Thursday, September 10, 2015

ALASKA ANCHORAGE SHOWS WELL IN HAWAII: The Seawolves represented the GNAC and Division II well, winning both races in Saturday’s Hawaii Big Wave Invitiational in Kahuku, Hawaii. The men scored a perfect 15 points to beat second place Hawaii Pacific by 45 points. The Seawolves’ top-four runners all finished within four seconds of each other, led by a 15:41.15 for 5,000 meters by sophomore Edwin Kangogo. The Alaska Anchorage women scored 26 points, beating host Hawaii by eight points. Sophomore Caroline Kurgat won the 5,000-meter race in 17:46.87. Teammate Joyce Chelimo, who returns after a year away, placed second in 17:49.43.

GNAC WINNERS ALL AROUND: In the five meets that GNAC teams competed in last weekend, GNAC runners were individual winners in all but two of them. Three GNAC teams (Alaska, Montana State Bllings and Seattle Pacific) comprised the complete field in the four races at the Moda Health Alaska Invitational. At the Linfield Harrier Classic, Concordia junior Megan Fristoe won her first Division II race as she completed the 4,000-meter course in 14:59.14. Saint Martin’s freshman Larissa Kolasinski opened her college career by winning the Puget Sound Invitational. She covered the 6,000 meters in 23:10.

TAKE YOUR MARK: The remaining GNAC cross country teams will open their 2015 seasons this weekend. Simon Fraser and Western Oregon will start at the Ash Creek Invitational on Friday in Monmouth, Ore. Central Washington and Western Washington start with the CWU Apple Ridge Invitational on Saturday in Yakima, Wash. Northwest Nazarene will start close to home, competing in the Treasure Valley CC Invitational on Saturday in Caldwell, Idaho.

IN THE RANKINGS: The GNAC opened the season with six teams ranked in the USTFCCCA Coaches Poll. In the men’s poll, Alaska Anchorage opened the season at No. 7. Western Washington was No. 19 and Simon Fraser was No. 25. In the women’s poll, Simon Fraser was ranked No. 8 with Alaska Anchorage close behind at No. 10. Central Washington was ranked No. 22.

CHAMPIONSHIPS: Western Washington will host the 2015 GNAC Cross Country Championships on Sat., Oct. 24, at Bellingham’s East Lake Padden Park. Western Oregon will host the NCAA Divison II West Regional Championships on Sat., Nov. 7, on their own Ash Creek Preserve course on campus in Monmouth.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC RUNNERS OF THE WEEK
MEN
Robert Peterson, Montana State Billings
Senior • Billings, Mont.

Peterson won both men’s races at the Moda Health Alaska Invitational by sizable margins. On Thursday, he captured the 8,000-meter men’s race in 26:18.3, winning the race by 50 seconds. Two days later, Peterson won the men’s 5,000-meter race in 15:44.6, and won by 26 seconds over the second place runner. He led the Yellowjackets to the team win on Thursday. Also Nominated: Jasper Heckman (Saint Martin’s), Ethan Livermore (Concordia).

WOMEN
Anna Patti, Seattle Pacific
Senior • Renton, Wash.

Patti swept the women’s individual title at the Moda Health Alaska Invitational. She won Thursday’s 6,000-meter race by a minute, clocking a time of 22:11.5. She returned on Saturday to beat teammate Sarah Macdonald by 27 seconds in the 5,000-meter race in a time of 18:34.5. Patti led the Falcons to the team title on both days of competition. Also Nominated: Megan Fristoe (Concordia), Larissa Kolasinski (Saint Martin’s).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• The Alaska men came away from the opening weekend by winning the team title on the second day of their own Moda Health Alaska Invitational. The Nanooks scored 26 points to beat Montana State Billings in Saturday’s 5,000-meter race. Sophomore Alex Eckert led the way, placing second in 16:11.7 as the Nanooks put all five scoring runners in the top-nine.

• Junior Keegan Rankin placed second in Thursday’s men’s opening race, covering the 8,000 meters in a time of 27:08.4. Rankin went on to finish sixth in Saturday’s 5,000 meters in 16:26.6 while sophomore Seiji Takagi was fifth in 16:24.0.

• Junior Dorothy O’Donnell placed third in both women’s races. In Thursday’s 6,000-meter competition, O’Donnell finished in 23:36.7. In Saturday’s 5,000-meter race, she was 36 seconds out of first place with a time of 19:10.7.

• The Nanook women were second in both races in the Alaska Invitational, scoring 43 points in Thursday’s 6,000-meter race and 46 points in Saturday’s 5,000-meter race.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• The Seawolves’ men carded a perfect score to open the season, finishing with 15 points to win the Hawaii Big Wave Invitational. There was just four seconds separating the No. 1 and No. 4 runners and 36 seconds between the No. 1 and No. 5 runners.

• Sophomores Edwin Kangogo, Nathan Kipchumba and Henry Cheseto finished in a virtual dead heat for the top-three places. Kangogo won in 15:41.15, Kipchumba was second in 15:41.33 and Cheseto, the defending GNAC and NCAA West Region Champion, was third in 15:41.52. Senior Dominik Hotz was four seconds behind in fourth place at 15:45.66.

• The Alaska Anchorage women put all five of their scoring runners in the top-11 to edge out Division I Hawaii for the team title with 26 points.

• Sophomore Caroline Kurgat won the 5,000-meter race with a time of 17:46.87. Junior Joyce Chelimo finished second in 17:49.43 in her return after not competing in 2014. Freshman Kimberley Cosica opened her collegiate career with a fourth place finish in 18:34.94.

• Alaska Anchorage opened the season with both teams ranked in USTFCCCA Division II Top-25 polls. The Seawolves’ men are ranked seventh opening the season and the women are 10th. The UAA men are No. 2 in the west region behind defending regional champ Chico State and the women are ranked third regionally.

• Rather than travel home, Alaska Anchorage remained in Hawaii for the week and will race at the Hawaii Pacific Invitational on Saturday morning.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington did not compete on opening weekend. The Wildcats will host the CWU Apple Ridge Invitational on Saturday at the Apple Ridge Run Cross Country Facility in Yakima, Wash.

• The Wildcat women have parlayed a fourth place GNAC Championships finish and a fifth place West Region finish into a No. 23 national ranking in the initial USTFCCCA Division II National Poll. They are also among five GNAC teams opening the season regionally ranked at No. 5.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia performed well in their first meet as a NCAA Division II program, winning the women’s competition and placing second in the men’s race at Friday’s Linfield Harrier Classic.

• Junior transfer Megan Fristoe won the 4,000-meter race with a time of 14:59.14. Her sister Sara Fristoe finished second with a time of 15:18.45. The Cavaliers scored a total of 28 points, eight points better than second place Wartburg. There was 32 seconds between their No. 1 and No. 3 runners.

• Junior Ethan Livermore led the Concordia men with a third place finish, covering the 6,000-meter course in 19:57.13. Junior Jared Seckel was four seconds behind, placing fifth in 20:01.73.

• Concordia will get their first look at GNAC competition on Friday as one of five league programs competing at Western Oregon’s Ash Creek Invitational.

• Concordia is in the second year of a three-year transition process to NCAA Division II membership. This is their first year playing full Division II and GNAC schedules. While the Cavaliers are eligible to win the GNAC championship, they are not eligible for regional & national competition.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings’ men opened the season with a near perfect performance in Thursday’s opening race at the Moda Health Alaska Invitational. The Yellowjackets put their top-four runners in the top-five on their way to a score of 21 points.

• Senior Robert Peterson won both men’s races at the Alaska Invitational, earning selection as the GNAC Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week. Peterson won Thursday’s 8,000-meter race by 50 seconds in a time of 26:18.3. He was nearly a 30-second winner in Saturday’s 5,000-meter race, crossing in a time of 15:44.6.

• In Thursday’s men’s race, there was a total of 1:07 between the top-four runners and just six seconds between the No. 2 and No. 4 runners.

• Junior Rio Frame was the Yellowjackets’ top women’s runner on both days. Frame finished sixth in Thursday’s 6,000-meter race in 24:17.5 and placed ninth in Saturday’s 5,000-meter race in 19:54.9.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene did not compete on the opening weekend. The Crusaders will begin the season on Saturday, taking part in the Treasure Valley CC Invitational in Caldwell, Idaho.

• The Crusaders will not meet another GNAC team until they join Central Washington, Saint Martin’s, Seattle Pacific, Simon Fraser, Western Oregon and Western Washington at the Sundodger Invitational on Sat., Sept. 19 in Seattle.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• The Saint Martin’s women opened the 2015 season with a team victory at Saturday’s Puget Sound Invitational. The Saints scored 37 points to beat Pacific Lutheran by eight points.

• Freshman Larissa Kolasinski was an individual winner in her first collegiate meet, covering the 6,000-meter course in 23:10. The Issaquah, Wash., native was a four-time Washington high school state meet participant.

• Senior Karen Horvath was 10 seconds behind Kolasinski, placing third in a time of 23:20. Overall, the Saints place their top-four runners in the top nine.

• The Saints’ men placed third at the Puget Sound Invitational with a score of 57 points, just six points behind second place Pacific Lutheran. Saint Martin’s placed all five scoring runners in the top-16.

• Junior Jasper Heckman led the way for SMU, placing fifth in a time of 27:53. There was a time difference of 43 seconds between the Saints’ No. 1 and No. 5 runners.

• Saint Martin’s will be idle this weekend, returning to competition at the Sundodger Invitational on Sat., Sept. 19.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• The Falcons’ women were dominant at the Moda Health Alaska Invitational. In Thursday’s 6,000-meter race, SPU finished with a total of 21 points as they placed four runners in the top-five and all five scoring runners in the top-nine. In Saturday’s 5,000-meter race, SPU placed all five scoring runners in the top-six to cruise to a score of 18 points.

• The time difference between the No. 1 runner and No. 5 runner in Saturday’s race was just 1:01.

• Senior Anna Patti was named the GNAC Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Week after winning both races at the Alaska Invitational. Patti had a one-minute cushion in Thursday’s 6,000-meter race, winning in 22:11.5. She won Saturday’s 5,000-meter race by 28 seconds with a time of 18:34.5.

• Junior Sarah Macdonald finished second to Patti in both races. She ran Thursday’s race in 23:11.1 and Saturday’s race 19:02.0.

• The Seattle Pacific men placed third on both days of the Alaska Invitational. Sophomore Ben Halladay turned in the Falcons’ top performance, placing seventh in Saturday’s 5,000-meter race in 16:27.3.

• In the USTFCCCA West Region Preseason Poll, Seattle Pacific was one of five GNAC women’s teams ranked with an initial No. 9 ranking. The Falcons finished 2014 ranked No. 12 in the region.

SIMON FRASER
• The Clan did not compete in the first week of the season. They will commence their 2015 campaign this Friday at the Ash Creek Invitational.

• Both the Simon Fraser men and women were ranked in the USTFCCCA Preseason Top-25. The Clan women open the year ranked No. 8 nationally and No. 2 regionally after placing seventh at last year’s NCAA Division II Championships. The SFU men open ranked No. 25 and No. 6 regionally.

WESTERN OREGON
• The Wolves did not compete in the season’s opening weekend.  They will host four other GNAC teams on Friday at the Ash Creek Invitational, which will be held on the WOU campus’ Ash Creek Preseve.

• Western Oregon will be the host of the NCAA Division II West Regional Championships, which will take place on Sat., Nov. 7.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington did not compete on the opening weekend. The Vikings open their season on Saturday at Central Washington’s Apple Ridge Invitational.

• The Vikings’ men opened the season ranked No. 19 in the USTFCCCA Division II Top-25 Poll after finishing 2014 ranked No. 13. Western Washington placed second at the 2014 GNAC Championships and 13th at the NCAA Division II Championships. The men are also ranked No. 5 in the West Region. The Western Washington women start the season ranked No. 7 in the West Region.