Contact: Bob Guptill (503-305-8756/www.gnacsports.com)
Jan. 21, 2015
Three Athletes Ranked No. 1; Butterworth Earns National Award
THIS WEEK: Friday - Boise State Bronco Invitational (NNU); WSU
Invitational (SMU); Idaho Collegiate (CWU). Saturday – WSU
Invitational (SMU); Boise State Bronco Invitational (NNU).
Peyton Lewis of Northwest Nazarene ranks second
nationally in the pole vault (16-9 ¼ Dec. 13 at Jacksons
Open in Nampa) and sixth in the heptathlon (5075 last
weekend in the Ed Jacoby Multi at Nampa).
PORTLAND, Ore. – Nineteen GNAC athletes are ranked in
the Top 10 in 23 events on the current NCAA Division II
national performance list on TFRRS (Track and Field
Results Reporting System).
Kristin Anders of Alaska Anchorage is the lone GNAC
woman with two Top 10 national rankings. She won the
Ed Jacoby pentathlon with a score of 3,791. That ranks
third.
Three GNAC athletes, including Lindsey Butterworth of
Simon Fraser, have the best marks in Division II.
In the process, she high jumped 5-7 3/4, which ranks
seventh on TFRRS. She also posted a national qualifying
mark of 18-5 ¼ in the long jump.
Butterworth claimed the early-season top spot in the
women’s mile posting a time of 4:44.80 in placing sixth at
the University of Washington Indoor Preview Saturday.
In addition to Anders’ long jump and the marks that rank
in the Top 10 on TFRRS, Travis Milbrandt of Western
Washington in the 60 hurdles (GNAC-record 8.20) and
McKenna Emmert (11-9 ¾ in pole vault) and Becki
Duhamel of Central Washington (54-2 in the weight throw)
also posted provisional national qualifying marks at UW.
That performance earned her USTFCCCA National Athlete
of the Week honors. Her mile time is also the second best
in GNAC history trailing only Seattle Pacific’s Jessica Pixler
who ran a 4:32.88 in 2010.
Robert Peterson of Montana State Billings and Mikel Smith
of Saint Martin’s also are national leaders.
NCAA National Top 10 Leaders
Men: 60 – 2. Alex Donigian, WWU, 6.72. 200 – 8. Alex Donigian,
WWU, 21.67. 400 – 6. Joel Webster, SFU, 48.45. Mile – 1. Robert
Peterson, MSUB, 4:07.50; 5. Cameron Proceviat, SFU, 4:10.25; 10.
Travis Vugteveen, SFU, 4:12.17. 3000 – 2. Robert Peterson,
MSUB, 8:15.52; 4. Marc-Antoine Rouleau, SFU, 8:19.41; 5. Oliver
Jorgensen, SFU, 8:22.54. High Jump – 1. Mikel Smith, SMU, 7-0 ½.
Pole Vault – 2. Payton Lewis, NNU, 5.11 – 16-9 ¼; 10. Matt DeHan,
SMU, 4.80 – 15-9. Long Jump – 8. Brett Watson, WWU, 7.19 – 237 ¼. Heptathlon – 6. Payton Lewis, 5075.
Peterson ran a second-place time of 4:16.18 at last Friday’s
Montana State Open. That converts (for track size and
altitude) to a national-leading 4:07.50 and is also the
second best time in GNAC history in back of 4:07.46 by
Anthony Tomsich of Western Washington in 2010.
Smith high jumped 7-0 ½ at UW, becoming the first athlete
in GNAC history to clear seven feet either indoor or
outdoor. He broke the GNAC indoor record of 6-10 ¼ set
last year by Brett Watson.
Women: 800 – 3. Lynelle Decker, SPU, 2:12.83; 5. Haleigh Lloyd,
UAA,, 2:15.27; 8. Paige Nock, SFU, 2:15.42.
Mile – 1. Lindsey
Butterworth, SFU, 4:44.80. 3000 – 4. Jennifer Johnson, SFU,
9:36.18; 6. Katelyn Steen, WWU, 9:47.97; 9. Peggy Noel, SFU,
9:54.42. High Jump – 7. Karolin Anders, UAA, 1.72 – 5-7 ¾.
Pentathlon – 3. Karolin Anders, UAA, 3791.
Peterson is one of four GNAC athletes with national Top 10
performances in two events. His 3000 meter time of
8:28.68 (converted to 8:15.52) current ranks second on
TFRRS.
27 Performances Make GNAC All-Time Top 10s
Alex Donigian of Western Washington ranks second
nationally in the 60 meters (6.72) and eighth in the 200
(21.67).
A total 27 performances from last weekend’s meets
earned spots in the GNAC All-Time Top 10s.
Both of those times from Saturday’s meet at Seattle are
GNAC records. He eclipsed his own previous record in the
60.
Four of them were GNAC records - WWU’s Alex Donigian’s
performances in the 60 and 200, SMU’s Mikel Smith’s high
jump and Travis Milbrandt of Western Washington in the
60 hurdles.
In the 200, he broke the old record of 21.77 by Western
Oregon’s Mike Hinshaw which had been the oldest
surviving GNAC record.
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