ELLENSBURG, WASH. – The University of Alaska Anchorage swept the GNAC multi-event titles with Vivien Liessfeld winning the heptathlon and Anders Larsen winning the decathlon Tuesday.
It marked the sixth time since the GNAC was founded in 2002 that a school swept the multi-event gold medals and the first time in more than a decade. The last duo to achieve the feat was also the only other set of Seawolves to do so, with Karolin Anders winning the heptathlon and Cody Thomas taking the decathlon at the 2014 GNAC Outdoor Championships.
"So proud of this entire Seawolf multi crew," said head coach Ryan McWilliams. "We came in with a few people sick and injured. Against one of the more competitive GNAC multi meets that I have been a part of in some tough weather conditions, but these Seawolves just kept at it. Happy to have Vivien and Anders capture the GNAC multi crowns, and just so proud of the effort and results for Sarah, Mya, Daisy, and Tobin."
Liessfeld claimed her second-career gold medal in the GNAC heptathlon, after winning the multis in 2024. Her point total of 4,999 achieved this week was a career best, ranks second all-time at UAA and was just five points shy of being a GNAC all-time top-10 mark.
Liessfeld won the title by finishing first or second in six of the seven events among the field of 13 competitors. She notched event victories in both the long jump at 19-6 feet (5.94 meters) and the javelin at 125-3 feet (38.18 meters), while finishing second in the 100-meter hurdles at 14.93 seconds, the high jump at 5-2.25 feet (1.58 meters), the shot put at 35-10.75 feet (10.94 meters) and the 200-meters at 25.32 seconds. She did just enough in the final event of the competition, placing 10th in the 800-meters with a time of 2:44.31 minutes to fend off DeGroot. Her marks in the high jump (tied for 9th), 200 (10th) and javelin throw (third) each rank in the top-10 in school history.
Liessfeld became the sixth woman in GNAC history and second Seawolf to win the GNAC heptathlon multiple times in her career. Other GNAC competitors with multiple gold medals in the heptathlon include Renick Meyer of Seattle Pacific (2018 & 2021), Karolin Anders of UAA (2014-15 & 2017), Ali Worthen of Seattle Pacific (2011-13), Jacque Postlewait of Western Oregon (2007-08) and current GNAC commissioner Bridget Johnson Tetteh formerly of Western Oregon (2005-06).
Larsen's title came in the form of a career-high 6,969 total points across the 10-event competition, as he posted the seventh-highest decathlon point total in GNAC history and second in school history.
Larsen built a big lead in Monday's opening round of events, finishing no worse than third in the five events that were contested. That included his three victories during the decathlon, as he won the 100-meters in 10.89 seconds, the shot put at 40-9 feet (12.42 meters) and the high jump at 6-2.75 feet (1.90 meters). Larsen also finished second in the 400-meters with a time of 48.87 seconds. Carrying a 71-point cushion heading into the 1,500-meters – Tuesday's final event – Larsen kept pace with Klein posting a time of 5:04.73 minutes to finish in sixth place and secure his first gold medal in the decathlon. He posted five top-10 marks in the school history, long jump (eighth), shot put (ninth), high jump (tied for fifth), 400 (10th) and pole vault (seventh).
Larsen joined 2025 champion Tobin Schmidtke and three-time winner Cody Thomas (2013-14, 16) to become the third man in UAA history to claim the multis crown. It also marked just the second time that two different athletes from the same school won back-to-back decathlon titles, with the other duo being Chris Petersen (2003) and Michael Morrison (2004) of Central Washington.
Tobin Schmitke finished fourth for the Seawolves with 6,346 points. He scored over 700 points in three events, long jump (6.81/22-4.25, 769 points), 400 (52.20, 716 points) and 110 hurdles (16.03, 729 points). His javelin throw of 53.38/175-1 (639 points) ranks fifth all-time at UAA.
Sarah Dittman and Mya Campbell finished sixth and eighth in the heptathlon for UAA.
Dittman scored 4,427, the eighth-highest total in school history. She scored 749 points in the 200 (26.56) and 712 points in the high jump (1.58/5-2.25). Her high jump is tied for ninth in school history.
Campbell finished with 4,130 points, 10th-most in school history. She scored 736 points in the 100 hurdles (16.05) and 712 points in the high jump (1.58/5-2.25). Her high jump is tied for ninth in school history.
The UAA women are tied for first with 14 points and the men are second with 15 points.
The GNAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships continue May 4-5 in Ellensburg, Wash.
