Thursday, September 8, 2016

SEAWOLF PERFECTION: For the third time in the last two seasons, Alaska Anchorage’s men’s program finished a meet with a perfect 15-point score. The Seawolves scored 15 at the Notre Dame de Namur Argo Invitational on Saturday, placing just 25 seconds between their top-five runners and 55 seconds between their top seven. Junior Edwin Kangogo won the 6.75-kilometer race in a time of 21:19.9, the second individual race win of his collegiate career.

PLENTY OF GNAC WINNERS: Kangogo was one of five GNAC athletes to win races on the opening weekend of the season. His Alaska Anchorage teammate, Caroline Kurgat, won the Argo Invitational women’s 5-kilometer race in 18:52.9 for her third collegiate victory.

Three others picked up their first collegiate race victories. Western Oregon’s David Ribich won the men’s 6,000-meter race at the John Frank Oregon State Invitational in a time of 16:21.6. Saint Martin’s Shannon Porter won the first collegiate cross country meet as she took the Logger Invitational in a time of 20:35.17. She is the second straight SMU runner to win the meet after Larissa Kolasinski won the 2015 edition. At the Idaho State Invitational, Northwest Nazarene’s Sierra Manzer collected the win against Division I competition in the women’s 3,000-meter race with a time of 10:45.19.

IN THE RANKINGS: The GNAC was well represented in the USTFCCCA Division II Preseason Coaches Poll. In the men’s rankings, Alaska Anchorage opened the season at No. 4. The Seawolves were joined by Simon Fraser at No. 12 and Western Washington at No. 22. In the men’s West Region rankings, Alaska Anchorage is ranked No. 1, followed by Simon Fraser at No. 4 and Western Washington at No. 5.

The Seawolves also led the way in the women’s national preseason rankings, opening the year at No. 6. They were followed by Western Washington at No. 9, Simon Fraser at No. 20 and Seattle Pacific at No. 23. Alaska Anchorage is No. 2 in the women’s West Region rankings, followed by Western Washington at No. 3, Simon Fraser at No. 5 and Seattle Pacific at No. 6.

The first regular season regional rankings will come out on Tues., Sept. 13, with the national poll following on Sept. 14.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MEN
David Ribich, Western Oregon
Junior • Enterprise, Ore.

Against Division I competition, Ribich opened the season with a victory at Friday’s John Frank Oregon State Invitational. He covered the 6-kilometer course in 18:21.6 (4:56 per mile pace). Ribich won by 11 seconds over Logan Orndorf of Portland.

Also Nominated: Edwin Kangogo (Alaska Anchorage), Skyler Larson (Saint Martin’s), Judd Lewis (Concordia), Godfrey Kemboi (Northwest Nazarene).

WOMEN
Shannon Porter, Saint Martin’s
Senior • Vancouver, Wash.

Porter posted a 58-second victory at the Puget Sound Invitational, covering the 6,000-meter course in a time of 20:35.17 (5:31 per mile pace). She led the Saints to the team title with a score of 29 points. It was first collegiate cross country meet for the talented track distance performer.

Also Nominated: Caroline Kurgat (Alaska Anchorage) Nicole Maurmann (Western Oregon), Nicole Pederson (Concordia),
Sierra Manzer (Northwest Nazarene).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska opens its season on Saturday when it hosts the Moda Health Blue & Gold race at Fairbanks’ West Ridge Ski Trails. The 5-kilometer race is an open competition, not limited to college athletes.

• The Nanooks return seven men’s runners who placed at the 2015 GNAC Championships, led by junior Alexander Eckert, who placed 39th. The Nanooks placed eighth in the men’s conference race with 224 points.

• The Nanooks’ women return seven runners from the team that placed 10th at last year’s conference meet. Senior Dorothy O’Donnell is the top returning placer having finished 44th.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage picked up the 2016 season where it left off the 2015 campaign:as winners. Both the Seawolves men and women were team winners at Saturday’s Notre Dame de Namur Argo Invitaitional.

• The Seawolves’ men finished with a score of 15 points, marking the third time in the last two seasons they have compiled a perfect score. Junior Edwin Kangogo led the way with his winning time of 21:19.9 over the 6.75-kilometer course. In all, there were just 25 seconds between UAA’s scoring runners.

• The Alaska Anchorage women won with a score of 31 points, four points better than runner-up Stanislaus State. Junior Caroline Kurgat was the individual winner, clocking a time of 18:52.9 for 5 kilometers. The Seawolves placed all five scoring runners in the top-12 with a gap of 1 minute, 30 seconds.

• Noticeably absent in the meet were the the Seawolves’ and West Region’s top returning runners. Junior Henry Cheseto, the GNAC and West Region Male Athlete of the Year, and senior Joyce Chelimo, the GNAC and West Region Female Athlete of the Year, did not race in the Bay Area.

• Alaska Anchorage does not race again until Sat., Sept. 17, when it will join seven other GNAC squads at the Sundodger Invitational in Seattle.

• Both the Alaska Anchorage men and women opened the season ranked in the USTFCCCA Division II Poll. The men are ranked No. 4 nationally and No. 1 in the West Region. The UAA women are ranked No. 6 nationally and No. 2 in the West Region.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington opens its season on Friday as it hosts the Central Washington Invitational at Rotary Park in Ellensburg, Wash. The Wildcats will be joined by Western Washington.

• The Wildcats return nine conference meet finishers from last year’s men’s team that finished sixth at the GNAC Championships. The corps includes junior Alex Martinez, who finished 27th.

• Central Washington’s women return four runners from last year’s team, which finished third at the GNAC Championships and sixth at the NCAA West Regional. Sophomore Alexa Shindruk is the Wildcats’ top returning runner after placing 11th at the GNAC Championships and 33rd at the West Region meet, just missing all-conference and all-region honors.

CONCORDIA
• The Cavaliers opened the 2016 campaign by participating in the John Frank Oregon State Invitational in Corvallis on Saturday. Concordia placed fourth in the men’s race with 95 points and the women placed fifth with 134 points.

• Junior transfer Judd Lewis was the Cavaliers’ lone top-10 finisher, placing ninth with a time of 19:00.5 for 6,000 meters. Concordia’s top returning runner, senior Jared Seckel, placed 18th in 19:19.5.

• Sophomore Nicole Pederson was Concordia’s top women’s finisher, placing 27th in the three-mile race.

• Concordia will be among three GNAC teams competing on Friday at the Ash Creek Invitational in Monmouth.

• Concordia is in the third 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
• The Yellowjackets opened the season on Friday at the Hardrocker Open in Rapid City, S.D. The men finished third with a score of 68 points while the women placed fourth with 75 points.

• Junior Jorey Egeland led the MSUB men with his sixth place finish, covering the 8,000-meter course in 26:52. He averaged 5:24 per mile. Senior Garrett Love placed ninth with a time of 27:19.

• Senior Rio Frame led the returning Montana State Billings’ women’s runners in the race, placing 11th in the three-mile race with a time of 19:56.30. Freshman Nikki Aiken placed 13th in a time of 20:01.

• Montana State Billings returns to action on Friday, taking part in the Greg McSpadden Memorial Invitational in Spearfish, S.D.

• The Yellowjackets will be relatively unknown commodities to the rest of the GNAC by the time the GNAC Championships on Oct. 22. Montana State Billings is not scheduled to race against any other conference teams until the conference meet.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• The Crusaders opened the season competing against Division I competition at the Idaho State Invitational in Pocatello, Idaho. Northwest Nazarene finished third in both team races, scoring 53 points in the women’s race and 74 points in the men’s competition.

• Sophomore Sierra Manzer opened the season with a bang, winning the women’s 3-kilometer race in a time of 10:45.19. She finished five seconds ahead of runner-up Jenica Dodge of Idaho State. Sierra’s sister, junior Alysia Manzer, placed eighth in 11:17.47.

• Freshman Godfrey Kemboi led the NNU men as he tied for fifth in the men’s 6,000-meter race in a time of 19:27. Kemboi finished 23 seconds behind race winner Liam Kennell of Southern Utah. Junior Isaac Mitchell, the Crusaders’ top returning male runner, placed 14th in 19:53.

• Northwest Nazarene returns to competition on Sat., Sept. 17, as one of seven GNAC teams competing in the Sundodger Invitational in Seattle.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• The Saints had an impressive start ot the 2016 season, winning both the men’s and women’s team competitions at the Puget Sound Invitational in Lakewood, Wash. The Saint Martin’s men finished with 26 points, 19 points ahead of second place Puget Sound. The Saints’ women scored 29 points, six points better than the host Loggers.

• Senior Shannon Porter was named the GNAC Female Athlete of the Week after she won her first collegiate cross country race. Porter covered the 6,000-meter course in 20:35.17, averaging 5 minutes, 31 seconds per mile. She finished 58 seconds ahead of runner-up Shailee Woodard of Pacific Lutheran.

• Sophomore Larissa Kolasinski placed fourth in the women’s race in 24:07.88, while senior Megan Teigen placed fifth in 24:53.83.

• Junior Skyler Larson led three Saint Martin’s runners to place in the top-five in the men’s 8,000-meter race. Larson placed second in a time of 26:58, 15 seconds behind winner Geremia Lizier-Zmudzinski of Puget Sound. Senior Jasper Heckman placed third in 27:27 while senior Josiah Shelman placed fourth in 27:30. There was a total gap of 58 seconds between the Saints’ top-five runners.

• Saint Martin’s is idle this weekend and will return to competition on Sat., Sept. 17, at the Sundodger Invitational in Seattle.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific opens its 2016 season in California on Saturday, competing at the Humboldt Invitational in Trinidad, Calif.

• The SPU men are looking to improve on a ninth place GNAC Championships finish. The Falcons will race just six men at the Humboldt meet, led by junior Ben Halladay, who placed 31st at last year’s conference meet.

• The Falcons’ women will face the challenge of replacing their top runner in the graduated Anna Patti ro move up from their fifth place GNAC Championships finish. Junior Mary Charleson returns after her 20th place GNAC meet finish and All-West Region run as does senior Hannah Calvert, who placed 21st at the GNAC meet.

• The Seattle Pacific women opened the season ranked No. 23 nationally and No. 6 in the West Region in the USTFCCCA’s preseason polls.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser will open its 2016 season on Friday as one of three GNAC teams competitng at the Ash Creek Invitational #1 in Monmouth, Ore.

• The Simon Fraser men are among the most experienced teams in the West Region this season, returning seven runners, including two First Team All-GNAC selections, from a team that placed second at the GNAC Champioonships and 12th at the national meet.

• Senior Oliver Jorgensen led the Clan men after he placed fifth last year at both the GNAC and West Region meets. Senior Marc Antoine Rouleau also returns after placing seventh at the GNAC Championships and 16th at the West Region meet.

• The Simon Fraser women also return an experienced squad with seven returning GNAC Championships participants. The Clan placed fourth at last year’s GNAC Championships after winning the title in 2014.

• Senior All-American Rebecca Bassett is the Clan’s top returning runner after she placed third at the GNAC Championships and 24th at the NCAA Championships. Sophomore Addy Townsend also returns after placing 19th at the GNAC meet as a freshman.

• Simon Fraser opened the season with national and regional rankings for both the men’s and women’s programs. The Clan men are No. 12 nationally and No. 4 in the West Region in the USTFCCCA preseason polls. The Simon Fraser women are No. 20 in the national preseason ranking and No. 5 in the West Region.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon had a solid opening weekend showing at the John Frank Oregon State Invitational. The Wolves’ men placed second with 56 points, 19 points ahead of Division I Portland State. The WOU women placed third with 85 points, three points ahead of Portland Stsae.

• Junior David Ribich was named the GNAC Male Athlete of the Week after he cruised to the win in the men’s 6,000-meter race. His winning time of 18:21.6 was 10 seconds better than second place Logan Orndorf of Portland.

• Newcomer Justin Crosswhite placed 12th in his first collegiate meet with a time of 19:05.5 while sophomore Tyler Jones was 14th in 19:09.7.

• Senior Nicole Maurmann led the WOU women with her 11th place finish, clocking a time of 17:59.0 for three miles. Senior Kennedy Rufener placed 17th with a time of 18:18.7.

• Western Oregon will host Concordia and Simon Fraser for the Ash Creek Invitational No. 1 on Friday at 5 p.m.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington will open its 2016 season on Saturday as it competes at the Central Washington Invitational in Ellensburg, Wash.

• The Vikings’ women will look to build on a season that saw it finish second at the GNAC Championships and West Region Championships as well as sixth at the NCAA Championships. The team returns almost all of its scoring runners, led by junior All-West Region performer Brittany Grant, who placed eighth at the GNAC meet and 28th at the regional.

• Western Washington also returns a First Team All-GNAC and All-West Region performer in sophomore Tracy Melville, who placed 10th at the GNAC meet and 27th at the West Regional.

• On the men’s side, the Vikings will aim to build upon a third place GNAC meet finish last year. The team is led by junior Andrew Wise, who placed 10th at the GNAC Championships and 14th at the NCAA West Regional.

• Both the Western Washington men and women are among teams in the USTFCCCA Division II Preseason Polls. The Vikings’ women open the season No. 9 in the national poll and No. 3 in the West Region. The men are ranked No. 22 nationally and No. 5 regionally.