• News
• |
• Schedule
• |
• Roster
• |
• Archives

March 4, 2011

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana - Men's pole vaulter Ryan Brown (Sr., Bellingham/Squalicum) and women's 5,000-meter runner Sarah Porter (Sr., Hockinson) have been named 2011 United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association NCAA Division II West Region Indoor Athletes of the Year.

Brown was selected the men's Field Athlete of the Year for the third straight season, and Porter was picked as the women's Track Athlete of the Year. Both will be competing at the NCAA II national meet March 11-12 at Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The defending national champion in the pole vault, Brown has posted the best mark in Division II this winter of 17-5 at the Flotrack Husky Classic on Feb. 12. That broke his conference and school record of 17-1/2 set in 2010.

At the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships on Feb. 19, Brown won the event for the fourth straight year, something that has happened just once before in league history.

Brown cleared 16-11 in taking last year's national crown. He placed 13th at nationals in 2009.

Porter ranks second nationally in the 5,000 with a time of 16:11.98. She won the 5,000 for the second straight year at the GNAC Championships, and placed second in the distance medley relay in a national provisional qualifying time of 11:53.23.

Porter finished fourth nationally in the 5,000 last year and sixth in 2009.

WWU's Porter named NCAA-II West Region indoor athlete of year

Breihof also gains regional honors for indoor track

By The Columbian

Western Washington University senior distance runner Sarah Porter has been named NCAA Division II West Region female Athlete of the Year by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

The Hockinson High School gradaute, two-time Great Northwest Athletic Conference champion in the indoor 5,000, ranks second in Division II in the event with a time of 16 minutes, 11.98 seconds.

Porter and Mountain View High School gradaute Lauren Breihof were named to the USTFCCCA's West Region Indoor Track and Field team, composed of the top five in the region in each individual event and the top three relays.

In addition to the 5,000 meters, Porter was named to the West Region team in the distance medley relay. She joined Rachael Johnson, Eleanor Siler and Megan O'Connell to place second at the GNAC championships and a national provisional qualifying time of 11:53.23.

Porter is a two-time USTFCCCA All-American in the indoor 5,000.

Breihof, also a WWU senior, was named to the West Region team in the mile and 5,000 meters.

Porter, who placed sixth in the indoor 5,000 in 2009 and fourth last year, and Breihof will be competing at the NCAA Division II National Indoor Track and Field Championships meet on Friday and Saturday at the Albuquerque Convention Center in New Mexico.

Porter, who holds the WWU record in the 5,000, is ranked nationally behind only Shippensburg's Neely Spence (16:01.09). Porter finished second to Spence last fall at the NCAA-II National Cross Country Championships.

The distance medley relay team of Breihof, Johnson, O'Connell and Siler did not have an automatic qualifying time, but was selected to compete based on a high national ranking.