By: Jeff Evans, Director of Athletic Communications
MONMOUTH, Ore. – For the first time in program history, the Western Washington University Track & Field program swept the team titles at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
The Vikings put the final stamp on a dominating performance Friday and Saturday at McArthur Stadium, with the men's team winning their 10th team title and fourth in a row, while the women's team won their first title in the 20-year history of the championship.
WWU's women broke through after finishing runner-up in each of the last two outdoor championships in 2021 and 2022, winning the title with 183.0 points, well ahead of second-place Western Oregon with 160.0 points.
The Viking men left little doubt while winning its fourth consecutive title with 209.5 points, 85.5 points ahead of second-place Western Oregon.
This marks the fifth time in the history of the GNAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships a school swept the men's and women's team titles, joining Western Oregon in 2003, 2004 and 2008, and Alaska Anchorage in 2017.
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Men's Team Scores
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Women's Team Scores
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PL
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Team
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Pts
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PL
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Team
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Pts
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1.
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Western Washington
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209.5
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1.
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Western Washington
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183.0
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2.
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Western Oregon
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124.0
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2.
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Western Oregon
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160.0
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3.
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Northwest Nazarene
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112.0
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3.
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Simon Fraser
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129.0
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4.
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Central Washington
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106.0
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4.
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Northwest Nazarene
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94.0
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5.
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Alaska Anchorage
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66.0
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5.
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Central Washington
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85.0
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6.
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Simon Fraser
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65.0
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6.
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Seattle Pacific
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53.0
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7.
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MSU Billings
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54.0
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7.
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Saint Martin's
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45.0
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8.
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Seattle Pacific
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51.0
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8.
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Alaska Anchorage
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37.0
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9.
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Saint Martin's
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28.5
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9.
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MSU Billings
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27.0
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WWU's two-day performance netted 11 event winners, a pair of men's relay first-place finishes, 36 All-GNAC performances for podium finishes and 15 program top-10 marks.
Sophomore Ila Davis was a double winner for the Vikings in the 3000m steeplechase and repeated as the 5000m champion. The Viking men swept both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays on Saturday while recording program top-10 marks in each event. Freshman Ashley Reeck recorded three second-place finishes in the 3,000m steeplechase on Friday and the 800m and 1500m on Saturday. Freshman Maurice Woodring won the 400m hurdles with a top-10 program time and was also part of two first-place relay teams to bring home three All-GNAC medals.
Senior Noah Johnson capped his collegiate career in impressive fashion placing second in the 100m with a personal-best time of 10.52 seconds to remain at No. 3 in WWU history and move up to No. 7 in GNAC history.
Senior Jaydon Tryon won the javelin competition saving his best throw for last, winning with a personal-best mark of 61.75m/202-7 to enter the WWU record book at No. 10. He also obtained an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark that ranks in the top 30 nationally.
After finishing runner-up in the discus at the last two GNAC Championships, sophomore Katie Potts reached the top of the podium with a first-place finish recording a top mark of 43.78m/143-7.
Here is a look at the event wins for the Vikings at the 2023 GNAC Track & Field Championships:
Saturday:
Friday:
Here is a look at the podium finishers for the Vikings, all placing in the top three in individual events and members of first-place finishing relay teams to earn All-GNAC honors:
Women's All-GNAC:
Men's All-GNAC:
Relay All-GNAC:
100 YEARS OF WWU T&F HISTORY
WWU is celebrating 100 years of the outdoor track & field program, with the varsity history of the program going all the way back to the first season in 1923. Track historian Paul Scovel researched and compiled a comprehensive history of the program in a document found online at WWUVikings.com/TF.
The field for the 2023 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be announced via news release on NCAA.com on Tuesday, May 16. The championships will be held May 25-27 at the ThunderBowl in Pueblo, Colorado.
