BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Western Washington University sophomore throwers Calvin Gutierrez and Jessica Polkinghorn swept the GNAC Field Athlete of the Week awards for competitions held December 8-14.
 
The duo each had standout performances at the season-opening Spokane Invitational at The Podium on Saturday, each setting a school record and recording an NCAA Provisional qualifying mark.
 
Gutierrez won the men's weight throw competition with a school-record of 18.92m/62-1, the No. 2 mark in GNAC history and an NCAA Division II provisional qualifying mark ranking No. 16 in the nation. Gutierrez now sits behind only Western Oregon's Mark Warren on the GNAC all-time list, with the conference record at 19.42m/63-8.75 achieved last season.
 
"Calvin has been working really hard this offseason and clearly it has been paying off," said WWU head coach Ben Stensland. "He put together a great series in his first meet and we are really looking forward to seeing what he does this season."
 
Polkinghorn won the shot put competition with a mark of 15.19m/49-10 to break her own school indoor record and move up to a tie the third-best throw in GNAC indoor history. Polkinghorn ranks No. 6 in NCAA II. This marks her fourth career GNAC Athlete of the Week award between indoor and outdoor season.
 
"Jessica is coming off a remarkable freshman season. It is great to see her eager to build on that," said Stensland. "She has been putting in a lot of great work and has grown in her confidence. Coach Damien Fisher has been doing a wonderful job with Calvin, Jessica and the entire throws crew."