Northwest Nazarene track and field traveled up to Spokane, Washington to wrap up their indoor season at the GNAC Championships this Monday and Tuesday and the Nighthawks left with some hardware. 

On the women's side of the track, senior Kalli Farnsworth had a meet to remember.

"On Monday I PR'd in the 200 (originally 25.92) running a 25.79 and made it into the 7th place making it to finals. In finals on Tuesday, I PR'd once again running a 25.51 and moving to 6th place overall.," said Farnsworth. "The 4x400 was an hour and a half after the 200, so I maintained staying loose and warm. I was the second leg of the 4x400 and love every second of being on the track! I am so glad that the hard work at practice is being shown on the track, it was a privilege to be the only female sprinter to final and represent my team. I am so excited for outdoor season and finishing out my senior year strong."

Farnsworth is now 3^rd in NNU History in the 200m and the 4x400m relay hold the NNU record with a time of 3:54.00.

On the field side of the meet, junior Miya Koch also placed in her event.

"I did a lot of mental prep with teammates for this meet. I had a unique goal for myself and succeeded in meeting it.," said Koch. "I'm looking forward to outdoor for continued improvements."

Koch competed in high jump and placed 2^nd overall in the GNAC meet with a jump of 5'5.75" and is now 2^nd in NNU History in the event.

In addition, senior Destany Herbert was impressive as she placed first in the conference in shot put with a throw of 13.87m.

"I think I did pretty well. I didn't end up getting a PR, but I was happy that I was still able to score points for the team.," said Herbert. "I have been working a lot on my technique so I think that helped me to get a mark in. I'm really excited to see what happens in outdoor!"



On the men's side of the meet, freshman Ian Stockett had an impressive showing.

"The first day Carter, Jonah, Micah, and I were all running the DMR. We just really wanted to medal so our goal was to get top 3 and we ended up getting third. I ran a 4:13 split in my 1600 leg, which was way faster than I've ever run before so I was surprised. We finished with 10:17 and got second all time," said Stockett. "The next day I just had the mile and I was in the fast heat. I didn't really know what to expect but I was just ready to race. I got out right on pace and kept the pace and ending up running a 4:14 and getting fourth for the mile. My previous mile mark was 4:20.07 and I ran 4:14.42. I feel good about all the work I've put in. I'm most glad I was able to perform well when it mattered the most this season. I'm really excited to see what I can do in outdoor."

Stockett is now 2^nd in NNU history in the Distance Medley Relay and 3^rd in NNU history in the Mile.

In addition, junior William Koenig took 2^nd overall in the Pole Vault. He is now 7^th in NNU History in the event, with a mark of 4.63m.

"We've all been working hard this season. Brett's (Brett Lombardi, Assistant Coach in Multis and Hurdles) been pushing us hard with workouts and technique work and all of it is starting to come together. This competition went well but we still have a lot more to give for outdoor." said Koenig.

Lastly, sophomore Jonah Rau found success being a part of the 4x400m Relay (new NNU record), and the Distance Medley Relay (2^nd in NNU history), and the 800m. 

"The 800 went decently well. I was able to PR by .4 seconds. Previous time was a 1:57.8 and I ran a 1:57.4.," said Rau. "DMR was a race to remember. It was special to have a group of guys who were willing to leave it all on the track and get on the podium. With the team being almost all freshman except myself, we told ourselves that we had nothing to lose and to create an upset.

"The. 4x400 was also something special. Going into the race we knew we had a chance to do something, but each one of us had to run perfectly. We were able to get the 3rd place medals, as well as snagging a new school record," said Rau. "The work that was put in leading up to this meet was a long time coming. Goal this year was to build a distance background and see how well I could perform on the track with that. Indoor season proved that it was effective and got the job done. Couldn't have been possible without the coaches and teammates pushing me forward."

NNU will now head into their outdoor season with their first meet on March 2^nd in McMinnville, Oregon at the Linfield Icebreaker.