Women's first-day results
Men's first-day results
NAMPA, Idaho -- For Crystal Sims, it was three out of four. For the Seattle Pacific women, it was four out of four.
So for openers, it couldn't have gotten any better than that at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference multi-event championships.
SPU junior Sims won the 100-meter hurdles, the shot put and the 200 meters, and teammate Brittany Aanstad set the pace in the high jump on the first day of the heptathlon on Monday at Northwest Nazarene University. Sims (Portland, Ore.), who tied for sixth in the high jump in addition to her three victories, racked up 2,866 points. She combined with Falcon freshman Katy Gross (Everett, Wash./Cascade HS) for a 1-2 placing in the overall standings through four of the seven events.
Gross put forth a steady performance that included second place in the high jump, third in the hurdles and third in the shot, and has 2,561 points. Junior Jennifer Pike (Vancouver, Wash./Skyview HS) is fourth with 2,462; Sophomore Aanstad (Lake Stevens, Wash./Lake Stevens HS) is No. 7 with 2,315; and sophomore Brittany Tri (Lake Stevens, Wash./Lake Stevens HS) is eighth with 2,303.
In the men's decathlon, SPU freshman Nate Johnson (Boise, Idaho) put up personal-best numbers in four of his five events, and is in sixth place after the first day with 3,087 points.
Two of Sims' victories resulted in personal bests: 14.95 seconds in the hurdles (her first time to break the 15-second barrier), giving her 848 points; and 36 feet, 9¾ inches in the shot put (2 feet, 7½ inches better than her previous best) or another 610 points She logged a 25.87 to win the 200 (worth 809 points), and cleared 4-10¼ in the high jump (599 points) for a sixth-place tie with Tri.
Aanstad won the high jump at 5-3, scoring 736 points.
Seattle Pacific had 1-2-3 finishes in the 100 hurdles (Sims, Pike, Gross) and shot put (Sims, Tri, Gross).
Gross was second in the high jump at 5-0½ (666 points), and set PRs in her other three events: 15.62 for third in the 100 hurdles (762), 32-8½ for third in the shot (527) and 28.32 for eighth in the 200 (606).
In fact, all five Falcon hit personal-best marks in the shot. Tri was second at 32-11 (531), Aanstad took ninth at 29-11¼ (472) and Pike was 10th at 29-1 (455).
Sims' only previous heptathlon at Seattle Pacific resulted in an NCAA Division II provisional-qualifying total of 4.506 points at the Cal Multi Meet in Berkeley, Calif., in late March. She is aiming for the 5,000-point total that would elevate her to automatic qualifying status.
If she at least meets her season-bests in Tuesday's final three events -- the long jump, javelin and 800 meters -- she would wind up with 4,834. Beating any or all of those bests would put her in better position to get there.
Sims already is ahead of her Berkeley pace. She finished the first day there with 2,748.
“I think she definitely can score 5,000,” SPU coach Karl Lerum said. “Crystal is on a real good run right now. We'll just see if she can keep it going. And Katy Gross is right about where she was hoping she would be.”
The Falcons, expected to be in a battle with Western Washington for the conference crown in the GNAC Championships on May 14-15 at Western Oregon University in Monmouth, can get a jump on the Vikings if they can maintain or improve their positions on Tuesday. If they stay exactly where they are now, they would pick up 26 team points, which would factor into their final total later this month.
Western has just one entry in the heptathlon, and she currently is in 10th place.
JOHNSON 6TH IN DECATHLON
Seattle Pacific freshman Nate Johnson ran to fourth place in the 400 meters and tied for fourth in the high jump on the way to his 3,087 first-day total.
Johnson logged a 53.52 in the 400, good for 660 points, and easily beating his previous PR of 54.76. He cleared 5-11¼ in the high jump, three inches higher than his old career high, and adding 636 points.
He also PR'd in the long jump at 19-10¼, good for sixth place (597 points) and well beyond the 19-1½ he had gone previously, and had a 33-foot, 3¾-inch effort in the shot put, more than a foot farther than his former best of 32-2½, finishing tied for eighth and picking up 495 points.
In fact, Johnson's only non-PR was in his opening event, the 100 meters. He ran 11.76 seconds for sixth place, just .05 shy of his best.
In a tight three-way race for first, Andy Loscutoff of Western Oregon leads with 3,264 points. Eric Zwiefelhofer of Northwest Nazarene is second with 3,242; and Tim Clendaniel of Western Washington is third with 3,207.
Johnson, having racked up 5,789 points in the decathlon at the Ralph Vernacchia Invitational in Bellingham on April 8-9, is setting his sights on 6,000 points heading into Tuesday's final day, which includes the 110-meter hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1,500. He can get there with room to spare if he at least equals his season-best marks in all five events. The NCAA D-2 provisional qualifying total is 6,300.
NCAA Women's Track & Field
GNAC Multi-Event Championships
Monday, May 3, 2010
Northwest Nazarene University/Nampa, Idaho
Overall standings (through 4 of 7 events) -- 1, Crystal Sims (SPU) 2,866; 2, Ksty Gross (SPU) 2,561; 3, Raquel Gonazlez (CWU) 2,525; 4, Jennifer Pike (SPU) 2,472; 5, Jill Benett (NNU) 2,432; 6, Laura Vonarx (NNU) 2,410; 7, Brittany Aanstad (SPU) 2,315; 8, Brittany Tri (SPU) 2,303; 9, Ali Mosher (WOU) 2,179; 10, Sarah Daigneault (WWU) 2,170; 11, Lindsay Brady (NNU) 2,137; 12, Siri Berg (WWU) 2,096; 13, Beth McLam (NNU) 2,000; 14, Mary Seidler (CWU) 1,784.
100 hurdles -- 1, Crystal Sims (SPU) 14.95 (848 points). Other SPU placers -- 2, Jennifer Pike 15.77 (768); 3, Katy Gross 1562 (762); 9, Brittany Tri 16.60 (642); 10, Brittany Aanstad 1734 (559).
High jump -- 1, Aanstad (SPU) 5-3 / 1.60m (736 points). Other SPU placers -- 2, Gross 5-0 1/2 / 1.54m (666); T6, Sims and Tri 4-10 1/4 / 1.48m (599); 9, Pike 4-7 3/4 / 1.42m (534).
Shot put -- 1, Sims 36-5 3/4 / 11.22m (610 points). Other SPU placers -- 2, Tri 32-11 / 10.03m (531); 3, Gross 32-8 1/2 / 9.97m (527); 9, Aanstad 29-11 1/4 / 9.12m (472); 10, Pike 29-1 / 8.86m (455).
200 meters -- 1, Sims 25.87 (809). Other SPU placers -- 3, Pike 2696 (715); 8, Gross 28.2 (606); 10, Aanstad 29.08 (548); 12 Tri 29.32 (531).
NCAA Men's Track & Field
GNAC Multi-Event Championships
Monday, May 3, 2010
Northwest Nazarene University/Nampa, Idaho
Overall standings (through 5 of 10 events) -- 1, Andy Loscutoff (WOU) 3,264; 2, Eric Zwiefelhofer (NNU) 3.242; 3, Tim Clendaniel (WWU) 3,207; 4, Jake Hyde (WOU) 3,186; 5, Alex Harrison (WWU) 3,141; 6, Nate Johnson (SPU) 3,087; 7, Brandon Roddewig (CWU) 2,972; 8, Ben Heidegger (NNU) 2,961; 9, Andrew Venema (CWU) 2,944; 10, Derek Hartwigsen (WWU) 2,866; 11, Scott Hunter (CWU) 2,792; 12, Thomas Steinke (CWU) 2,774; 13, Kevin Iverson (WWU) 2,726; 14, Austin Roberts (WOU) 2,648; 15, Stuart Montgomery (NNU) 2,620.
100 meters -- 1, Eric Zwiefelhofer (NNU) 17.48 (757 points) SPU placer -- 6, Nate Johnson 11.76 (699).
Long jump -- 1, Jake Hyde (WOU) 22-7 1/4 /6.89m (788 points). SPU placer -- 6, Johnson 19-10 1/4 /6.05m (597).
Shot put -- 1, Alex Harrison (WWU) 46-1 1/2 / 14.06m (732 points). SPU placer -- T8, Johnson 33-3 3/4 /10.75m (495).
High jump -- 1, Brandon Roddewig (CWU) 6-4 1/4 / 1.94m (749 points). SPU placer -- T4, Johnson 5-11 1/4 / 1.81m (636).
400 -- 1, Andy Loscutoff (WOU) 50.82 (777 points). SPU placer -- 4, Johnson 53.52 (660).
