By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

EMPORIA, Kan. – A handful of finals qualifiers topped the list of competitors representing the Great Northwest Athletic Conference on the opening day of the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships Thursday at Welch Stadium.
 
The women’s 1,500 meters had some of the conference’s top performers in Thursday’s opening round, with Simon Fraser’s Raiya Matonovich placing third in 4:24.32 minutes and Western Washington’s Emmy Kroontje running 4;28.54 minutes for 12th place. That earned each of them a spot in the finals, which are scheduled for Saturday at 2:05 p.m. (Pacific). Alaska Anchorage’s Ryann Smith also competed in the event, finishing 15th in the preliminary round with a time of 4:29.61 minutes.                                        
 
Western Washington’s Maurice Woodring took care of business in the opening round of the men’s 400-meter hurdles on Thursday, cruising to a time of 51.15 seconds for a second-place finish and a spot in the finals on Saturday at 3:40 p.m. (Pacific). Woodring broke his own GNAC record in the event earlier this spring, clocking in at 50.69 seconds on April 4 in San Diego. Josh Boast of Central Washington also competed in the event, barely missing a qualifying spot as he ran 51.65 seconds to take ninth in the preliminary round.
 
Bec Bennett of Western Washington was on the top of her game in Thursday’s opening round of the women’s 400 meters, as she clocked the second-fastest preliminary time at 53.14 seconds to punch her ticket to the finals on Saturday at 2:45 p.m. (Pacific). Charlotte Bosma of Simon Fraser also qualified for the finals, as she ran a personal-best time of 53.55 seconds to place seventh in the preliminary round. Bosma’s time also stands as the third-fastest in GNAC outdoor history. GNAC record holder Elise Hopper of Central Washington just missed the cut, running 53.85 seconds to finish in 10th place.
 
Another finals qualifier was Alaska Anchorage’s John Peckham, who had a strong showing in the opening round of the men’s steeplechase on Thursday. Peckham clocked in with a personal-best time of 8:55.01 minutes, landing him in 10th place to secure a spot in Friday’s finals slated for 5:15 p.m. (Pacific). Peckham’s time on Thursday moved his name up to No. 6 all-time in GNAC history in the event.
 
Competing in her first collegiate NCAA meet, Western Washington’s Kathryn Chapin had a strong showing in the women’s hammer throw on Thursday. The GNAC outdoor champion in the event had a top toss of 178-3 feet (54.35 meters), finishing in 13th place among the 22 competitors entered in the contest. Chapin was just off her season-best throw of 186-2 feet (56.75 meters), which stands as the sixth-best women’s hammer throw in GNAC history. Lily Novacek of Nebraska Kearney was the national champion, clearing 211-4 feet (64.41 meters) on her final attempt.
 
Calvin Gutierrez of Western Washington completed his record-breaking season in the men’s hammer throw competition on Thursday. The sophomore posted a top throw of 194-6 feet (59.29 meters), placing 18th among the field of 22 competitors. His top performance of the 2026 outdoor campaign was a GNAC-record toss of 210-1 feet (64.03 meters) achieved on April 24 at the Pee Wee Halsell Invitational. Grand Valley State’s Michael Griffey won the hammer throw national title at 229-2 feet (69.87 meters), which was 1-2 feet farther than his teammate and runner-up Sebastian Tesch.
 
Vivien Liessfeld of Alaska Anchorage, the GNAC champion in the women’s long jump, represented the conference in that competition on Thursday. She posted a top leap of 19-1.25 feet (5.82 meters), which landed her in 12th place among the field of 22 jumpers. It was the first NCAA Championships appearance for Liessfeld, who earlier this spring posted the second-best long jump in GNAC outdoor history at 20-2.5 feet (6.16 meters). Pittsburg State’s Blakelee Winn was the national champion in the long jump, hitting 20-9.25 feet (6.33 meters) to claim the title.
 
The GNAC had three representatives in the men’s 400-meters on Thursday. GNAC champion and record-holder Brennen Murphy of Western Oregon came up just shy of qualifying for the finals, running a time of 46.73 seconds to finish in 11th place. Murphy broke the conference record with a time of 46.11 seconds to win the gold medal at the GNAC Championships. Western Washington’s Lucas Brenek took 18th place with a time of 47.53 seconds and Seattle Pacific’s Justin Brooks ran 47.95 seconds for 20th place.
 
Northwest Nazarene’s Brody Kemble capped his stellar collegiate career by representing the Nighthawks in the men’s 10,000-meters on Thursday evening. The two-time conference champion in the event ran a time of 30:18.78 minutes to place 14th among a field of 22 runners. Kemble’s personal-best time of 29:12.25 minutes run on March 7 this spring stands as the fourth-fastest in GNAC history. Koby Fraaza of Grand Valley State topped the podium on Thursday, running 29:20.62 minutes to hold off runner-up Paul Knight of Colorado Mines (29:22.11 minutes) by just under two seconds.
 
On the women’s side, Morgan Erler competed in the 10,000 meters as well on Thursday. She clocked in at 36:41.85 inutes, finishing in 19th place among the 22 runners. It was Erler’s first-ever NCAA Championship appearance, after she ran a personal-best time of 35:08.29 minutes on April 18 to qualify. Allison Kuzma of Hillsdale won the championship race in 33:43.47 minutes.
 
Ellie DeGroot of Central Washington got her first-career NCAA Championships started on Thursday in the opening round of the women’s 400-meter hurdles. The junior ran 1:00.87 minutes, putting her in 17th place among the field of 22 competitors. DeGroot had the conference’s top time of the 2026 campaign, running 59.31 seconds at the GNAC Championships for the fourth-best time in conference history.
 
The Central Washington women’s 4x100-meter relay squad also competed in the championship, winding up in 11th place in the preliminary round on Thursday. The quartet of Ashlyn Nielsen, Zoe Gonzales, Elise Hopper and Layla Fields clocked in at 46.10 seconds, just off the unit’s GNAC-second best all-time mark of 45.31 seconds that it ran earlier this spring.
 
UP NEXT: Action continues on Friday with another full day of competition on the calendar. Live results are available online here.