SPOKANE, Wash. – The Western Washington University Track & Field teams both finished in 2nd place at the 2023 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Indoor Championships at The Podium.

 

Both team titles were decided late during the final day of the two-day championship, with Western Oregon University narrowly winning both titles over the Vikings.

 

The WWU women's team equaled their highest indoor team finish in program history, placing 2nd with 117 points, just five points behind WOU. The runner-up finish marked the best team finish since back-to-back second-place showings in 2012-13.

 

The Viking men had their string of three consecutive team indoor titles come to an end with the second-place finish, recording 125 points to trail WOU by six points.

 

Throughout the two-day championship, Viking student-athletes recorded 21 top-10 marks in the WWU indoor record book and set 49 personal-best marks.

 

Highlights from the championship included WWU's women throwers winning four of the six medals, with Raine Westfall winning the weight throw, Katie Potts placing 2nd in the weight throw and shot put, and freshman Mara Parks placing 3rd in the shot put. 

 

The Western men's distance crew once again shined with four Vikings earning points in the 800m, led by a 1-2 finish by Drew Weber and Will Henry. WWU scored a total of 27 points in the event with Jonah Bloom (4th) and Connor Palmen (5th) also finishing in the top five.

 

Spokane native Ila Davis was the top overall performer for the Vikings in the meet, earning three All-GNAC awards. The sophomore won the 3000m in a time of 10:14.61, placed 3rd in the mile and ran the final leg of Monday's winning distance medley relay. Sophomore Mia Crocker added a 4th-place finish in the mile and 7th place in the 3000m and freshman Isabella Porter placed 7th in the 60m hurdles in 9.30 to tie for 9th in WWU history.

 

Sophomore sprinter Nolan Mickenham placed 2nd in the 200m moving up to No. 2 in WWU history with a time of 21.81 and freshman Gabe Menicke recorded a big PR in the triple jump to place 2nd with a leap of 14.04m/46-0.75 to tie for 8th in WWU history. Junior Noah Johnson finished 4th in the 60m dash in a PR time of 6.97 to move up to No. 5 in WWU history.

 

A complete listing of WWU's performances at the GNAC Indoor Championships can be found at online at wwuvikings.com/TF.

 

The Vikings will return to action this weekend with small number of entries in the UW Ken Shannon Last Chance Meet at Dempsey Indoor in Seattle, with competition scheduled for Friday and Saturday.

 

Here is a look at the final GNAC Indoor Track & Field Championships team scoring with WWU placing second in both the men's and women's competition. Western Oregon won both team titles.

 

 

Here is the full listing of WWU student-athletes that earned All-GNAC honors for top-3 individual finishes or by being part of a winning relay team. A total of 17 WWU athletes earned All-GNAC honors, combining for 20 total awards.

 

WWU Women – All-GNAC Award Winners:

• Ila Davis (3000m, 1st Place)
• Ila Davis (Mile, 3rd Place)
• Ila Davis (DMR, 1st Place)
• Meaera Shannon (5000m, 1st Place)
• Raine Westfall (Weight Throw, 1st Place)
• Mia Crocker (DMR, 1st Place)
• Sophie Wright (DMR, 1st Place)
• Marian Ledesma (DMR, 1st Place)
• Matty Lagerwey (Pentathlon, 2nd Place)
• Katie Potts (Weight Throw, 2nd Place)
• Katie Potts (Shot Put, 2nd Place)
• Mara Parks (Shot Put, 3rd Place)

 

WWU Men – All-GNAC Award Winners:

• Drew Weber (800m, 1st Place)
• Will Henry (800m, 2nd Place)
• Nolan Mickenham (200m, 2nd Place)
• Miller Campbell (Weight Throw, 2nd Place)
• Gabe Menicke (Triple Jump, 2nd Place)
• Andrew Oslin (5000m, 3rd Place)
• Ryan Greenwalt (Long Jump, 3rd Place)
• Angelo Ramos (Shot Put, 3rd Place)

 

Here is a look at WWU's finishes in the 19 GNAC Indoor Track & Field Championships since the first meet in 2004. The WWU men have won seven indoor titles and placed in the top three in all but two of the GNAC indoor championships, while the women have six top three finishes and now six runner-up honors:

 

 

Following the GNAC Championships, the Vikings will have one more chance to up their marks to qualify for the NCAA Championships Ken Shannon Last Chance Invite February 24-25 at Dempsey Indoor in Seattle. The NCAA Division II Track & Field Championships will be held March 10-11 at the Virginia Beach Sports Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The field for the NCAA Championships will be announced on Tuesday, February 28. The complete 2023 WWU Track & Field schedule can be viewed online at wwuvikings.com/TF, with links to season results, meet recaps and national rankings.