WEEKEND ROUNDUP: Markovc sharpens up for UK Champs; rough outing for Redhawks; GNAC Preview...
On Saturday, Washington alum Amy-Eloise Markovc (Paul Merca photo) scored a small personal best in the 1500 meters and earned herself a world indoor championships qualifying standard at the Müller Indoor Grand Prix meet in Birmingham, England.
Markovc ran 4:08.68 to finish fourth in the event, as Dawit Seyaum of Ethiopia took the victory in 4:04.35, in what was for Markovc, a tune up race for next week's British championships in Birmingham, where the European champion will contest the 3000 for a spot on the UK's world indoor championship team.
She already has the world championship indoor standard of 8:49.00, when she ran 8:44.15 at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix on February 6th.
Results of the Müller Indoor Grand Prix meet are available here.
ROUGH WEEKEND FOR SEATTLEU AT WAC CHAMPIONSHIPS...
In Albuquerque, New Mexico, the Seattle University men's and women's track teams scored their lowest point totals at the Western Athletic Conference indoor track and field championships since joining the conference in 2013.
Competing at the Albuquerque Convention Center, the Redhawks scored 4 points in the men's competition and 2 points in the women's meet, finishing ninth and eleventh, respectively.
The only men's scorer was Alex Franklin, who finished fifth in the 800 meters in 1:55.74, while the only women's scorer was the distance medley relay team of Marie-Therese Charouri, Chloe Deleissegues, Ellie Postma and Emily Harris, who ran 12:42.30 to finish seventh.
Grand Canyon won both competitions, winning the men's title with 201.5 over nine other schools, but had to scrap to win the women's crown by a 112-107 margin over Stephen F. Austin, and nine other schools.
SeattleU's point totals of 4 and 2 was the lowest in school history since joining the Western Athletic Conference in 2013, when they scored 16 (men) and 5 (women).
GNAC CHAMPIONSHIPS BEGIN MONDAY AT THE PODIUM...
After going without an indoor season in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the GNAC Indoor Track and Field Championships take place Monday and Tuesday at The Podium in Spokane.
The GNAC entered into a multi-year agreement last spring to hold the meet at The Podium after years of conducting the meet in Nampa, Idaho.
WOMEN
Seattle Pacific will angle for its third team championship in the last four years. Senior Peace Igbonagwam is the only returning women’s champion from the 2020 meet. The GNAC record holder in the long jump has the conference’s best mark of 18 feet, 4.5 inches (5.60m). She will also be a factor in the sprints, holding top-five times in the 60, 200 and 400 meters. Her best of 7.65 seconds in the 60 meters ranks No. 9 on the GNAC all-time list.
Adding to the Falcons’ depth in the sprints is junior Jenna Bouyer, who ran 7.66 seconds in the 60 meters in Spokane and is tied for No. 10 on the GNAC All-Time List. She enters the meet with the fourth-fastest time this season in the 200 meters and No. 5 in the 400 meters.
In the distances, sophomore Annika Esvelt will be a contender for the title in both the 3,000 and 5,000 meters. The GNAC leader in both events, Esvelt’s time of 16:31.74 in the 5,000 is No. 6 in Division II this season while her 9:38.43 in the 3,000 is No. 9 on the GNAC All-Time List.
Central Washington brings a measure of experience to the women’s competition. Senior Meagan Smallbeck has an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark in the weight throw at 56 feet, 6.75 inches (17.24m) while junior Avery Fisk has the No. 3 mark in the conference in the shot put at 41 feet, 1.75 inches (12.54m).
Junior McCall DeChenne will factor in both the pentathlon and the 60-meter hurdles, where her time of 8.97 seconds ranks second in the conference. DeChenne is also No. 3 in the GNAC in the 400 meters (58.63). Senior Makenna Hansen ran 7.66 seconds in the 60 meters last week at The Podium, tying for 10th on the GNAC All-Time List. Hansen also ranks second this season in the 200 meters (25.01).
Western Washington will be paced by junior Aliyah Dawkins. The 2021 outdoor champion in the high jump, Dawkins owns the top mark in the conference at 5 feet, 6 inches (1.68m). She also ranks fifth in the GNAC in the 60-meter hurdles (9.12). Junior Brook Wedin ranks third in the 5,000 meters (18:03.99) and fourth in the 3,000 meters (10:17.84).
The Vikings are further complemented by freshman Mia Crocker, who ranks fifth in the 800 meters (2:18.89) and freshman Ila Davis, who is fifth in the mile (5:10.66). In the field events, sophomore Matty Lagerway ranks third in the long jump at 18-1.5 (5.52m).
Saint Martin’s is paced by freshman Sara Sabra, who ranks fourth in the 5,000 meters (19:02.03).
MEN
Western Washington has won the last two men’s championships (2019 & 2020) and certainly has the talent to make it three in a row.
Senior Mac Franks has high-scoring potential in the middle and long distances. His GNAC season-best of 1:51.47 in the 800 meters is No. 7 on the GNAC All-Time List while his time of 8:09.40 in the 3,000 meters is No. 4. Franks is provisionally qualified for nationals for both events as well as the mile with a time of 4:08.41.
Freshman Hunter Flick captured the GNAC record in the 60-meters with a time of 8.07 seconds at the Husky Classic, ranking him 15th in Division II. Junior Ethan Sterkel is one of two returning men’s champions. The 2020 long jump champ has the best mark in the GNAC at 23 feet 9.5 inches, which ranks No. 24 in Division II.
Sophomore Kevin McDermott owns NCAA provisional qualifying times in the mile (4:10.37), 3,000 meters (8:19.37) and 5,000 meters (14:26.09) and leads the conference in the 5,000. The Vikings are furthered bolstered by junior Cooper Cummings’ leading mark in the pole vault (14-9), senior Ben Malquist’s top mark in the shot put (52-2.5) and senior Beau Sheeran’s No. 2 mark in the high jump (6-7).
Senior Austin Albertin, who has the No. 2 time in the GNAC in the 400 meters at 49.09 seconds, leads Central Washington. He also ranks No. 8 in the 200 meters (22.60). Senior Tysen Campbell is tied for second in the pole vault at 17 feet, 7.25 inches, while junior Zachary Davis sits third in the 60 meters (7.01).
Freshman Christopher Hines ranks third in the conference in the triple jump at 44 feet, 2 inches while freshman Omar Young is third in the weight throw at 53 feet, 1.75 inches.
Junior David Njeri is the favorite in the triple jump for Seattle Pacific with the conference’s best mark of 49 feet, 0.75 inches. Saint Martin’s will be led by sophomore Andrew Boyd in the 60-meter hurdles.
Action at the GNAC Championships begins Monday at 9 am with the heptathlon 60 meter dash. There will be six field event finals contested Monday (men's and women's long jumps, men's and women's weight throws, men's pole vault, and women's high jump), and four running event finals (men's and women's 5000 and distance medley relays), with all other event finals set for Tuesday.
The GNAC meet preview is available here, while the link to live results is available here.
Media partner RunnerSpace.com ($) will stream the GNAC Championships both days.
NOTE: Spokane Sports, the Western Athletic Conference, British Athletics, and the Great Northwest Athletic Conference contributed to this report.
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