Wednesday, September 11, 2019

A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: It has been five years since a Montana State Billings female athlete won a race, but senior Nikki Aiken put an end to that streak on Saturday.

Aiken opened the season with a win at the South Dakota Mines Hardrocker Classic, covering the 5,000-meter course in a time of 21:25.40. She was five seconds faster than the second-place runner, Madison Watson of Chadron State. The victory earned Aiken selection as the GNAC Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week.

In winning the race, Aiken became the first Yellowjackets’ women’s winner since Nocona Frame won the Black Hills State Early Bird meet on Oct. 18, 2014. Aiken is just the third MSUB women’s athlete to win a race in the school’s GNAC era.

KEMBOI CRUISES: Northwest Nazarene’s Godfrey Kemboi opned his senior season strong, leading the Nighthawks at the College of Southern Idaho Invitational.

Kemboi was named the GNAC Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week for his sixth-place finish, covering the 7,000-meter course in a time of 22:25.18. He was the top non-Division I athlete to cross the line. Kemboi was pushed, however, by teammate Tyler Shea who clocked 22:26.79 to place seventh.

WINNER’S CIRCLE: The following GNAC athletes have picked up cross country victories during the 2019 season...

MEN
Wesley Kirui, UAA (Blue & Gold Run Fest, Aug. 31, 21:59.68, 7,000m).

WOMEN
Nikki Aiken, MSUB (SD Mines Hardrocker Classic, Sept. 7, 21:25.40, 5,000m)
Emmah Chelimo, UAA (Blue & Gold Run Fest, Aug. 31, 18:33.12, 5,000m)

TOP-10 LIST: The GNAC opened the season with three of its women’s teams ranked in the top-10 of the USTFCCCA Division II Coaches Preseason Poll. Defending GNAC and West Region champion Alaska Anchorage leads the way with a No. 7 ranking. Simon Fraser is ranked No. 8 while Seattle Pacific opens at No. 9. The GNAC is one of two conferences with three teams in the preseason women’s poll (the RMAC is the other). Western Washington joins the trio in the top-25, opening the season at No. 17.

MEN’S RANKINGS: Simon Fraser leads three GNAC men’s teams to earn rankings in the USTFCCCA Division II Coaches Preseason Poll. The Clan opens the season at No. 13. Alaska Anchorage is ranked No. 17 while Western Washington opens the year at No. 24.

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE: For the first time, the GNAC Championships will head east of the Rocky Mountains to Billings, Montana. The conference meet will be held on Saturday, Oct. 26, at Amend Park and is hosted by Montana State Billings. The course is familiar to GNAC teams, though, having hosted the NCAA West Regional Championships in 2014, 2016 and 2018. Western Oregon’s Ash Creek Preserve, which hosted last year’s GNAC Championships, will be the site of the NCAA West Regional Championships on Saturday, Nov. 9.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MEN
Godfrey Kemboi, Northwest Nazarene
Senior • Iten, Kenya

Kemboi opened the season by placing sixth at the CSI Classic on Friday, covering the 7,000 meters in a time of 22:15.18. He averaged 5:09 per mile. The top non-Division I athlete in the race, Kemboi was just 10 seconds behind winner Tyson Green of Weber State.

Also Nominated: Josh Scheetz (Concordia), Ase Ackerman (Montana State Billings), Bryce Mefford (Western Oregon).

WOMEN
Nikki Aiken, Montana State Billings
Senior • Belgrade, Mont.

Aiken picked up her first career win and the first for an MSUB female athlete since 2014 at the South Dakota Mines Hardrocker Classic. She finished in a time of 21:25.40 over a hilly 5,000-meter course and led the Yellowjackets to a third-place finish.

Also Nominated: Gabby Hobson (Concordia), Bethany Danner (Northwest Nazarene), Caylin Cantu (Western Oregon).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• One of two GNAC to compete in back-to-back weeks to open the season, Alaska succeeded in a fourth-place women’s finish and an eighth-place men’s finish at the Ash Creek Invitational.

• The Nanooks’ women were the top placer out of three competing GNAC teams, scoring 131 points. Senior Alex Bergholtz was the No. 2 finishing runner from the GNAC, placing 12th in a time of 15:43.9 over 4,000 meters.

• Sophomore Anja Maijala and freshman Noelle Resignolo also scored top-20 finishes. Maijala finished 18th in a time of 16:18.8 while Resignolo was 19th in a time of 16:19.3.

• The UAF men also placed first among GNAC teams in the meet with a score of 202 points. Freshman Mike Ophoff led all conference runners in the race, placing 22nd in a time of 19:39.8 over 6,000 meters.

• Junior Logan Mowry placed 34th in a time of 19:49.8 while sophomore Zephan Ozturgut finished 41st in a time of 20:01.8.

• Alaska will sit out the weekend of competition before returning to Monmouth for the Sundowner Invitational on Fri., Sept. 20.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• The Seawolves opened the season with a pair of team victories in a dual with Alaska on Saturday at the Blue & Gold Run Fest in Fairbanks on Aug. 31. Alaska Anchorage does not compete again until the Division II Pre-Nationals Meet in Sacramento on Sat., Sept. 21.

• Senior Emmah Chelimo won her fifth race in a UAA uniform as she covered the 5,000-meter course in a time of 18:33.12. The victory earned Chelimo selection as the GNAC Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week on Sept. 3.

• Junior Nancy Jeptoo was right with Chelimo, placing second in a time of 18:33.89. Senior Yvonne Jeschke placed third in a time of 19:36.

• Junior Wesley Kirui was the winner in the men’s 7,000-meter race, finishing in a time of 21:59.68. It was the fourth individual win in a UAA singlet for Kirui, who was named the GNAC Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week on Sept. 3.

• Junior Felix Kemboi placed second for the Seawolves in a time of 22:11.15 while Nickson Koech placed third in a time of 22:57.16.

• The Alaska Anchorage women lead three GNAC teams in the top-10 of the USTFCCCA Division II Preseason Coaches Poll, entering the season at No. 7. The UAA men enter the season ranked No. 17.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington will not open its season until Saturday, Sept. 14, when it hosts the CWU Invitational and Apple Ridge Run in Yakima, Washington.

• The Wildcats’ women enter the season ranked No. 7 in the USTFCCCA West Region rankings.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia opened the 2019 season in Monmouth last Friday at the Ash Creek Invitational. The Cavaliers’ men placed 10th with a score of 238 points while the women placed 11th with a score of 230 points.

• Freshman Josh Scheetz was the top finisher for the Cavaliers in either race, finishing 25th on the men’s 6,000-meter course in a time of 19:33.2. Freshman Ethan Tucey was the No. 2 finisher, placing 39th in a time of 19:58.2.

• Senior Gabrielle Hobson was the top women’s placer, coming in 32nd with a time of 16:36.9 over 4,000 meters. Freshman Cheyenne Abbott was 43rd in 17:01.2 while freshman Abby Burton was 44th in 17:02.5.

• Concordia will be off this coming weekend and will return to Monmouth on Fri., Sept. 20, to compete in the Sundowner Invitational.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Senior Nikki Aiken picked up her first collegiate race victory and the men’s team placed second as Montana State Billings opened the season on Saturday at the South Dakota Mines Hardrocker Classic.

• Aiken was named the GNAC Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week for her victory, which was the first for an MSUB women’s cross country runner since 2014. She covered the 5,000-meter course in 21:45.40, finishing five seconds ahead of second-place Madison Watson of Chadron State.

• The Yellowjackets’ men scored 57 points en-route to their second-place team finish. Sophomore Ase Ackerman led the way as he placed 13th in a time of 29:21.68 over 8,000 meters. Sophomore Logan Straus was five seconds behind, placing 14th in a time of 26:26.34.

• Montana State Billings will compete close to home on Friday, competing in the Frontier Preview at Amend Park, the site of the GNAC Cross Country Championships. The meet is being hosted by neighboring Rocky Mountain College.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• A pair of top-10 individual finishes in the men’s race led Northwest Nazarene in its season-opening race, the College of Southern Idaho Classic in Twin Falls on Friday.

• Senior Godfrey Kemboi was named the GNAC Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week for his sixth-place finish. The top-placing non-Division I finisher, Kemboi covered the 7,000-meter course in a time of 22:25.18.

• Sophomore Tyler Shea followed right behind Kemboi, placing seventh in a time of 22:26.79.

• Senior Bethany Danner was the top NNU women’s finisher. She covered the 5,000-meter course in a time of 19:39.17, placing 19th. Junior Annalisa Hamilton finished 20th in a time of 19:42.25.

• Both the Nighthawks’ men and women placed third in the team competitions. The men finished with a score of 66 points while the women finished with 96 points.

• Northwest Nazarene travels to La Grande, Oregon on Friday to compete in the Eastern Oregon Invitational.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s will open its season on Sat., Sept. 14, when it competes at the CWU Invitational & Apple Ridge Run in Yakima, Washington.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific will open its season on Sat., Sept. 21, competing at the PLU Invitational in Tacoma, Washington.

• The SPU women are one of three GNAC teams in the top-10 of the USTFCCCA Division II Coaches Preseason Poll, opening the season ranked No. 9.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser will open the 2019 season on Sat., Sept. 14,with runners competing in two meets. The Clan will travel to both Riverside, California for the UC Riverside Invitational, and to Ellensburg for the CWU Invitational/Apple Ridge Run..

• The Simon Fraser women are one of three teams ranked in the top-10 of the USTFCCCA Division II Preseason Poll, opening the year at No. 8.

• The Clan is the highest ranked GNAC men’s team in the USTFCCCA Preseason Coaches Poll, opening at No. 13.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon’s second-place finish in the women’s team competition proved the highlight in the first of three home meets this season, the Ash Creek Invitational.

• The Wolves’ women scored 90 points to finish 27 points ahead of Willamette. Oregon won with a near-perfect score of 16 points. Sophomore Kaylin Cantu led the way, placing 10th with a time of 16:00.1 over the 4,000-meter course.

• Senior Cassie McKinney also had a top-20 finish, placing 15th in a time of 16:18.0. Freshman Jillian Green just missed the top-20, placing 22nd in a time of 16:18.

• Western Oregon’s men placed 11th with a score of 253 points. Freshman Bryce Mefford led the Wolves as he placed 27th in a time of 19:39.8 over 6,000 meters. Junior Curt Knott was 28th in a time of 19:41.4.

• Western Oregon is off the course this weekend before returning to Ash Creek on Fri., Sept. 20, hosting the Sundowner Invitational.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington will open the season on Saturday, Sept. 14, competing at the CWU Invitational & Apple Ridge Run in Ellensburg, Washington.

• Both the Western Washington men and women earned rankings in the USTFCCCA Division II Preseason Polls. The Vikings’ women are ranked No. 17 while the men are ranked No. 24.