Another GNAC championship, another sweep for Western Washington...
SPOKANE--When push came to shove, Western Washington's (Loren Orr/GNAC photo) depth gave the Vikings yet another men's and women's Great Northwest Athletic Conference indoor track and field team championship Tuesday afternoon at The Podium on the fringe of downtown Spokane.
It was a closer than expected result on the women's side, as the 20th ranked Vikings scored 163 points to second place and number 18 Central Washington's 152, with sixth ranked Simon Fraser third with 135.
Seattle Pacific was seventh with 40 points, and Saint Martin's ninth with one point.
The Vikings dominated the men's team race, scoring 191 to Central Washington's 102.5, with Simon Fraser third with 92.5 points.
Seattle Pacific finished sixth with 54 points, and Saint Martin's stayed out of the basement, scoring 17 points for eighth place.
The Vikings won both titles, adding the 2026 sweep to 2024 and 2025 continuing WWU's dominance in the conference track & field ranks. Dating back to the 2023 outdoor championships, Western has won the last 18 team titles in indoor and outdoor track & field and cross country.
The title was the tenth for the Viking men and sixth in the last seven seasons. The women's squad won their third consecutive title, and third in program history.
WOMEN'S HIGHLIGHTS:
After six events on Monday, Central Washington held a 54-49 advantage over Western Washington, meaning that the Wildcats needed to capture as many points as possible, particularly in the lesser places, in order to overcome Western's scoring depth.
Emy Ntekpere added to her wins in the long jump and high jump by winning the triple jump with a first round mark of 42-0.5 (12.81m), coupled with a third and fourth place finish by teammates Azariah Miller (39-6.5/12.05m) and Tehya Moore (38-0.75/11.60m) for 21 team points.
Ntekpere, the defending NCAA D2 indoor triple jump champion, moved to number 2 on the 2026 descending order list and set a meet record in the process.
Adding her four points for finishing fifth in the 60 hurdles, Ntekpere earned her second straight high point performer trophy, scoring 34 points. She was the top scorer at last season's outdoor championships in Bellingham.
Ntekpere also added the meet's top field event performer with 30 points.
Central earned a victory in the women's 3000, as Madeline Harrison, who did not double during the meet, used her fresh legs to run away with the win with three laps to go, crossing the line in 10:02.34.
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| Western's Bec Bennett won the 400 and anchored the Vikings to victory in the 4 x 400 (Loren Orr/GNAC photo) |
Western Washington got wins Tuesday from defending 400 champion Bec Bennett (54.33), Sydney Mohlman in the pole vault (12-4.5/3.77m), and Kathryn Chapin in the shot put (45-10.5/13.98m).
The Vikings put an exclamation point in the women's competition by winning the 4 x 400 relay in a school record 3:42.98 with Casie Kleine, Jayda Darroch, Kennedy Cook and Bec Bennett. Western is currently ranked number 5 in the D2 descending order list.
Central Washington finished third in a school record 3:45.54, which stands number 16 on the D2 list.
Seattle Pacific's Hannah Chang successfully defended her GNAC 60 hurdles title, winning in a personal best 8.52, which is number 15 on the national descending order list.
MEN'S HIGHLIGHTS:
From an individual standpoint, Seattle Pacific's Tawaf Aboudou (Loren Orr/GNAC photo) was the meet's most valuable performer, scoring 24.25 points in four events.
Of his 24.25 points, 18 came in the horizontal jumps, where he won the long jump Monday, then followed it up with a second place finish in the triple jump, where he jumped 47-7/75 (14.52m).
Aboudou tied for the men's field event performer of the meet with Gabe Menicke of Western Washington, who won the triple jump after finishing second in the long jump Monday.
Menicke won with a fourth round bound of 48-3.25 (14.71m).
In the 60 meter dash, Aboudou was fourth in 6.84, as Central Washington freshman Colton Magruder raced to an NCAA Division II leading time of 6.62, setting a new meet record in the process.
Western's Will Henry won the mile in 4:16.28, while teammate George Fernandez was third in 4:16.93.
Fernandez, who scored in all three distance races--the 5000 (14:45.20, second), mile, and the 3000 (8:29.24 for third) was named the meet's track most valuable performer with 19 points.
Connor Inman grabbed the win for the Vikings in the men's shot put with a personal best throw of 56-4.75 (17.19m), as two other WWU putters placed in the top eight.
Cal'von Baker of Central Washington won the men's high jump on fewer misses with Gerome Rihari of Northwest Nazarene. Both jumpers cleared a best of 6-8.25 (2.04m), with Baker getting the win at the previous bar of 6-7 (2.01m), needing a second attempt, while Rihari needed three tries to clear.
The Wildcats' Drew Klein, the 2024 heptathlon champion, overcame a 70 point deficit after the first four events, to reclaim the title with a 17 point win over first day leader Anders Larsen of Alaska Anchorage, prevailing 5149 to 5132.
Klein took the lead in the pole vault, clearing 14-6.25 (4.43m) to Larsen's 13-2.5 (4.03m) to erase a 91 point deficit to lead 4473-4450 going into the 1000.
Larsen won the head to head battle with Klein in the 1000, running 2:58.15 to Klein's 2:58.84, but could not run away from Klein despite setting a personal best.
USTFCCCA D1 AND D2 RANKINGS...
In the latest USTFCCCA Division I and II rankings, the University of Washington women moved up seven spots, while the Husky men dropped three positions.
The latest Division II rankings saw the Central Washington women drop four spots to number 18, and Western Washington fall three positions to number 20.
With the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship meet finishing up Tuesday, when the rankings were released, marks made only on Monday at the championships are factored into this week's ranking index.
The Husky women were bolstered by their distance medley relay, which clocked the nation's number 2 time in winning the event at the Husky Classic in 10:45.03.
The Dawgs were led off by Chloe Foerster (Paul Merca photo), who ran a personal best and school record 1:59.91 over 800 meters, which is the number 6 collegiate time this season.
Pole vaulter Veronica Vacca cleared 14-6.5 (4.43m) at the Don Kirby Elite meet in Albuquerque, which puts her at number 16 on the D1 descending order list.
Illinois, Georgia, BYU, South Carolina, and USC are the nation's top five D1 women's team in the rating index.
B1G Ten teams in the top 25 include number 6 Oregon, number 13 Nebraska, number 20 Minnesota, and number 21 Penn State.
UW men's squad had four new top 20 marks from Thomas Diamond (3:52.49 mile, number 7), Tomeko Cates (7-2.25/2.19m high jump, number 13), Reuben Reina Jr (7:42.02 3000m, number 15), and Evan Jenkins (13:22.28 5000m, number 16).
The nation's top five D1 men's teams are in order: Arkansas, Tennessee, Oregon, Kansas State, and Penn State.
Other men's top 25 teams from the B1G Ten include number 16 Illinois, number 19 Iowa, and number 22 USC.
In Division II, Central Washington put up top 20 marks from Elise Hopper (24.05 200m, number 10, along with 54.89 400m, number 17) from Monday's qualifying heats at the GNAC championships.
Western Washington's only top 20 mark came from Emmy Kroontje, who ran 2:08.70 in the 800 at the Husky Classic on Saturday.
The nation's top five D2 women's teams are in order: Pittsburg State, West Texas A&M, Grand Valley State, Adams State, and Minnesota State.
Simon Fraser is the only other GNAC team ranked, coming in at number 6.
No men's teams from the GNAC are in the national top 25.
The top five men's teams in Division II are in order: Grand Valley State, Wingate, Pittsburg State, Adams State, and Minnesota State.
SCOTT TONEY FINISHES THIRD IN HIS SECTION AT PERCHES AUX ÈTOILES...
Saturday, in Paris, Washington alum Scott Toney finished third in the B section of the Perches aux Ètoiles pole vault meeting at the Arena du Grand Paris.
Toney cleared a best of 17-10.5 (5.45m), as Valentin Lavillenie of France won with a best of 18-4.5 (5.60m).
NOTE: The Great Northwest Athletic Conference, USTFCCCA, World Athletics, the sports information offices of Central Washington, Seattle Pacific, Saint Martin's & Western Washington and the Perches aux Ètoiles contributed to this report.
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