Complete GNAC Championships results

ELLENSBURG, Wash. (May 3) -- In a meet which came down to the final event, Western Oregon ended Seattle Pacific University's three-year reign as women's champions by a margin of just three points despite two wins apiece from the Falcons' Sarah Kraybill and Danielle Ayers-Stamper at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference track & field championships Saturday at Tomlinson Stadium.

Western Oregon won three of the four throwing events and then the final race, the 1600 relay, to finish with 210.5 points. The Falcons, who had taken a slim, 4-point lead into the final three events following a 1-2-3 finish in the pole vault, were next with 207.5 and Western Washington had 181. Western Oregon easily won the men's crown; SPU was sixth.

With the top three teams all running season-best times, the Wolves prevailed the relay, by 0.79 seconds, going in front in the final 150 meters and winning in 3:56.80. Western Washington was second and SPU (3:57.59) third.

Kraybill was voted the female athlete of the meet after winning both the 800 and 1500 meter runs, and taking second place in the 400. She alone scored 28 points. In all, Seattle Pacific won seven women's events and one men's, with Paul Mach (Jr., Seattle, Wa./King's) claiming the 400-meter hurdles title for the third year in a row.

The Falcons were without a key scorer as Laura Widman (Sr., Colfax, Wa.) scratched from her five events due to foot and hamstring injuries. On the men's side, 1500 runner Tim LeCount (So., Battle Ground, Wa.) was out with mononucleosis.

Kraybill (Sr., Seattle, Wa./Ballard) took the baton for the second leg of the relay after already running a rare triple that began and ended with victories. Her busy day started with a close win in the 1500 (4:40.37). She was edged by Western Washington's

Dania Swosinski (57.88-57.98) in the 400 dash but then bounced back to take first in the 800 in 2:17.25 to successfully defend her crown. In Kraybill's 15 races this season, she has won 10 and never finished lower than third.

Ayers-Stamper (Fr., LaCrosse, Wa.) was a one-woman wrecking crew, winning three events, including last week's heptathlon, and totaling a meet-high 43 points. Her finest performance came in the 100 hurdles as she roared down the straightaway in 14.19 seconds for a GNAC record and the No. 3 time in school history. It also tied for the No. 7 time in the Div. II this season. Linda Blake (Fr., Richland, Wa.) ran third in a personal record of 14.92.

Ayers-Stamper also won the long jump at 17-11 1/2, took fourth in the high jump (5-4 1/2) and javelin throw (127-3) and was fifth in the shot put (38-7 3/4).

Breaking her own school record, along with those for the conference and stadium, Ally Studer (Jr., Redmond, Wa./Redmond) helped put SPU ahead late by winning the pole vault with a final clearance of 12 feet, 4 inches. It was Studer's fourth victory in the last four meets. Her old school record was 12-2. Amy Harris (Fr., Philomath, Or.) was runner-up at 11-4 1/4 and Allie Hedges (Fr., Richland, Wa.) tied for third at the same height.

After missing the last three workouts with a knee injury, Dianna Grossglass (Fr., La Conner, Wa.) not only competed but picked up 16 points by winning the high jump (5-4 1/2) and placing third in the triple jump (36-2 1/4).

Seattle Pacific got 15 points from the 400 hurdles. Kelsey Gleason (Fr., Salem, Or./Salem Academy) was second (1:05.55) to lead the way. Jamie Witt (So., Folsom, Ca.) was third in the 3000 (10:32.82) and Jennifer Pyeatt (Jr., Graham, Wa./Bethel) also earned all-conference honors by throwing for third (41-10 1/2) in the shot put.

Mach became his school¹s first intermediate hurdler to break 53 seconds with a first-place time of 52.19. It breaks the GNAC record but, in tying for 13th on the NCAA qualifying list, leaves him on the bubble with regard to traveling to nationals. Mach also participated in the 1600 relay which was second in 3:20.52.

Along with Chris Randolph, who was second in last week's decathlon, Micah Kellcy (Sr., Lakewood, Wa./Clover Park) earned all-GNAC honors, taking third (55.21) in the 400 hurdles. The only other men¹s top five-finish was Scott Van Hess (Sr., Salem, Or./McKay, who was fourth in the 800 (1:57.44).

The regular season concludes with the Ken Foreman Invitational, hosted by SPU, next Saturday at Husky Stadium.