The Nighthawks' final meet of the season brought twenty-six new personal records and multiple Great Northwest Athletic Conference Champions this weekend in Monmouth, Oregon. Twenty-three NNU athletes medaled in the meet against the other northwestern DII programs, including five GNAC Champions.

Dylan Hendry had an amazing end to his collegiate track and field career when he threw the hammer throw for the very last time, setting a personal record for the first time in over a year and becoming the 2023 GNAC Hammer Throw Champion. 

"For the past two weeks, my practices hadn't been going well, so instead of being discouraged, I decided to go into Conference to have fun," said Hendry.

Going into my sixth and final throw, I was in second place. When I threw, it was hard to tell how far it went, and when I heard 55.26 meters, I was so hyped.

"I pulled through and got 20 centimeters over the previous first-place competition. My last PR in this event was over a year ago, so it was very exciting. My teammates came over and hugged me and it was awesome," said Hendry. 

On the rest of the men's side, Steven Schmidt became GNAC Champion in the pole vault (4.62m) and high jump (2.10m). Brody Kemble became GNAC runner-up in both the 10,000m (31:08.62) and 5,000m (14.54.91). Schmidt was also named the Men's Field Athlete of the Meet, setting a new GNAC record for points scored at an outdoor meet with 37 individual points scored.

Brayden Durfee placed second in the 200m (21.55 seconds) and Jonah Groce placed second in the high jump with a height of 1.95 meters. Gerohm Rihari tied for second in the high jump with his teammate.

Hunter Braseth placed third in the 200m with a time of 21.70 seconds. The men's 4X400m relay team composed of Trevor Ames, Brayden Durfee, Hunter Braseth, and Quincy Ellis placed third with a time of 3:16.33.

On the women's side, Jordan Crawford threw some fabulous personal records after a pretty difficult season. She threw 11.22m in shot put and 45.83m in the hammer throw. 

"This whole season, I was struggling to do well at meets. I was either fouling out of events or throwing under what I knew I could throw, and I was so frustrated all season with how I was doing," Crawford explained.

"Coming into Conference, I was ranked 16th in shot and 14th in the hammer, so I came in with no expectations of placing. Shot put is my least favorite event, and when I threw my PR, I was so happy that I cried. 

"It's been a long season with little to no reward in my results and throwing that PR at the time I needed it most just overwhelmed me with joy. 

"I think one thing that I could take away from this season is that at meets, you just have to trust that your training will come through because you have been practicing this since day one. 

"I learned you shouldn't get down on yourself when you aren't performing how you want because big things will always come," added Crawford.

Abbey Wood ended her season with a bang when she became the GNAC runner-up in the 200m (24.70 seconds) and placed third in the 100m (11.91 seconds), another new personal record and NNU record.

"Overall, this season has blown away my expectations. When I transferred to NNU two years ago, I never planned on running again or ever imagined seeing success the way I have seen in track," said Wood.

"Back then, I was full seconds slower in my events, even in the 100. After last year, I wanted to build on my successes, but never thought I would break 5 records or place at Conference. 

"I always say that these moments are surreal, but they truly are. I am incredibly grateful for my teammates and for Coach Bowman for pushing me every practice and every meet to do better! It is a pleasure to be a part of this track team and I cannot wait to see what next season looks like!" 

Destany Herbert had a good end to her season in the throws events this weekend. She became GNAC Champion in the shot put with a throw of 14.26 meters and runner-up in the hammer throw with 49.83 meters. 

"Going into shot put, I was confident that I was going to win since my PR was more than a meter farther than the next person's, so I just had fun and tried not to put any pressure on myself," said Herbert.

"Hammer was fun, but I didn't have that same confidence that I had in shot, so I decided to just keep having fun and try my best. Discus didn't go how I hoped, but it was still great to be able to compete with such awesome throwers. 

"This season has been filled with so many wonderful moments with my team and competitors. The biggest takeaway from this season that I've had is to just have fun throwing. We put in many hours of practice, so just going to meets and having fun is the best way to do well," added Herbert.

Emily Powers had a comeback moment at the GNAC Championships in the javelin event. She placed 4th in the event with a throw of 38.18m. 

"I came into GNACs ranked 13th, but I have been injured most of the season and only started throwing javelin a few weeks ago," said Powers.

"I was really nervous, but my coaches helped me channel those nerves into my throws. I ended up throwing a PR of 38.18m on my third and final throw to get into finals. 

"On my second throw of finals, I threw another 38m throw. I was very happy with how the meet unfolded and I ended in 4th place. 

"I had to deal with injury this year which made this season a difficult one for me. I am taking away the mentality that I can achieve anything as long I work hard, trust the process, and keep my body healthy," Powers added. 

On the rest of the women's side, the women's 4X100m relay team composed of Katie Baniaga, Kayla Baniaga, Abbey Wood, and Kalli Brence became GNAC runner-ups. Laine DeJong snagged second place in the 400m with a time of 57.53 seconds. 

Kinsey Yenor won the pole vault event with a height of 4.01m, setting a new meet and NNU record. She also earned the 2023 GNAC Outdoor Women's Performance of the Meet award with her NCAA provisional qualifying mark that will very likely earn her a spot at Outdoor Nationals.

Head Coach Danny Bowman was very proud of the results the athletes produced this weekend. 

"I have done this for about 20 years, and I haven't seen a weekend quite like this one," said Bowman.

"It was a 3-day rollercoaster ride. So many ups, downs, and twists. But what I am most proud of is that the athletes relied on each other! When one person struggled another one stepped up. 

"It was a true example of a community united by Christ. With all the stuff that took place, it is amazing we ended up 3rd and 4th. We still have lots of unfinished business. I'm so proud to be their head coach, and this was truly such a great season to witness."