Tuesday, November 22, 2016

PORTLAND, Ore. – Another successful cross country season has yielded another lengthy list of All-West Region and All-American performers on lists recently released by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

All-American and All-West Region awards are based on individual finishes at the regional and national meets. The top-40 finishers at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, held Nov. 19 in Saint Leo, Fla. In addition, a total of 14 runners received All-West Region accolades. Those awards were based on top-30 individual finishes at the NCAA West Region Championships, held in Billings, Mont., on Nov. 5.

Four Alaska Anchorage runners received both All-American and All-West Region honors. Caroline Kurgat leads the list with her second place finish at the regional meet and third place finish at nationals. Kurgat was also the 2016 GNAC individual champion. Joyce Chelimo was named an All-American for the third time, placing 10th at the national meet. Michel Ramirez and Edwin Kangogo succeeded in the double on the men’s side. Ramirez placed 13th at nationals while Kangogo, the GNAC champion, placed 34th.

Simon Fraser’s Rebecca Bassett repeated as both an All-West Region and All-American performer, placing 23rd. Her teammate, Julia Howley, earned her first All-American honor with a 29th place. The two are joined by Shannon Porter of Saint Martin’s, who earned All-Region and All-American distinction in her lone collegiate cross country season.

The GNAC’s other men’s All-West Region selections includes Alaska Anchorage’s Henry Cheseto and Victor Samoei, Northwest Nazarene’s Isaac Mitchell, Western Oregon’s David Ribich and Western Washington’s Isaac Derline and Andrew Wise. The women’s All-West Region list includes Northwest Nazarene’s Anysja Manzer, Simon Fraser’s Miryam Bassett and Western Washington’s Lilliana Stelling.