Thursday, September 24, 2015

VIKINGS’ VENGEANCE: It was a banner day for Western Washington at the Sundodger Invitational. The Vikings’ women were the winners of the meet’s 6,000-meter open race, featuring all non-Division I competitors. The team scored a total of 103 points behind a fifth place individual finish by Taylor Guenther (21:34.29). The WWU men placed third in the men’s open race, tallying 108 points. Isaac Derline finished fifth in his first race of the season with a time of 24:21.71 over 8,000 meters.

PATTI, PETERSON WINNERS: The GNAC’s two meets last weekend yielded two individual winners, both of whom had yet to lose this season. Seattle Pacific’s Anna Patti won the women’s open race at the Sundodger Invitational. Her time of 21:11.82 was eight seconds better than Trinity Western’s Mirelle Martens. The victory was the third this season for Patti, who won both races at the Moda Health Alaska Invitational over Labor Day weekend. The Sundodger performance earned Patti her second GNAC Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Week award.

Montana State Billings’ Robert Peterson picked up his third victory of the season in the non-Division I race at Saturday’s Montana State Invitational. Peterson covered the five-mile course in 25:43.25, which was a 15-second improvement over his winning 8,000-meter time at the Alaska Invitational. Had he been entered in the Division I race, Peterson would have won by 22 seconds.

IN THE RANKINGS: Alaska Anchorage continued to lead GNAC teams in this week’s USTFCCCA Division II Coaches Poll despite not competing. The Seawolf men remained No. 7 in the men’s poll while the women climbed one spot to No. 8. Simon Fraser jumped seven spots in the men’s poll to No. 14 while Western Washington climbed one spot to No. 18. Seattle Pacific appeared on the national poll for the first time this season at No. 18 while Simon Fraser dropped out. Western Washington’s women appear in the poll for the first time this season at No. 10.

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. All GNAC teams automatically qualify for the regional meet. The top four men’s teams and the top five women’s team in the regional meet qualifiy for the NCAA Division II Championships, which take place on Sat., Nov. 21, in Joplin, Mo.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC CROSS COUNTRY RUNNERS OF THE WEEK
MEN
Oliver Jorgensen, Simon Fraser
Junior • Abbotsford, B.C.

Jorgensen finished second at the Sundodger Invitational, covering the 8,000-meter course in 24:12.15 in a race that saw the top three finishers cross the line within three seconds of each other. He led Simon Fraser to a second place team finish. Also Nominated: Isaac Derline (Western Washington), Isaac Mitchell (Northwest Nazarene), Jasper Heckman (Saint Martin’s), Robert Peterson (Montana State Billings).

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

Patti won her third race of the season, taking top honors at the Sundodger Invitational with a time of 21:11.82 for 6,000 meters. She was the first GNAC individual winner at the Sundodger since 2010. She had an eight-second lead over the second place runner and averaged 5:41 per mile. Also Nominated: Taylor Guenther (Western Washington), Larissa Kolasinski (Saint Martin’s), Sierra Manzer (Northwest Nazarene).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska is in the midst of a two-weekend break from competition after hosting two races at their own Moda Health Alaska Invitational on Sept. 3 & 5. The Nanooks will next compete at the Stanford Invitational on Saturday.

• The Alaska men won the shorter 5,000-meter race at the Alaska Invitational to open the season, led by a second place finish by sophomore Alexander Eckert (16:11.7).

• The Nanook women placed second in both the 6,000-meter race and the 5,000-meter race at their Alaska Invitational. Junior Dorothy O’Donnell was the top finisher for Alaska in both races with a pair of third place finishes (23:36.7 for 6,000 meters, 19:10.7 for 5,000 meters).

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage is in the midst of a three-week break from competition. The Seawolves will compete only one more time before the GNAC Championships, at the Western Washington Invitational on Sat., Oct. 10.

• Despite not competing, the Alaska Anchorage women moved up one spot in the latest USTFCCCA Division II Coaches Poll to No. 8. They have moved up one spot each week in the poll. The Seawolf men remained at No. 7.

• The Alaska Anchorage men started the season with perfect scores in both of their Hawaii meets, the Big Wave Invitational on Sept. 5 and the Hawaii Pacific Invitational on Sept. 12.

• Sophomore Henry Cheseto, the defending GNAC and West Region champion, was named the Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week for Sept. 7 - 13 after winning the Hawaii Pacific Invitational in 25:58.6.

• Sophomore Caroline Kurgat has won both women’s races that the Seawolves have competed in. Kurgat won the Big Wave Invitiational in 17:46.87 and the Hawaii Pacific Invitational in 18:15.9 (both 5,000 meters).

• Junior Joyce Chelimo has hardly missed a step after redshirting in 2014. Chelimo placed second in both the the Big Wave Invitational and the Hawaii Pacific Invitational with times of 17:49.83 and 18:18.0. A 2013 NCAA Division II All-American in 2013 (as Joyce Kipchumba), her time at the Big Wave Invitational is only seven seconds off her 5,000-meter best of 17:42.67, run Oct. 5, 2013 at the Charles Bowles Willamette Invitational.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• The Central Washington women showed that they will compete well against the other top programs in the GNAC. The Wildcats placed seventh at the Sundodger Invitational. They were the third top-placing team from the GNAC behind Western Washington (1st) and Seattle Pacific (4th).

• Senior Dani Eggleston provided CWU a top-20 placer with her 19th place finish in 22:07.93. Eggleston was the No. 6 placer from the GNAC in the meet.

• Despite the solid team performance, the CWU women dropped out of the USTFCCCA Division II Coaches Poll, but remained among teams receiving votes. The Wildcats also dropped from No. 5 to No. 10 in the USTFCCCA West Region Rankings.

• On the men’s side, a young Wildcats’ squad gained solid experience against some of the top West Region teams with their 20th place finish. Of the 12 runners to compete for the Wildcats, only one was an upperclassmen.

• Freshman Jonathan Lafferty was CWU’s top-placing runner, finishing in 88th place in a time of 26:24.91. It was his first collegiate race at 8,000 meters.

• Central Washington will gain even more experience in a talented field as one of three GNAC teams traveling to the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif., on Saturday.

CONCORDIA
• The women led the way for Concordia at the Sundodger Invitational, placing 12th out of 22 teams. The Concordia men gained solid experience in their third meet of the season with a 17th place finish.

• Junior transfer Megan Fristoe was the fifth GNAC runner to cross the line in the women’s open race, placing 16th in a time of 21:59.68. Fristoe has finished in the top-20 in all three meets this season.

• Freshman Nicole Pederson came in 38th with a time of 22:33.68 while sophomore Sara Fristoe finished 42nd with a time of 22:40.53.

• Junior Jared Seckel was Concordia’s top men’s runner at the Sundodger Invitational, placing 84th while covering the 8,000-meter course in 26:21.65.

• Concordia will take the upcoming weekend off from competition. The Cavaliers compete next on Sat., Oct. 3, at the Willamette Charles Bowles Invitational.

• Concordia is in the second year of a three-year transition process to NCAA Division II membership. This is their first year competing in 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 stayed close to home for their second meet of the season, competing in the Montana State/Bozeman Running Company Invitational.

• While the Yellowjackets competed in the meet’s non-Division I races, a single set of team scores were compiled from both the Division I and non-Division I races. Montana State Billings finished sixth in the men’s competition and seventh in the women’s competition.

• Senior Robert Peterson won his third race of the season, covering the five-mile distance in 25:43.25. The performance was a 14-second improvement over his time in the same race last year.

• Three other Yellowjackets’ men’s runners placed in the top-10. Junior Garrett Love placed fifth in 26:49.45. Senior Matt Winter was seventh in 27:01.86 and sophomore Liam McKay placed 10th in 27:32.33.

• Senior Brielle Davis was the top Montana State Billings’ women’s runner, finishing 10th while covering the three-mile course in 19:20.16. Senior Taylor Condon finished 16th in 19:41.25.

• Robert Peterson was the week one GNAC Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week after winning both men’s races at the Moda Health Alaska Invitational. He won the 8,000-meter race in a time of 26:18.3 and the 5,000-meter race in a time of 15:44.6.

• Montana State Billings will not cross paths with another GNAC cross country team until the GNAC Championships on Oct. 24. The Yellowjackets will compete on Saturday at the Roy Griak Invitational in St. Paul, Minn.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene competed in the same meet as their GNAC brethren for the only time before the conference championships. The Crusaders’ men placed 10th in the men’s open race and were the No. 4 team from the GNAC. The NNU women placed 14th.

• Sophomore Isaac Mitchell finished 12th in his first race on the Seattle course, covering the 8,000 meters in 24:48.25. He was the fourth GNAC runner to cross the finish line.

• Freshman Sierra Manser placed 27th in her first collegiate 6,000-meter race, clocking in at 22:21.16. She was the eighth GNAC athlete to finish the women’s open race.

• The Sundodger was the only time that Northwest Nazarene will see another GNAC team prior to the GNAC Championships. The Crusaders will take the next two weekends off from competition and will race again at the San Francisco State Invitational on Sat., Oct. 9.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s gained solid experience at the Sundodger Invitational.  The Saints’ men placed 22nd while the women placed 17th.

• Freshman Larissa Kolasinski had another solid performance in just her second collegiate competition, placing 37th in the women’s 6,000-meter open race in 22:33.29. The finish is 37 seconds better than her winning time of 23:10 at the Sept. 5. Puget Sound Invitational.

• Junior Jasper Heckman was the top placer for the Saint Martin’s men, finishing in 60th place in time of 25:54.62. The performance was a season best by 1:59.

• Saint Martin’s will host their own SMU Open on Saturday, which will be held on the university’s Lacey, Wash., campus.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• The Seattle Pacific women was one of the top teams for the GNAC at the Sundodger Invitational, placing fourth out of 22 teams in the women’s open race. Western Washington was the only GNAC team to beat the Falcons.

• Senior Anna Patti won her third consective race, covering the 6,000-meter course in a time of 21:11.82. She equaled her time from the Moda Health Alaska Invitational and is nearly a two-minute improvement over last year’s meet. The performance gave Patti her second GNAC Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Week award of the season.

• Junior Sarah Macdonald backed Patti with a 34th place finish in 22:31.13 while sophomore Chynna Phan opened her season with a 41st place finish in a time of 22:38.65.

• Thanks to their Sundodger performance, the Seattle Pacific women earned the No. 18 ranking in this week’s USTFCCCA Division II Coaches Poll and moved up to fifth in the West Region poll. The Falcons had not been ranked this season  and have steadily moved up from ninth in the regional poll.

• The Seattle Pacific men placed 19th at Sundodger. Sophomore Ben Halladay was the Falcons’ top runner, placing 76th in a time of 26:12.25. The performance is a 17-second improvement over last year.

• The Falcons will take this weekend off from competition and will return to racing on Sat., Oct. 3, at the Willamette Charles Bowles Invitational.

SIMON FRASER
• The Clan had a team place second at the Sundodger Invitational, but not the one you might think. Simon Fraser was runner-up in the men’s open race with a score of 95 points.

• Junior Oliver Jorgensen was named GNAC Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week after placing second in a close race with a time of 24:12.15. Jorgensen shaved 27 seconds and one place off of his performance at Sundodger last year.

• Senior Marc-Antoine Rouleau added a 15th place finish with his time of 24:51.79, marking a 32-second improvement over his time on the same course last year.

• Junior Rebecca Bassett led the Simon Fraser women with a third place finish in the women’s open race, covering the 6,000 meters in 21:21.26. She led the Clan to an eighth place team finish. Bassett was last week’s GNAC Women’s Runner of the Week after she won the Sept. 11 Ash Creek Invitational.

• The Clan men used their Sundodger performance to climb seven spots to No. 14 in the USTFCCCA Division II Coaches Poll and two spots to No. 4 in the West Region rankings.

• The Simon Fraser women dropped out of the USTFCCCA Division II Coaches Poll and the West Region rankings. The Clan had entered the week ranked No. 10 in the national poll and third in the West Region rankings.

• Simon Fraser will be one of three GNAC teams competing at the Stanford Invitational on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon’s men put together a good performance at the Sundodger Invitational, placing eighth in the men’s 8,000-meter open race. The Wolves were the No. 3 team from the GNAC to finish.

• Sophomore David Ribich dropped just over a minute from his time at this meet last year, placing 10th in a time of 24:38.21. Ribich was the No. 3 GNAC individual finisher.

• Senior Zach Holloway gave WOU a second top-30 finish, placing 28th in a time of 25:15.14.

• Junior Nicole Maurmann led a 16th place finish for the WOU women, placing 59th in a time of 22:59.64. Senior Stephanie Stuckey placed 80th in 23:15.16.

• The WOU men dropped off the USTFCCCA West Region rankings this week after emerging at No. 10 last week.

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

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• The Sundodger Invitational could not have gone much better for Western Washington. The Vikings won the women’s open race with a score of 103 points, eight points ahead of second place Cal Baptist. The WWU men placed third with a total of 108 points, 13 points behind Simon Fraser.

• Senior Taylor Guenther finished fifth for the WWU women, covering the 6,000-meter course in a time of 21:34.29. Junior Brittany Grant was two places behind in seventh with a time of 21:37.95.

• Western Washington placed all five of their scoring women’s runners in the top-40. Freshman Tracy Melville was 24th in 22:18.17, Alexandra Laiblin was 33rd in 22:29.74 and Sara Taferre was 40th in 22:36.76.

•Sophomore Isaac Derline was the top placer for the Vikings’ men, coming across in fifth place in 24:21.71. Junior Matthew Lutz added a 17th place finish in 24:53.00 and sophomore Andrew Wise was 18th in 24:53.63.

• The Western Washington men moved up one spot in this week’s USTFCCCA Division II Coaches Poll to No. 18 and remained at No. 5 in the West Region rankings. The Vikings’ women emerged at No. 10 in the national poll and three spots to No. 3 in the West Region rankings.

• Western Washington will host the GNAC Championships on Sat., Oct. 24, at Bellingham’s Lake Padden Park. It is the second time that WWU has hosted the GNAC meet. The first was in 2005.