seconds. Brown was the first Wildcat to win the event since Andrew Venema in 2013 and the fifth overall with Anthony Hogan (2011), Robert Edwards (2006 & 2007) and Alex Clark (2005) each coming before.
 
The men’s 800-meters gold medal belonged to Simon Fraser’s Plummer, who clocked a time of 1:51.00 minutes to narrowly edge Western Oregon’s Landon Theisen (1:51.41 minutes). Plummer was the second Red Leaf to win the GNAC indoor 800-meters and the first since Cameron Proceviat claimed back-to-back titles in 2015-16. Theisen’s time meanwhile was a personal best, and Nathan Reseigh of Western Washington took third place with a time of 1:52.27 minutes.
 
Madeline Harrison made Central Washington history on Tuesday, becoming the first Wildcat to win the women’s 3,000-meters at the GNAC Indoor Championships. Running a strong race from start-to-finish, the freshman maintained a healthy lead and posted a time of 10:02.34 minutes to finish atop the leaderboard. Northwest Nazarene’s Morgan Erler, who won the 5,000-meters on Monday night, took home the silver medal with a time of 10:06.39 minutes. It was her third podium finish in the event, after she won silver in 2023 and bronze last season. Western Washington’s Ella Edens earned her first medal in the 3,000-meters, taking bronze with a time of 10:07.44 minutes.
 
In the men’s 3,000-meters, Alaska Anchorage’s Charlie Hulbert stole the show with a winning time of 8:27.81 minutes. It marked the seventh title in the event for the Seawolves – the most of any GNAC school – as Hulbert joined Micah Chelimo (2013-15), Dominik Notz (2016), Felix Kemboi (2020) and Coleman Nash (2023). NNU’s Brody Kemble earned his second straight silver medal in the event, finishing with a time of 8:28.69 minutes on Tuesday. Jonah Billings of Western Washington took third in 8:28.84 minutes, marking his first podium finish in the event.
 
COMING UP: GNAC athletes will have a handful of opportunities to enter indoor last chance meets over the next two weeks, ahead of the NCAA selection date of March 3. The 2026 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships will run March 13-14 in Virginia Beach, Va. More information on the NCAA Championships can be found online here.