Thursday, August 29, 2019

PORTLAND, Ore. – In a close vote that illustrates the strength of the conference, Seattle Pacific’s women and Alaska Anchorage’s men have been picked to top the league in the 2019 GNAC Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll.

The Falcons, who finished third last year, received five of 11 first-place votes and a total of 101 points. Alaska Anchorage, the champion each of the last four seasons, is picked second with 99 points while Simon Fraser is a close third with 96 points. The Seawolves picked up four first-place votes and the Clan took the remaining two.

Seattle Pacific will be vying for its first GNAC championship since 2008 while Simon Fraser is looking to top the podium for the first time since 2014. All three teams, along with Western Washington, qualified for the NCAA Championships, led by Alaska Anchorage’s sixth-place finish.

The Alaska Anchorage men received four first-place votes and a total of 101 points. Simon Fraser is picked a close second with 99 points and three first-place votes. Western Washington is one point behind at 98. The Vikings picked up the remaining four first-place votes.

The Seawolves will aim for the program’s ninth GNAC title in the last 10 years, a streak broken only by a 2017 victory by Western Oregon. Simon Fraser is eyeing its first-ever GNAC championship while Western Washington would like to return to the podium for the first time since 2009.

In the USTFCCCA Division II Preseason Coaches Poll, released on Wednesday, three GNAC women’s teams were ranked in the top-10: Alaska Anchorage at No. 7, Simon Fraser at No. 8 and Seattle Pacific at No. 9. Western Washington opens the season at No. 17. In the men’s poll, Simon Fraser opens the season ranked No. 13. Alaska Anchorage enters at No. 17 and Western Washington is No. 24

For the first time, the GNAC Cross Country Championships will head to Billings, Montana. Montana State Billings will host the championships on Saturday, Oct. 26 at Amend Park, the site of the 2018 NCAA West Regional Championships. Western Oregon’s Ash Creek Preserve, the site of last year’s GNAC Championship, will host the regional on Saturday, Nov. 9.

The 2019 season will commence on Friday, Aug. 30 with Concordia and Western Oregon taking part in the Linfield Harrier Classic in McMinnville, Oregon.

WOMEN
While it has been a decade since Seattle Pacific topped the podium, it has never been far from it. The Falcons have finished no worse than third each of the last three years. In 2018, the Falcons took it a step further with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA West Regional that qualified the team for the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2015.

Seattle Pacific returns five of its seven runners that scored at all three meets. Sophomore Kaylee Mitchell leads the way after a banner season that saw her earn GNAC Freshman of the Year, All-West Region and All-American honors. She placed third at the GNAC Championships in a time of 21:35.2 over 6,000 meters and went on to place 35th at the NCAA Championships (23:24.9). Senior Kate Lilly just missed All-GNAC honors but earned All-West Region distinction with a 10th place regionals finish (21:34.11).

Senior Katherine Walter finished just behind Lilly at the GNAC Championships in 13th place (22:07.5) and went on to place 19th at the regional meet. Junior Dania Holmberg placed 14th at conference (22:10.4) while junior Elizabeth Thompson placed 22nd (22:38.9).

Alaska Anchorage continued its heritage as one of the West Region’s most dominant programs in 2018. The Seawolves were a 31-point winner over Simon Fraser at the GNAC Championships and bettered the Clan by 19 points to win the West Region title. The program went on to a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, marking the 11th straight top-10 nationals finish for the Seawolves.

Senior Emmah Chelimo is back after a banner season in 2018, winning the GNAC championship in 21:25.1 and the West Region title in 20:57.47. The USTFCCCA West Region Athlete of the Year earned All-American honors with a 23rd-place national meet finish (25:15.5). Chelimo is joined by junior Nancy Jeptoo, who was the West Region runner-up (21:08.65) and an All-American (38th, 23:27.4), and junior Ruth Cvancara, who finished 24th at the conference meet.

Simon Fraser returns five runners that placed in the top-40 at the conference meet. The Clan is led by junior Olivia Willett, who placed fourth at both the GNAC Championships (21:49.1) and the West Regional (21:18.31) before earning All-American honors with a 36th-place NCAA Championships finish.

Senior Chelsea Ribeiro finished 16th at the GNAC Championships (22:19.9) and just missed an all-region certificate with a 28th-place finish at the West Regional (21:59.97). Adding to Simon Fraser’s depth is sophomore Megan Roxby, who was 32nd at the GNAC meet last year, senior Claire Noort (35th, 23:11.1) and sophomore Emily Chilton (37th, 23:14.4).

Western Washington is picked fourth after placing fourth at the GNAC Championships and fifth at the West Regional Championships. The Vikings return a lineup that includes seven runners who placed in the top-40 at the conference meet. Senior Sophia Galvez just missed All-GNAC honors, placing 11th at the conference meet in 21:59.5. Junior Jane Barr earned All-West Region distinction with a 24th-place regionals finish (21:50.86) and was the Vikings’ top finisher at the national meet, placing 65th (24:01.5).

Bolstering Western Washington’s depth is sophomore Shawnee Konrad, who was 17th in the GNAC meet in 22:23.6, and seniors Tracy Melville (23rd, 22:41.4), Talia Dreicer (27th, 22:48.2) and Aundrea Koger (29th, 22:53.4).

Picked to repeat at fifth place, Central Washington also returns five runners that finished with top-50 conference meet finishes. Junior Nicole Soleim earned All-GNAC honors with a sixth-place finish (21:31.1) and All-West Region honors with a fifth-place finish (21:57.52). One of two CWU athletes to qualify for the national meet as individuals last year, Soleim placed 57th in 23:55.40.

Sophomore Molly Mattson finished 30th at the conference meet (22:58.1) while sophomore Madison Child placed 34th (23:08.1).

Northwest Nazarene is led by senior Bethany Danner, who finished 19th at the GNAC Championships (22:32.2) and accomplished a 48th-place finish at regionals (22:22.49). She is complemented by returning sophomore Kalen Johnson, who placed 26th at the GNAC meet (22:46.9), and junior Annalisa Hamilton, who finished 33rd (23:04.1).

Western Oregon will be led by senior Grace Knapp, who is up-and-coming after finishing 18th at the GNAC Championships last year (22:30.9) and 34th at the regional meet (22:10.97). Also back for the Wolves is sophomore Kaylin Cantu (42nd, 23:22.6) and senior Cassie McKinney (50th, 24:06.3).

Montana State Billings jumped from 11th place in 2017 to eighth in 2018. Senior Nikki Aiken led the way and is the Yellowjackets’ top returning runner after placing 31st last year (23:01.9). Also returning after good freshman seasons are sophomores Kailee Stoppel (54th, 24:20.2) and Sierra Durbin (78th, 26:07.6).

After an improved junior season for Alaska, senior Alex Bergholtz returns as the top runner for the Nanooks. Bergholtz finished 21st at the GNAC Championships in 22:35.1. Also among the Nanooks’ four returning conference meet placers is junior Anja Maijala, who placed 52nd in 24:06.8.

Concordia returns three runners who competed at the conference meet last year. The Cavaliers are led by senior Bailey Fjelstul, who finished 44th in 23:39.8. Saint Martin’s is led by sophomore Alyssa Robinson, who finished 79th at the GNAC Championships as a freshman (26:17.7).

MEN
After losing the championship to a talented Western Oregon team the year before, Alaska Anchorage reloaded to take back the conference title last year. The championship was the eighth in the last nine years for the Seawolves, who went on to place third at the NCAA West Regional Championships and eighth at the NCAA Championships. It was Alaska Anchorage’s eighth top-10 nationals finish over the last nine years.

The Seawolves benefited from the talent of Division I transfer Wesley Kirui, who earned the GNAC Athlete and Newcomer of the Year awards after he won the meet in 24:38. The junior-to-be went on to place fifth at the NCAA West Regional in 31.04.74 and earned All-American distinction by placing ninth at the NCAA Championships in 32:35.1.

Junior Felix Kemboi was the runner-up to Kirui at the GNAC Championships in a time of 24:38.6 and was the runner-up at the NCAA West Regional in 30:50.84. He went on to place 54th at the NCAA Championships. Also returning is junior Nickson Koech, who placed 11th at the GNAC meet (25:14.2) and earned All-West Region honors with a 23rd-place regional meet finish (31:43.37).

Simon Fraser placed second at the GNAC Championships for the third consecutive season, finishing just 11 points behind Alaska Anchorage. The Clan’s second-place West Region Championships finish was its third top-four finish in as many years and qualified SFU for the national meet for the third time in program history.

A pair of returning All-West Region runners will lead the Clan. Senior Carlos Vargas placed 17th at the regional meet (31:05.05) while placing 21st at the GNAC Championships (25:46.3). Junior Aaron Ahl was 21st at regionals (31:40.81) after finishing 15th at the GNAC meet (25:23.7).

Simon Fraser’s lineup features seven runners that ran at the GNAC Championships last year. Adding to the team’s depth is junior Chris Sobczak, who finished 18th at the GNAC meet (25:30.8) and 38th at regionals (32:06.06), and senior Thomas Gallagher, who finished 22nd at the GNAC meet (25:50.1).

Western Washington qualified as a team for the NCAA Championships for the 10th time in 2018 after finishing third at the GNAC Championships and fifth at the NCAA West Regional. The Vikings have finished no worse than fourth at the conference meet as a GNAC member and is predicted to continue that trend in 2019.

The Vikings are led by a pair of returning All-GNAC and All-West Region runners. Senior Jadon Olson finished ninth at the GNAC Championships in a time of 25:04.3 and went on to place 20th at the regional meet in 31:40.63. Junior Eric Hamel was one place behind at the conference meet, clocking 25:13.4, and placed 22nd at regionals in 31:42.83. Hamel was the Vikings’ top finisher at the national meet, placing 58th in 33:55.6.

The Western Washington lineup is complemented by two other top-20 GNAC Championships finishers in senior James Jasperson, who placed 12th at conference (25:22.6) and 36th at regionals (32:02.4), and junior Ed Kiolbasa, who placed 16th at the conference meet (25:25.8).

Western Oregon is picked fourth after finishing in that position last year. The Wolves showed well in the first conference meet run in Monmouth since 2014 and went on to place sixth at the NCAA West Regional, just missing out on a team invitation to the national meet.

Senior Justin Crosswhite, who placed 40th in last year’s GNAC Championships (26:19.4) and 75th at the regional meet (32:52.66), leads six Wolves’ returners. Sophomore Hunter Hutton is the top-returning GNAC Championships placer after finishing 35th in his freshman season (26:09.4) while sophomore Hunter Mosman placed 41st (26:23.7).

Central Washington placed a solid fifth at the GNAC Championships in 2018 and will lean on a junior-heavy lineup for a chance to move up in the standings. Trevor Allen leads the way after he placed 30th at the GNAC meet (25:56.4) and 66th at the regional meet (32:41.39). Henry Milodragovich was one place behind with his conference meet time of 26:00.2 while Rajesh Gill placed 49th in a time of 26:36.9.

Seattle Pacific has climbed four places at the GNAC Championships over the last three seasons and is predicted to move up one more spot in 2019. Of the six returning finishers from last year’s meet, three had top-40 finishes. Junior Elius Graff placed 24th in 25:51.5. Junior Colin Boutin was 29th in 25:56 and was the Falcons’ top regionals finisher with a 61st-place time of 32:25.88. Sophomore Colby Otero finished 32nd last year, clocking 26:03.

Northwest Nazarene, which finished sixth in last year’s conference meet, is led by junior Godfrey Kemboi. He earned All-GNAC honors by placing eighth in a time of 25:00.4 and went on to place 34th at the West Regional in 31:58.42 despite extensive delays in the Nighthawks’ flights to Billings. Kemboi is backed by sophomore returners Trey Conley (58th, 26:52.1) and Tyler Shea (63rd, 26:55.8).

Alaska is picked to finish ninth for the third consecutive year. Senior Lukash Platil leads the Nanooks after he finished 27th at last year’s GNAC Championships in 25:55.3. Also among the program’s four returning conference meet finishers is senior Jacob Walsh (66th, 27:09.9) and sophomore Zaphan Ozturgut (69th, 27:27.2).

Picked to repeat in 10th place, Concordia is led by senior Noah Murry, who placed 64th at the GNAC meet in a time of 26:59.3. Saint Martin’s, meanwhile, returns five placers from last year’s meet and is led by sophomore Andrew Oslin (56th, 26:45.6).