NAMPA, Idaho – Highlighted by two titles by junior Karolin Anders, the Alaska Anchorage men's and women's indoor track & field teams concluded Day 1 of the 2015 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships Friday at the Jackson Indoor Track at the Ford Idaho Center.
After six events scored, the UAA women's team sits runner-up with 55 points, two points behind Seattle Pacific (57). Central Washington is currently third with 47 points. One the men's side, the Seawolves are second with 42 points, trailing Western Washington (50) by just eight points after five events scored.
Combined, the Seawolves amassed two GNAC records, six meet records, six school records, three GNAC titles and eight all-conference awards. Overall, UAA posted 19 qualifying times for the finals tomorrow.
Successfully defending her title in the pentathlon was Anders with three meet records. The All-American from Berlin, Germany, amassed a meet-record 3,761 points. Anders also posted pentathlon meet records in the high jump (5-6.5) and long jump (18-5.25). Anders also went 9.40 in the 60-meter hurdles, 38-11 in the shot put and 2:29.12 in the 800 meters
Additionally, Anders – who was named the GNAC's Most Outstanding Performer a year ago at this meet – also won the open long jump with a school-record leap of 18-6.5 and, while picking up all-conference honors in the open high jump (5-4.5). Anders' long jump mark ranks fifth all-time in the GNAC record book.
Also collecting a title today was freshman Henry Cheseto in the men's 5,000 meters. A local of Kapenguria, Kenya, Cheseto completed the race in a time of 14:39.24, edging teammate sophomore Dominik Notz (14:39.37) at the line, with both receiving all-conference honors.
Meanwhile, Anchorage local Rosie Smith and both the men's and women's distance medley relays (DMR) joined Notz with runner-up finishes. Rosie took second in the pentathlon with a career-best point total of 3,453 for all-conference honors. Smith (Bartlett HS) also furnished a meet record in the pentathlon's 60-meter hurdles at 8.82.
The women's DMR of Jessica Pahkala, Haleigh Lloyd, Tamara Perez and Beatrice Decker placed second with a time of 12:05.63, while the men's foursome of Philip Messina, Liam Lindsay, Joe Day and Michael Mendenhall registered a time of 10:20.57 for all-conference honors.
In the prelims today, the Seawolves' sophomore Jamie Ashcroft broke two GNAC records. Ashcroft was the fastest in both of the sprinting prelims, posting a time of 7.60 in the 60 meters and a time of 24.43 in the 200 meters. Ashcroft is the defending GNAC champion in both events that will be contested tomorrow.
Joining Ashcroft with new school records were senior Haleigh Lloyd on the women's team and junior Cody Thomas and freshman Nathan Kipchumba on the men's side. Lloyd broke her own 400-meter record with a prelim time of 57.25, while Thomas' 60-meter time of 6.97 bested his previous school-record time of 7.01. Kipchumba collected his first UAA record with a time of 1:51.70 in the 800-meter prelims.
The action will continue tomorrow as the women's team looks for its third team title and the men's team tries to upset WWU for its first indoor crown.
