SPU's Ayers-Stamper Voted GNAC Women's Track and Field Athlete-of-the-Year
Randolph, Ayers-Stamper Named Freshmen-of-the-Year
June 6, 2003

Courtesy GNAC Media Relations Office

SPOKANE – Western Oregon hammer thrower Pro Escobedo and Seattle Pacific heptathlete Danielle Ayers-Stamper have been voted the Male and Female Track-and-Field Athletes-of-the-Year in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference for the 2003 season.

Ayers-Stamper, a freshman from LaCrosse, Wash., received four first-place votes in outscoring teammate Sarah Kraybill 27-18 in the women’s balloting. Kraybill (Seattle, WA – Ballard) received two first-place votes.

Ayers-Stamper finished second in the NCAA national meet in the heptathlon with a point total of 5,120. She also won GNAC titles in the 100 hurdles (14.19), long jump (17-11 ½) and heptathlon (5,024) and finished fourth in the high jump (5-4 ½) and javelin (127-3) and fifth in the shot put (38-7 ¾) at the conference meet.

Kraybill, who earlier was named the NCAA West Region Female Athlete-of-the-Year by the NCAA Division II Cross Country/Track and Field Coaches Association, finished third in the NCAA meet in the 800 meters (2:08.41) and won the 800 (2:17.25) and 1500 (4:40.37) meter titles at the conference meet.

Escobedo, a junior from Nyssa, Ore., outpointed Central Washington University triple jumper Justin Lawrence 30-22 in the balloting by the conference coaches for the male award.

Escobedo, who received six of seven first-place votes, won the hammer at last month’s NCAA Division II national meet with a conference record throw of 206-4. He also won the GNAC hammer title in early May with a throw of 196-8.

Lawrence (Jr., Toppenish, WA – Zillah HS) finished ninth in the national meet in the triple jump (48-10). He won the triple jump title (49-2 ½) and also finished third in the long jump (23-0) and seventh in the 100 (11.04) at the conference meet.

Isaac Frederick of Western Oregon was voted the GNAC Male Newcomer-of-the-Year, while Chris Randolph of Seattle Pacific and Ayers-Stamper were selected the GNAC Male and Female Freshman-of-the-Year. Frederick (Jr., Portland, OR – David Douglas) won the 100 meters (21.37) and 400 (48.24) and also ran on WOU’s championship 4x100 (41.80) and 4x400 (3:18.85) relay teams in winning the Outstanding Performer award in the GNAC meet. Randolph (Lone Tree, CO – Denver Christian) finished second in the decathlon (6,242) in the GNAC meet.