MONMOUTH, Ore. – Across the two-day GNAC Championships, Northwest Nazarene track and field took home two individual titles, recording 13 top-three finishes, and notching numerous PRs along the way.
 
The men and women each fought to fourth-place finishes as a team. The women used strong finishes in the final few events to surpass Western Oregon and finish with 98.5 points, six and a half points ahead of the Wolves.
 
The men finished 15 points ahead of fifth-place Saint Martin's, ending the championships with 76 points.
 
Women's Placers
 
Bethany Danner took the gold in the 10,000m run on Friday, finishing in a PR of 37:09.29 that is third all-time at NNU in the event. Kalen Johnson was not far behind, placing third with a time of 38:24.17. Jordan Woods also placed in the event, finishing eighth with a PR of 41:05.79.
 
Danner had another top-three finish on Saturday, placing third in the 5000m run with a time of 18:13.71. Johnson was just off the podium in the same event, placing fourth with a time of 18:26.61.
 
Lauren Wuertz led three Nighthawks scoring in the 400m run, finishing as the runner-up with a PR of 56.46 seconds that increases her third-best time in the event in NNU history. Kalli Brence PR'd as well, placing fourth with a time of 58.70 seconds that moves her into eighth all-time at NNU. Finally, Laine DeJong finished seventh with a time of 1:00.29. Wuertz also ran in the final of the 200m, placing fifth with a time of 25.11 seconds.
 
NNU also placed third in the 4x400m relay, as the squad of Kalli Brence, Laine DeJong, Lauren Wuertz, and Breann Porter ran a 3:54.89.
 
Kinsey Langin nearly took the title in the pole vault, matching SPU's Scout Cai with a clearance of 3.75 meters but having to do it with one more attempt, resulting in a runner-up placing at the freshman's first conference championships.
 
Julia LaMar earned another podium finish for the Nighthawks, placing second in the 800m run with a time of 2:16.90. Heidi Nisly was also seventh in the event with a mark of 2:24.79.
 
Nisly and Annalisa Abdalla both earned points for NNU in the 1500m run, with Nisly finishing fifth with a PR of 4:44.69 and Abdalla eighth with a PR of 4:51.39.
 
Sage Earnest tallied three points, placing sixth in the 3000m steeplechase with a PR of 12:07.58. Jaidyn Kinneeveauk also finished sixth in the 100m hurdles, earning the three points with a PR of 14.96 seconds.
 
Jessa Saum and Destany Herbert both earned points for NNU in the discus on Friday, with Saum placing seventh with a mark of 37.19 meters and Herbert eighth at 36.38 meters. Herbert also placed in the shot put, finishing sixth with a mark of 12.28 meters for three points.
 
Herbert made it a trifecta with a fourth-place finish in the hammer, notching a PR of 47.47 meters. Saum also snuck into an eighth-place finish in the same event with a toss of 41.11 meters.
 
Madi VonBrethorst finished seventh in the high jump at 1.57 meters, tacking on 1.5 points to the Nighthawks' total.
 
Men's Placers
 
Logan Blake headlined day two for NNU, defending his 2019 outdoor title in the 400m run with a winning time of 48.41 seconds. Josh Beck placed seventh in the event after advancing to today's final. Blake also ran in the 200m final, finishing fourth with a time of 22.18 seconds.
 
Tyler Shea highlighted the opening day for the men on Friday, finishing as the runner-up in the 10,000m run with a time of 31:16.05. He earned eight points for the Nighthawks with the result. On Saturday, he made another podium, finishing third in the 5000m run with a time of 14:48.05.
 
Brody Monson reached the podium in the javelin, finishing third with a PR of 56.68 meters. Dylan Tidwell also medaled with a third-place finish in the 800m run, recording a time of 1:54.02.
 
The Nighthawks' 4x400m relay, consisting of Blake, Tidwell, Turner Nye, and Zachary Magee, just missed a conference title, finishing second with a time of 3:19.19. The mark is the ninth-best time in the event in NNU history. NNU's 4x100m relay squad of Cameron Willey, Kyle Duncan, Blake, and Magnus Hemingway also had a great race, finishing third with a time of 42.60 seconds.
 
Colton Burr placed fifth in the hammer, notching a PR of 51.43 meters that is fifth all-time at NNU. On the track, Turner Nye also placed fifth in the 400m hurdles with a time of 56.37 seconds.
 
Cody Robbins and Dylan Hendry both placed in the shot put, with Robbins finishing fifth for four points with a mark of 14.12 meters and Hendry eighth at 13.28. Robbins also finished eighth in the discus with a top mark of 40.63 meters, earning a point for NNU.