Results
Video Recap (Courtesy of UNC Athletics)
GREELEY, Colo. (May 14, 2016) – One side required its usual domination, the other took some grit. In the end, it was another banner day for the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks.
The Northern Arizona men and women swept the 2016 Big Sky Track & Field Championships, marking the second time in three seasons Eric Heins’ programs have brought two trophies back to Flagstaff in May.
Fueled by five event winners and 12 all-conference finishes Saturday, the Lumberjack men rolled to the team title with 187 points. Between indoor and outdoor track, NAU has now won both of the previous five championships. They have also won eight of the last 10 outdoor championships and 21 total. Overall, NAU totaled eight individual titles and 17 all-conference performances.
Entering Saturday with a 20-point lead in the team standings, the Lumberjacks continued to pull away. The men’s 4x100 relay team of DeShon Norris, James Fisher, Isiah Kennedy and Kossi Tchenawou got NAU off to a good start winning the event in a time of 39.99 and becoming just the third Big Sky team to break 40 seconds.
Adam Keenan then added some more feats to his stellar season with NAU in the hammer throw, erupting with a toss of 230-1 (70.14m) on his final attempt to break the championship record and his own Big Sky all-time record. Keenan was also named the Men’s Most Outstanding Performer for that effort.
NAU continued to pile on the points with a sweep in the 1,500. Andy Trouard (3:50.50) edged teammate Futsum Zienasellassie (3:50.58) at the line and Nathan Weitz (3:51.73) followed to complete the 1-2-3 finish for 24 more points. The Lumberjacks also went 1-2-4 in the 200 and 1-2 in the 5,000.
Fisher defended his 200 title with a time of 20.96, giving him a combined four indoors and outdoors the past two seasons. Zienasellassie then earned a victory in the 5,000 clocking a time of 14:46.57. Isiah Kennedy (200, 21.05) and Caleb Hoover (5K, 14:50.64) also added runner-up performances for NAU.
On the women’s side, NAU entered the day ranked fourth with 30 points, but did most of its damage Saturday picking up 90 more. The Lumberjack women grabbed five Big Sky titles, an additional all-conference performance and scored points in nine of the 14 events that went final Saturday. They grabbed their ninth outdoor title overall.
Jessica Weise won the shot put with a throw of 48-9 to get things going for NAU. Then Nicole Fotinos earned a co-title after a too-close-to-call finish in the 400-meter dash with North Dakota’s Tianna McKinney (54.36) and Ashley Taylor claimed her second career victory in the 400 hurdles (59.92).
In what became NAU’s most important event of the day, Melanie Townsend won the 5,000 (17:01.60) while Paige Gilchrist and Kayla Freeman added fifth and sixth-place finishes to earn 17 points and seal the title. The 4x400 relay team of Jasmine Malone, Taylor, Clarissa Maxey and Fotinos put the cherry on top for NAU winning with a time of 3:43.58.
Other individual award winners for the meet included Eastern Washington’s Kaytlyn Coleman, Montana’s Sammy Evans and Idaho State’s Deante Gaines. Coleman was named the women’s most outstanding performer after the No. 5 all-time mark in the hammer throw (203-1) Friday. Evans was named the women’s most valuable athlete after scoring the most individual points (20) between the long jump, high jump and triple jump. Gaines was the men’s most valuable athlete scoring 21.5 points between the same events as Evans.
In the men’s standings, Montana followed NAU in second with 89.5 points with Southern Utah placing third with 84. The NAU women prevailed from a good battle between the top six teams with 120 points. Sacramento State (96), Eastern Washington (94.5), North Dakota (85), Montana (84.5) and Portland State and Portland State (84) rounded out a competitive top six.
Meet host Northern Colorado, Sac State, Portland State and Southern Utah each took home multiple titles Saturday to complete strong meets.
Sac State is bringing home four individual titles from Saturday, with Paul Lyons (110 hurdles, 14.07) Daniel Onuohua (men’s high jump, 6-10 ¼), Chloe Berlioux (women’s 1,500, 4:30.88) and Danielle Brandon (women’s pole vault, 13-1 ½) each winning their respective events.
UNC, PSU and SUU each grabbed three individual titles on Day 4. Competing on its home track, UNC got wins from Alex Wesley in the 400 (46.28), the women’s 4x100 relay (45.78) and the men’s 4x400 relay (3:11.04).
The Viking women got victories from Chaquinn Cook (triple jump, 41-2 ½), Genna Settle (100, 11.46) and Akayla Anderson (100 hurdles, 13.70). The Thunderbird men grabbed three wins as well by George Espino (800, 1:51.33), Devon Montgomery (400 hurdles, 51.86) and Jayson Kovar (discus 190-2).
Other Big Sky champions crowned Saturday included Eastern Washington’s Jeremy VanAssche (100, 10.35), ISU’s Gaines (triple jump, 49-4 1/2), Montana State’s Christie Schiel (800, 2:09.95), North Dakota’s Jayd Eggert (javelin, 160-4) and Weber State’s Aaliyah Crawford (200, 23.41).
Nine athletes came into the meet with a chance to defend their 2015 outdoor titles, and four did just that including Berlioux, Fisher, Schiel and Wesley.
Coming up next for the Big Sky Track & Field athletes tare the Division I West Preliminary Rounds in Lawrence, Kan. To reach the meet, athletes must rank in the top 48 of their event or in the top 24 for relays.
Men's team scores
1. Northern Arizona … 187
2. Montana … 89.5
3. Southern Utah … 84
4. Idaho … 67
5. Montana State … 66
6. Sacramento State … 63
7. Idaho State … 61
t8. Eastern Washington … 49
t8. Weber State … 49
10. Northern Colorado … 47
11. Portland State … 40.5
12. North Dakota … 15
Women's team scores
1. Northern Arizona … 120
2. Sacramento State … 96
3. Eastern Washington … 94.5
4. North Dakota … 85
5. Montana … 84.5
6. Portland State … 84
7. Weber State … 73
8. Montana State … 56.5
9. Northern Colorado … 55
10. Idaho … 37
11. Idaho State … 29.5
12. Southern Utah … 4