PORTLAND, Ore. – On a week where the Saints claimed their first ever GNAC regular season title in program history, Saint Martin's swept the GNAC Basketball Player of the Week Awards, and the GNAC's Men's Track and Field Athlete of the Week Awards.
 
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With the Saints needing two victories to claim the regular season crown outright, the senior guard Luke Chavez put on an award winning performance. In the opener against Northwest Nazarene, Chavez ended with a team-high 23 points, along with seven rebounds and four assists. However, it was his efforts on Saturday in the double-overtime win over Central Washington that highlighted the week. Playing nearly 20 minutes of action with four fouls, Chavez scored a career-high 33 points, with five rebounds and three assists. Chavez hit the game-tying 3-pointer to send the game into its first overtime, and scored 13 of the Saints' 15 points in the final two minutes of regulation and first overtime period.
 
Bria Thames had a monster weekend in Oregon, starting with a 20-point, nine rebound performance against Concordia. In the game, Thames also collected three assists, made three steals and one block on the night as well. However, like her counterpart Chavez, Thames exploded for a career game on Saturday night. As the Saints dismantled Western Oregon on the road, Thames scored 18 points and grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds. Her rebounds helped the Saints to a 46-21 advantage on the glass. The junior also assisted on four plays and shot 17-for-31 (54.8 percent) from the field over the two games.
 
In the first outdoor meet of the season, not only did the Saints take home multiple first place finishes, but Jackson Hand and Craig Boyle were named the GNAC's Men's Track and Field Athletes of the Week. Hand won the 200m dash with a time of 22.04 seconds, placing him 12th overall in the NCAA D-II in the event. Boyle edged out his teammate Chris Rickard on attempts for first place in the pole vault with their marks of 4.40m or 14-feet, 5.25-inches. Boyle's height placed him tied for ninth in all of the NCAA-DII in the pole vault.
 
For Chavez, the award marks the fifth selection as a GNAC Player of the Week. Jackson Hand added his second award to his collection, while Thames and Boyle each received their first GNAC awards.