Both the Seawolf men and women  received  perfect rankings of 1.00 in the GNAC Coaches’ pre-season polls.

In the inaugural West Region poll, the two-time champion UAA  men are  ranked second in back of Chico State and the three-time defending Seawolf women are ranked No. 1.

UAA’s men return four athletes who earned all-conference honors last year by finishing in the Top 10 at the championship meet.

The Seawolves’ Micah Chelimo is the defending champion in both the conference meet and regional meet and will be attempting to become just the fifth athlete in GNAC history to earn all-conference honors four times. 

Chelimo (Sr., Kapkoi, Kenya – Tambach) placed 15^th in the national meet last fall to win All-America honors.

Also back off of last year’s men’s all-conference team are UAA’s Alfred Kangogo (Sr., Eldoret, Kenya), Dylan Anthony (So., Kodiak, AK) and Isaac Kangogo (So., Eldoret, Kenya).

They finished fourth, seventh and ninth, respectively a year ago.  Alfred Kangogo will also be going for his fourth all-conference award.

Two Western Washington athletes – Tyler Cannon (Sr., Kennewick, WA – Kamiakin) and Dak Riek (Jr., Everett, WA – Mariner) – are also returning all-conference performers. They finished fifth and 10^th last season.

The Vikings finished second in the pre-season poll, being ranked No. 2 on every opposing coach’s ballot.

Four women who earned all-conference honors return, including UAA’s Miriam Kipng’eno (Sr., Eldoret, Kenya), who will be seeking her fourth straight all-conference award, and Ivy O’Guinn (Jr., Soldotna, AK – Skyview).  They finished third and fourth, respectively, in the conference meet.

Also back off of last year’s all-conference team are Lindsey Butterworth (Jr., North Vancouver, BC – Handsworth) of Simon Fraser and Whitney Mickelsen (Sr., Aurora, UT); of Montana State Billings, who placed fifth and 10^th.

UAA also returns Susan Bick (Jr., Anchorage, AK – Bartlett) and Bryn Haebe (So., Evergreen, CO) who placed 11^th and 13^th, respectively, just missing all-conference accolades.

The Seawolves’ toughest challengers this fall will likely be from Western Washington and Simon Fraser, who tied for second in the coaches’ poll with an average ranking of 2.63.

Among SFU’s returning athletes is Helen Crofts (Sr., West Vancouver, BC) who finished 10^th in the 2010 NAIA national meet before sitting out last season to train for the Olympics.

Western Washington’s top returnee is Katelyn Steen (So., Sammamish, WA – Eastlake), who finished 17^th in last year’s conference meet as a freshman.

GNAC teams dominated the first regional poll placing five men’s teams and five women’s teams in the Top 10.

Joining UAA (2^nd) in the men’s regional poll were Western Washington (3^rd), Western Oregon (4^th), Seattle Pacific (8^th) and Northwest Nazarene (10^th).

The women’s Top 10 in addition to the top-ranked Seawolves includes Simon Fraser (3^rd), Western Washington (5^th), Seattle Pacific (6^th) and Alaska Fairbanks (8^th).

Five men’s teams and five women’s teams from the West Regional will advance this year to the national meet in Joplin, Mo. 

The national field has been expanded from 24 teams to 32   with each of the eight regions receiving three automatic berths. 

The West receives five as it placed two teams among the Top 8 in both the men’s and women’s races last fall.

2012 GNAC CROSS COUNTRY SCHEDULE

August

30 – Alaska Nanooks Interior Long Course, 5:30 p.m. (Alaska Fairbanks, Seattle Pacific).

September

1 – Alaska Nanooks Interior Short Course, 10 a.m. (Alaska Fairbanks, Seattle Pacific); Puget Sound Invitational, 10 a.m. (Saint Martin’s); Hawaii Pacific Invitational, 9 a.m. (Alaska Anchorage); Pier Park Invitational (Western Oregon).

7 - Central Washington Invitational at West Ellensburg Park (Central Washington, Western Washington).

8 – Roger Curran Invitational at West Park, 12:45 p.m. (Northwest Nazarene); Alaska Nanooks Ester Dome, 11 a.m. (Alaska Fairbanks); Carroll College Invitational, 10 a.m. (MSU Billings); Hawaii Big Wave Invitational (Alaska Anchorage).

15 – UW Sundodger Invitational at Lincoln Park, 9 a.m. (Alaska Fairbanks, Central Washington, Saint Martin’s, Seattle Pacific, Simon Fraser, Western Oregon, Western Washington); UC Riverside Invitational at Farm Course, 9 a.m.; Montana State Invitational, 9 a.m. (MSU Billings).

22 – Saint Martin’s Invitational, 10 a.m. (Alaska Fairbanks, Central Washington, Saint Martin’s, Seattle Pacific, Western Washington); SCC Erik Anderson Invitational, 10 a.m. (Central Washington, MSU Billings); Sonoma State Invitational, 9 a.m. (Simon Fraser, Western Oregon).

29 – Willamette Charles Bowles at Bush’s Pasture Park, 9:30 p.m. (Alaska Fairbanks, Central Washington, Northwest Nazarene, Seattle Pacific); Colorado Rocky Mountain Shootout, 9 a.m. (MSU Billings); Pacific Lutheran Invitational (Central Washington).

October

6 – Western Washington Invitational at East Lake Padden, 10:30 a.m. (Alaska Anchorage, Alaska Fairbanks, Central Washington, Saint Martin’s, Simon Fraser, Western Washington); College of Idaho Invitational, 5 p.m. (Northwest Nazarene); WOU Ash Creek Open (Western Oregon).

12 – Oregon City Mike Hodges Invitational, 3:30 p.m. (Western Oregon).

13 – Emerald City Invitational at Woodland Park (Alaska Fairbanks, Seattle Pacific); MSU Billings Yellowjacket Shootout\, 10 a.m. (MSU Billings).

20 – GNAC at WOU Campus Course, 10 a.m.

November

3 – NCAA Division II West Regional at Kahuku, Hawaii.

17 – NCAA Divisional II Nationals at Joplin, Mo.