Locally: Lewis and Clark graduate Ila Davis wins GNAC championships in steeplechase and 5,000 meters

From staff and news services

Ila Davis, a Western Washington freshman from Lewis and Clark, was a double champion, earning All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference honors with victories in the women’s steeplechase (10 minutes, 31.55 seconds) and 5,000 meters (17:13.78) at the conference track and field championships last weekend in Ellensburg.

Davis’ steeplechase time ranks in the top 10 nationally, is the second fastest in school history and eighth all time in the GNAC. She ranks ninth all time in school history in the 5,000. Her performance led the Vikings to second place in the meet.

• Senior Jacob Englar won the men’s pole vault at 16 feet, 9¼ inches to lead the Washington State showing at the 2022 Pac-12 Track & Field Championships last weekend in Eugene.

Grad students Mitch Jacobson, second in the high jump (7-1), and Colton Johnsen, third in the 3,000 (8:34.33), gave the men two other top-three finishes.

The Cougars women produced seconds from sophomore Micaela Mello in the 100 hurdles (13.03) and freshman Valentina Barrios Bornacelli in the javelin (165-0).

WSU finished ninth in the men’s competition and 11th in the women’s. Oregon swept the team titles.

• Idaho claimed four titles at the 2022 Big Sky Conference Track & Field Championships in Pocatello, Idaho.

Sophomore Maya Kobylanski won the women’s steeplechase (10:23.33) with freshman Katja Pattis third (10:27.49). Grad student Hannah Ringel gave the Vandals a victory in the women’s shot (50-8¼); junior Spencer Barrera (Mt. Spokane) won the men’s 400 (46.36); and sophomore Lorenz Herrmann captured the men’s 800 (1:48.67).

The men had 2-3 finishes in the 400 hurdles with sophomore Deyondre Davis second (51.67) and GS Alex Ayers (Lake City) third (52.11), and in the hammer with grad students Cullen Williams second (211-9) and Grady Leonard (Coeur d’Alene HS) third (209-4). Leonard also was second in the shot (59-5¾).

Idaho’s other top-three finishers: Sophomore Joseph Ruddell, second men’s high jump (6-9¾); senior Zach Nunis, third, men’s long jump (24-7); sophomore Franziska Stoehr, third, women’s 400 hurdles (1:00.05); men’s 4x400 relay, second (Davis, Barrera, Herrmann, Ayers), 3:11.04; and women’s 4x400 relay, third (sophomore Olivia Martin, senior Aaryanna Kurucz, sophomore Prabhasha Wickramaraachchi, Stoehr), 3:45.79.

The Idaho men finished third and the women sixth behind Northern Arizona’s sweep.

• Freshman Madison Tareski and senior Maggie Nelson went 2-3, respectively, in the women’s javelin and senior Katrina Terry and junior Hally Ruff were 2-3 in the women’s pole vault to highlight Eastern Washington’s showing in the Big Sky Championships.

Tareski (Lakeside of Nine Mile Falls) threw 151-6 and Nelson (Liberty and Community Colleges of Spokane) went 151-3 a day after breaking her school record with 5,173 points for a third-place finish in the heptathlon.

Junior Vernice Keyes gave the Eagles’ women a third runner-up finish, in the hammer (191-0), and sophomore Alex Bishop was second in the men’s high jump (6-9¾).

The Eagles also got thirds from sophomore Brayden Freitag in the men’s pole vault (16-1¾) and junior Joe Gauthier in the men’s 100 (10.62). Gauthier also was a member of the men’s 4x100 relay team that placed second (40.47) with junior Liam Bracken (Republic, Wash.), freshman Logan Allen (Lakeside-Nine Mile Falls), and freshman Daniel Galk.

The Eagles women finished fifth and the men 10th.

College scene

Kelsey Gumm’s reputation in Atlantic 10 softball was reflected when the Division I conference passed out postseason awards.

The former Central Valley standout, a senior pitcher at Dayton, was named to the A10 All-Championship Tournament first team, the all-conference first team and the A10 All-Academic team.

Gumm led the conference in ERA (2.11), saves (two) and opponent’s batting average (.188), tied for fourth in wins (11), was fifth in strikeouts (112) and seventh in innings pitched (123). She had an 11-8 record for a Flyers team that went 22-24 and finished third in the A10 tournament.

• Caleb Belcher, a grad student at Whitworth, was selected to the NCAA Division III PING All-West Region 7 team. He finished in the top 10 in all three Northwest Conference tournaments, including tying for eighth in the championship tournament.

• North Idaho freshman James Swan earned his second straight men’s golfer of the week honor from the Northwest Athletic Conference after he won a second straight tournament, capturing medalist honors at the Centralia Invite on May 2 by six strokes with a 9-under-par 133 (64-69).

• Michael Schwarz, a Lower Columbia freshman pitcher from Central Valley, was named Northwest Athletic Conference pitcher of the week for May 2-8 after he threw six two-hit shutout innings in a 12-0, eight-inning win over Grays Harbor. He had 12 strikeouts and two walks.

• Mike Peterson, a Western Oregon senior pitcher from Pullman, repeated on the 2022 All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference first team in baseball.

• The Gonzaga women’s crew won every race in capturing a seventh straight West Coast Conference championship last weekend at Lake Natoma, California, to earn a trip to the 2022 NCAA Rowing Championships May 27-29 in Sarasota, Florida.

Seven Zags collected conference honors. Katie Seirhuis was Newcomer of the Year, Sailor Hawes was Coxswain of the Year and Megan Chalfant received an award as Co-Rower of the Year. Chalfant, Grace Dojan, Hannah Cooney and Sierhuis were also named 2022 first-team All-WCC.

• No. 19 Washington State finished sixth overall in the 2022 Pac-12 Women’s Rowing Championships last weekend in Lowell, Oregon. The Cougars’ best finish was fourth in Novice 8. They were fifth in Third Varsity 8, sixth in Second Varsity 8, Varsity 4 and Second Varsity 8, and seventh in First Varsity 8.