Feb. 14, 2018
BELLINGHAM, Wash. - After competing at five indoor meets since mid-January the Western Washington University track & field program travels to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Indoor Championships on Friday and Saturday, hosted by Northwest Nazarene University at the Jacksons Indoor Center in Nampa, Idaho.
Last year, the WWU women placed 6th while the men were 7th at the indoor conference meet. The Viking men, with four indoor titles since 2004, won back-to-back conference championships in 2013 and 2014 before Alaska Anchorage claimed the last three titles. On the women's side, Seattle Pacific has won 11 titles since 2004, including a title in 2017, while Alaska Anchorage has won three conference championships.
The GNAC Indoor Championships begin with the men's heptathlon (9 am MT) and women's pentathlon (9:15 am MT) on Friday. The opening ceremony will take place at 2 pm MT with running events beginning at 2:30 pm MT and field events starting at 2:45 pm MT. On Saturday, action begins at 9:30 am MT with the men's heptathlon, followed by field events (10 am MT) and running events (11:25 am MT). An opening ceremony will also take place at 11 am MT.
Advance tickets are on sale now through Thursday and can be purchased online. Live results will be available for the indoor championships at GNAC.live with live stream of select events on the GNAC Facebook page.
Through five meets during the indoor season, the Vikings have recorded a pair of NCAA Division II provisional-qualifying marks and have 31 personal-best performances currently among program top-10 lists. In the most recent U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) regional polls, the WWU men rank No. 9 while the women rank No. 11.
The WWU women have 14 marks listed among the top 8 on GNAC performance lists entering the conference championships. Senior Jasmine McMullin (Sequim, WA) enters the meet leading the GNAC in the triple jump with a provisional-qualifying mark of 12.00m (39-4 ½) that ranks 12th nationally. She did not compete during the 2017 indoor season but is a two-time GNAC indoor triple jump champion in 2015 and 2016.
Sophomore Hannah Bradley (Bellingham, WA) is 6th in two events (60m, 7.98 and 200m, 25.96). Sophomore Sophia Galvez (Los Alamos, NM) is 4th in the 5,000m (17:48.71) and junior Savannah Smith (Renton, WA) is 6th in the 400m (58.44).
Freshman Claire Hansen (Federal Way, WA/Todd Beamer) ranks 6th in the 60m hurdles (9.14). Sophomore Emily Sytsma (Lynden, WA/Lynden Christian/Concordia) is 8th in the 200m with a time of 26.02.
Sophomore Jewels Oliquiano (Kaneohe, HI/Castle) leads five Vikings with top-8 marks in the pole vault, ranking 3rd at a height of 3.45m (11-3 ¾). WWU also has a pair of relay teams with top-8 times.
On the men's side, the Vikings have 16 marks among the top 8 of GNAC performance lists. Sophomore Cordell Cummings (Arlington, WA) has the best 60m hurdles time in the GNAC during 2018 at 8.46. Junior Kyler Sager (Snohomish, WA/Everett CC) is 5th in the 800m (1:56.02) while junior J.T. Konrad (Mead, WA/Mount Spokane) ranks tied for 5th in the pole vault with a provisional-qualifying height of 4.73m (15-6 ¼).
Sophomore Eric Hamel (Enumclaw, WA) leads five Vikings among the top-8 in the 5,000m with a time of 14:56.19 (4th). Junior Tupre Wickliff (Vancouver, WA/Evergreen/Clark College) ranks 4th in the high jump (2.00m, 6-6 ¾) with freshman Garrett Davies (Vancouver, WA/Mountain View) and junior Nick Makrakis (Concord, CA/Northgate) both tied for 6th at 1.90m (6-2 ¾).
Freshman Ben Malquist (Bellingham, WA/Sehome) enters the meet 7th in the shot put (15.15m, 49-8 ½) while junior Jacob Ringold (Vancouver, WA/Columbia River) is 8th in the triple jump (12.93m, 42-5 ¼) and junior Adam Thomas (Washougal, WA) is 8th (4.45m, 14-7 ¼) in the pole vault. WWU also has two relay teams with top-8 times entering the weekend.
The Vikings most recently competed at two meets hosted by the University of Washington at the Dempsey Indoor facility with the Husky Classic last Friday and Saturday before the UW Open on Sunday. The Vikings added nine program top-10 marks over the three days of competition and Konrad recorded his provisional-qualifying effort in the pole vault on Sunday.
A look at WWU top-8 marks among GNAC performance lists heading into the weekend:
WWU NCAA II Provisional-Qualifying Performances |
Name | Event | Mark | NCAA II Ranking | 2018 GNAC Season Rank | Notable |
Jasmine McMullin | Triple Jump | 12.00m (39-4 ½) | 12 | 1 | PR (12.22m, 40-1 ¼ ) is school record |
J.T. Konrad | Pole Vault | 4.73m (15-6 ¼) | T-38 | T-5 | PR (4.81m, 15-9 ¼) is tied for No. 6 in WWU history |
Additional GNAC Top 8 Performances as of Feb. 14 |
Hannah Bradley | 60m | 7.98 | T-220 | 6 | No. 8 in WWU history |
Hannah Bradley | 200m | 25.96 | T-210 | 6 | No. 7 in WWU history |
Emily Sytsma | 200m | 26.02 | T-226 | 8 | No. 9 in WWU history |
Savannah Smith | 400m | 58.44 | T-342 | 6 | No. 6 in WWU history |
Sophia Galvez | 5000m | 17:48.71 | 62 | 4 | No. 6 in WWU history |
Claire Hansen | 60m hurdles | 9.14 | T-98 | 6 | No. 3 in WWU history |
Deja Svastisalee, Savannah Smith, Isabella Foos, Emily Sytsma | 4x400m Relay | 3:57.88 | 85 | 6 | No. 6 in WWU history |
Jane Barr, Deja Svastisalee, Shawnee Konrad, Aundrea Koger | Distance Medley | 12:32.06 | 55 | 5 | No. 10 in WWU history |
Jewels Oliquiano | Pole Vault | 3.45m (11-3 ¾) | T-59 | 3 | No. 7 in WWU history |
Hannah Dodson | Pole Vault | 3.39m (11-1 ½) | 71 | 4 | No. 10 in WWU history |
Rachael Roberts | Pole Vault | 3.33m (10-11) | 90 | 5 | PR (3.47m, 11-4 ½) is No. 6 WWU history |
Amanda Andersen | Pole Vault | 3.24m (10-7 ½) | T-107 | T6 | PR |
Mariah Brelsford | Pole Vault | 3.24m (10-7 ½) | T-107 | T6 | PR |
Kyler Sager | 800m | 1:56.02 | 117 | 5 | PR (1:54.96) is No. 4 in WWU history |
Eric Hamel | 5000m | 14:56.19 | 74 | 4 | No. 7 in WWU history |
Isaac Derline | 5000m | 14:57.56 | 77 | 5 | PR (14:39.22) is No. 2 in WWU history |
Jadon Olson | 5000m | 14:57.59 | 78 | 6 | No. 8 in WWU history |
Ben Jacot | 5000m | 15:01.88 | 89 | 7 | PR |
Dylan Hayes | 5000m | 15:09.43 | 100 | 8 | PR |
Cordell Cummings | 60m Hurdles | 8.46 | T-88 | 1 | No. 7 in WWU history |
Bryant Welch, Reid Lovercamp, Cordell Cummings, Wyatt Longley | 4x400m | 3:21.99 | 138 | 4 | No. 6 in WWU history |
Porter McMichael, Myles Smith, Macauley Franks, Ian Fay | Distance Medley | 10:32.99 | 74 | 6 | No. 10 in WWU history |
Tupre Wickliff | High Jump | 2.00m (6-6 ¾) | T-59 | 4 | No. 4 in WWU history |
Garrett Davies | High Jump | 1.90m (6-2 ¾) | T-147 | T-6 | PR |
Nick Makrakis | High Jump | 1.90m (6-2 ¾) | T-160 | T-6 | PR |
Adam Thomas | Pole Vault | 4.45m (14-7 ¼) | 91 | 8 | PR is 4.51m (14-9 ½) |
Jacob Ringold | Triple Jump | 12.93m (42-5 ¼) | 167 | 8 | PR (13.57m, 44-6 ¼) is No. 8 in WWU history |
Ben Malquist | Shot Put | 15.15m (49-8 ½) | 79 | 7 | No. 7 in WWU history |
Meet Details:
Event: GNAC Indoor Championships (Host: Northwest Nazarene University)
Site: Nampa, ID (Jacksons Indoor Center at the Ford Idaho Center)
Date: Friday and Saturday, February 16-17, 2018
Coming Up: Following the GNAC Indoor Championships, the Vikings will return to Dempsey Indoor once again for the Seattle Pacific University Final Qualifier on Feb. 24 ahead of the NCAA II Championships (March 9-10). The outdoor season gets underway for WWU with the Ed Boitano Invitational at the University of Puget Sound on March 3.
2018 Indoor Schedule:
Meet | Date | Location |
UW Preview | Jan.13 | University of Washington (Seattle, WA) |
UW Invitational | Jan. 26-27 | University of Washington (Seattle, WA) |
Cougar Indoor | Feb. 2-3 | Washington State University (Pullman, WA) |
Husky Classic | Feb. 9-10 | University of Washington (Seattle, WA) |
UW Open | Feb. 11 | University of Washington (Seattle, WA) |
GNAC Championships | Feb. 16-17 | Jacksons Indoor Center (Nampa, ID) |
SPU Final Qualifier | Feb. 24 | Dempsey Indoor (Seattle, WA) |
NCAA Championships | March 9-10 | Robert W. Plaster Center (Pittsburg, KS) |
