Saturday, October 24, 2015

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The one-year break from the top of the podium for Alaska Anchorage proved to be just a blip on the radar.

Behind an impressive return to the championship meet by junior Joyce Chelimo, the Seawolves claimed their sixth title in the last seven years as they won the 2015 GNAC Women’s Cross Country Championships, held at Lake Padden Park.

Alaska Anchorage placed their top-three runners in the top-10 and their entire scoring five in the top-15 to claim the title with a score of 39 points. Meet host Western Washington was a distant second with 71 points and Central Washington placed third with 95 points.

Chelimo, who redshirted last year, cruised to her first GNAC individual title as she cruised to a season-best time of 21:00.90. It was a second All-GNAC performance for Chelimo, who placed fourth at the 2013 championships as Joyce Kipchumba. Her time was a 19-second improvement over her second place time of 21:19 on the same course two weeks earlier at the Western Washington Invitational.

“I feel so much stronger this time than I did two years ago when I first ran, “Chelimo said. “I have good teammates and good coaching, so today was all good. Last time I ran here I ran my fast time. I did a lot good last time, but what I didn’t do good I had to change, which was to start out slow and then go out fast at the end of the race.”

The strategy worked Chelimo and her teammate, runner-up Caroline Kurgat, who allowed Simon Fraser’s Rebecca Bassett to set the pace over the first 2,000 meters. By the time the leaders returned from the west end of the lake loop, it was Chelimo firmly in the lead with Kurgat a close second.

Kurgat finished second in a time of 21:07.80. Bassett finished third in a time of 21:29.10 while Seattle Pacific’s Anna Patti, who was also part of the early lead pack, placed fourth in 21:42.50.

In the end, the collective speed of the Seawolves’ top-five made them easy winners in the team competition. All five placed in the top-15 with a gap of 1:32. Western Washington also group well to secure their second place team finish. The Vikings placed three runners in the top-10 with their next three finishing sequentially in 23rd, 24th and 25th place. The gap between the No. 1 and No. 5 runners was just 56 seconds. Taylor Guenther (sixth), Brittany Grant (eighth) and Tracy Melville (10th) were All-GNAC performers.

By virtue of her first place finish, Chelimo was named the GNAC Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year. Her Seawolves’ teammate, Kimberly Cosica, was named Freshman of the Year after she finished ninth in a time of 22:16.90. Karen Horvath of Saint Martin’s was the Newcomer of the Year, placing 16th in 22:42.40.

All 11 GNAC teams will join teams from the PacWest Conference and the California Collegiate Athletic Association in two weeks for the NCAA West Regional Championships. The meet will take place on Sat., Nov. 7, at the Ash Creek Preserve adjacent to the Western Oregon University campus in Monmouth, Ore.

2015 GNAC WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Lake Padden Park, Bellingham, Wash.
Team Scores: Alaska Anchorage 39, Western Washington 71, Central Washington 95, Simon Fraser 112, Seattle Pacific 114, Western Oregon 183, Northwest Nazarene 205, Concordia 216, Saint Martin’s 217, Alaska 267, Montana State Billings 298.

Top 10 Finishers (All-GNAC Team): 1, Joyce Chelimo, UAA, 21:00.90. 2, Caroline Kurgat, UAA, 21:07.80. 3, Rebecca Bassett, SFU, 21:29.10. 4, Anna Patti, SPU, 21:42.50. 5, Dani Eggelston, CWU, 21:58.60. 6, Taylor Guenther, WWU, 22:01.50. 7, Megan Rogers, CWU, 22:06.40. 8, Brittany Grant, WWU, 22:10.90. 9, Kimberly Cosica, UAA, 22:16.30. 10, Tracy Melville, WWU, 22:24.90.

Athlete of the Year: Joyce Chelimo, Alaska Anchorage
Newcomer of the Year: Karen Horvath, Saint Martin’s
Freshman of the Year: Kimberly Cosica, Alaska Anchorage