PORTLAND, Ore. – Coming off of a stellar 2021-22 academic year in which the Western Oregon University women's track and field team placed second and first in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships, Octavious Gillespie-Bennett was named the GNAC Women's Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year on Tuesday.
It's the fifth GNAC Women's Outdoor Coach of the Year award for Western Oregon University since 2002 and the first since Mike Johnson received the honor in 2008. That closed a stretch of WOU taking home four of six GNAC Coach of the Year honors between 2003 and 2008. John Knight started the run earning the honor in 2003, then Johnson collected the next three, including back-to-back in 2004 and 2005.
Gillespie-Bennett guided the Wolves to a season to remember that recently culminated in winning the GNAC Outdoor title on the women's side for the first time since 2008. The Wolves tallied 155 points, which was also the most since the '08 title team.
Four won individual titles in Jenelle Hurley, Moana Gianotti, Kaylee Wright and Ana Popchock. Hurley was named the GNAC Female Field Athlete of the Meet after accounting for 30 points to lead WOU to the title. Hurley won the long jump, placed second in the heptathlon and fifth in the triple jump. On the track, she placed fifth in both the 100 and 400 hurdles.
Gianotti made it back-to-back GNAC crowns in the shot put winning again this year. Wright had the top throw in the conference to win the javelin. Popchock hit a new personal-best on her way to winning the triple jump.
While those individual titles and performances were big highlights, there were several other top results that led WOU to the outdoor title. Madeline Lambing hit a new PR in the 400 hurdles coming in third. Maliyah Thompson added a PR in the 100 hurdles to place fourth. Jessy Hart added a PR in the 400 to add points coming in fifth. Caitlin Heldt and Luz Garcia tallied points in the 5,000 with Heldt placing third and Garcia in seventh. Liliana Lyness-Morales and Emilia Carpenter were strong in the hammer with both setting new PR marks and collecting team points. Lyness-Morales placed fourth and Carpenter came in seventh. Amity Deters added a new PR in the high jump in placing third. Kalulusno Ngaida added points placing fifth in the event.
It was a record setting day for the 4x100 relay team of Maya Hopwood, Taryn Wilson, Popchock and Thompson when they crossed with a time of 47.28 to break the school record and add team points coming in fourth.
Heldt and Garcia opened the GNAC's adding points in the 10,000 when Heldt placed third and Garcia came in fourth. Halle Hargett and Krystal Andres collected points in the discus. Hargett came in sixth and Andres placed eighth.
Lyndee McLauchlin picked up team points in the javelin when she came in fourth. Popchock also added points in the long jump placing seventh. Katie Chapman and Lindie Larson each scored points in the 3,000 steeple with Chapman coming in fifth and Larson placing eighth.
In addition to Gianotti in the shot put, Lyness-Morales came in fifth.
While Hurley finished runner-up in the heptathlon, Deters came in fourth, Popchock placed sixth and Macy Clemens in seventh to tally 18 total team points for the Wolves in the combined events.
During the indoor season and at the GNAC Championships, WOU finished runner-up for their highest finish since 2004. The 115 team points were the most since 2005.
Hurley added to her school record in the pentathlon finishing runner-up in the event. Deters and Clemens added points in the combined events with Deters placing sixth and Clemens coming in seventh.
Heldt finished runner-up in the 5,000, with Kaylin Cantu setting a new PR placing fourth. Garcia added a PR as well in the event and more team points placing fifth. Ngaida and Hurley tied for sixth in the women's high jump, while Deters added points coming in eighth.
Hurley set a new PR in the long jump tying for sixth. Gianotti added a new PR to come in runner-up in the weight throw. Carpenter tallied points coming in seventh.
The distance medley relay team of Larson, Lambing, Kaitlyn Kruse and Chapman placed fourth.
Popchock and Thompson paced the Wolves in the 60 hurdles with Popchock tying her school record and coming in third. Thompson moved up the WOU all-time list in the event to second when she placed fourth. Thompson also added a fifth-place finish in the 60-meter. Hopwood added points when she crossed in eighth.
Hart came in seventh in the 400-meter. Popchock won the triple jump with a new PR mark in the process. Ngaida tallied points coming in sixth. Gianotti won the shot put with a new PR distance. Halle Hargett added points placing fifth.
Heldt and Cantu picked up more team points in the 3,000 when Heldt placed fifth and Cantu came in eighth.
The 4x400 relay team of Hurley, Thompson, Lambing and Hart added points coming in fifth.
