PORTLAND, Ore.- Two athletes from the Central Washington University track & field team, Elise Hopper & Colton Magruder, are receiving GNAC honors this week for their outstanding performances at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Invitational over the weekend in New Mexico.
 
QUOTING HEAD COACH JONATHAN HILL
"There's nothing Elise wants more than to run really fast. The schedule put her in a spot with the 200 and 400 being about 90 minutes apart, but she wanted to double and handled it so well. She knows both of her races could've even been a little cleaner, but to lay down those marks, in that environment in January is a great sign she is ready for high-level, championship racing."
 
"Colton is about four weeks into his track career with us after coming over from the football season. He is a local Ellensburg kid who was the state champion in the 100 meters and 200 meters last year, and he wants to see what the best looks like. He stood toe to toe with grown folks from the SEC and Big 12 last week. This meet was so important for him and was just the start of a huge career."
 
ABOUT THE PERFORMANCES
Hopper finished 12th in the women's 200 meters, posting a time of 24.18 seconds that ranks sixth in NCAA Division II, and added an eighth-place finish in the 400 meters at 55.19 seconds, ranking 11th nationally. She recorded two GNAC all-time indoor top-10 performances, as her career-best 200-meter time stands sixth-fastest in conference history and her 400-meter mark ranks seventh all-time in the GNAC.  

Magruder finished 12th in the 200 meters with a time of 22.09 seconds and placed 14th in the 60-meter dash preliminaries at 6.88 seconds. Making his collegiate debut in the 200 meters, his performance ranks sixth on the GNAC performance list this season. He also clocked a 6.88 in the 60 meters and currently sits second in the conference, solidifying his position as one of the GNAC's top sprinters early in the 2025–26 season.
 
Read the full GNAC release HERE