FULL GNAC INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS (TFRRS)

NAMPA, Idaho – Behind two individual championships from junior David Ribich in the mile and 3,000 meters and another title from Josh Dempsey in the 800, the Western Oregon men's track and field team claimed a second-place overall finish at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Indoor Championships.
 
The men finished with 82 points behind league champion Alaska Anchorage with 154 points. On the women's side, the Wolves finished in ninth place with 25 points.
 
Ribich and Dustin Nading recorded a 1-2 finish in the mile accounting for 18 points for the team total. Both runners hit NCAA provisional marks as Ribich won the race in a conference meet record time of 4:10.01 with Nading right behind at 4:10.93. Justin Crosswhite finished seventh in the first heat of the mile and 17^th overall at 4:31.93.
 
Ribich grabbed another 10 points and his second indoor title outdueling Dominic Notz of UAA in the 3,000-meter race. The WOU junior crossed three seconds ahead of the Seawolves senior with a time of 8:29.77. In the early heat, Alan Ekanger posted a time of 8:59.09 to finish 13^th.
 
After qualifying four runners in the 800 on Friday, Western Oregon took the top three spots with Dempsey winning the title at 1:52.47. Nading placed second in 1:54.32 just ahead of Michael Chin in third place with a time of 1:54.94. Thomas Normandeau scored two points in seventh place at 1:59.88. Western Oregon scored 26 points in this one race.
 
In other track finals on Saturday, Codi Blodgett placed seventh in the 60-meters at 7.14 seconds while Devon Fortier also took seventh in the 200 meters at 22.64. AJ Holmberg crossed the finish line in 48.70 to place fourth. The WOU men wrapped up second place in the meet with a third place finish in the 4x400 meter relay with Holmberg, Aaron Whitaker, Dempsey and Chin.
 
In Saturday's field events, Brandon Bowen posted a new personal best in the shot put with a best throw of 14.90m (48-10 ¾) for a sixth place finish. Jalon Fields finished an inch out of the scoring taking ninth place in the triple jump at 13.33m (43-9).
 
The 4x400 women's team of Grayson Burke, Megan Rose, Suzanne Van De Grift and Olivia Woods set a new school record finishing fifth with a time of 3:51.18.
 
The women also received points from Rose who finished eighth in the women's 400 (58.47) and Nicole Maurmann in the mile finishing seventh (5:13.52). In the women's 800, Van De Grift posted a NCAA provisional time of 2:10.88 for fifth place and Woods came in seventh at 2:12.20. Kathryn Pitts nabbed a point taking eighth in the triple jump at 10.92m (35-10).
 
WOU athletes have one more chance to qualify for the NCAA Indoor National Championships when they return to Seattle for the SPU Final Qualifier on Saturday, Feb. 25 at Dempsey Indoor.