Thursday, September 22, 2016
THREE IN A ROW: Western Oregon’s David Ribich is proving to be the most dominant runner in the GNAC so far in the early season. The junior was selected as the GNAC Cross Country Men’s Athlete of the Week for the third consecutive time after he placed second in the men’s open race at the Sundodger Invtational. Ribich covered the 8,000-meter course in a time of 24:04.90. He was just five seconds behind champion Declan White of Trinity Western. In three races, Ribich has won twice.
This week, however, it is a guarantee that Ribich will not win the weekly honor. After racing each of the first three weeks of the season, Western Oregon will take the weekend off from competition.
IN THE RANKINGS: Five GNAC squads survived a decent jumble in this week’s USTFCCCA Division II polls. Alaska Anchorage slipped in both polls, dropping four spots to No. 9 in the men’s poll and dropping 18 spots to No. 24 in the women’s poll. Western Washington, meanwhile, climbed two spots to No. 8 to take the GNAC’s top spot in the women’s poll. The Vikings’ men picked up one spot to No. 14.
Seattle Pacific picked up six positions in the women’s poll despite not competing last weekend, moving to No. 18.
In the men’s regional rankings, Alaska Anchorage is No. 3, followed by Western Washington at No. 4, Simon Fraser at No. 7 and Western Oregon at No. 10. Western Washington is No. 2 in the women’s regional rankings, followed by Seattle Pacific at No. 4, Alaska Anchorage at No. 6 and Simon Fraser at No. 8.
BREAKING THE TAPE: A total of 10 GNAC athletes have won races over the first three weeks of the season. Ribich has won two races: The John Frank Oregon State Invitational and the Ash Creek Invitational #1. Here is the complete list...
MEN
• Edwin Kangogo (UAA): Notre Dame de Namur Argo Invite, Sept. 3 (21:14.9).
• David Ribich (WOU): John Frank OSU Invitational, Sept. 3 (18:21.6.); Ash Creek Invitaitional #1, Sept. 9 (18:53.8.).
• Andrew Wise (WWU): Central Washington Invitational, Sept. 10 (20:19).
WOMEN
• Rebecca Bassett (SFU): Ash Creek Inviational #1, Sept. 10 (16:52.8).
• Mary Charleson (SPU): Humboldt Invitational, Sept. 10 (21:08.21).
• Elena Gomez (CWU): Central Washington Invitational, Sept. 10 (15:11)
• Caroline Kurgat (UAA): Notre Dame de Namur Invitational, Sept. 3 (18:52.9).
• Sierra Manzer (NNU): Idaho State Invitational, Sept. 2 (10:45.2).
• Shannon Porter (SMU): Logger Invitational, Sept. 3 (20:35.17).
THIS WEEK'S GNAC ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MEN
David Ribich, Western Oregon
Junior • Enterprise, Ore.
Ribich earned his third straight weekly honor after finishing second in the men’s open 8,000-meter race at the Sundodger Invitational. His time of 24:04.90 (4:50 per mile average) was five seconds behind individual champion Declan White of Trinity Western.
Also Nominated: Lukash Platil (Alaska), Michel Ramirez (Alaska Anchorage), Jasper Heckman (Saint Martin’s).
WOMEN
Caroline Kurgat, Alaska Anchorage
Junior • Eldoret, Kenya
Kurgat placed third in the women’s open 6,000-meter race at the Sundodger Invitational in 20:34.9 (5:31 per mile pace) and finished just five seconds behind the top-two runners in the race. Kurgat led the Seawolves to a sixth place team finish.
Also Nominated: Rebecca Bassett (Simon Fraser), Kennedy Rufener (Western Oregon), Dorothy O’Donnell (Alaska), Elena Gomez (Central Washington), Shannon Porter (Saint Martin’s).
AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska participated in its first full cross country meet of the season Saturday, taking part in the Sundodger Invitational in Seattle.
• The Nanooks’ men placed ninth in the 28-team field in the men’s 8,000-meter race. Alaska was fourth out of the seven GNAC teams competing.
• Freshman Lukash Platil placed 34th in the race in a time of 25:23.00. He was the 11th GNAC runner to cross the finish line. Junior Alex Eckert was the No. 2 runner, finishing 49th in 25:41.00.
• The Alaska women placed 13th in the women’s open 6,000-meter race with 350 points. The Nanooks were sixth out of the seven GNAC teams.
• Senior Dorothy O’Donnell was the Nanooks’ top women’s runner, placing 27th in 22:13.70. Senior Kali Striker was the No. 2 top runner, placing 63rd in a time of 23:00.40.
• Alaska will sit this weekend out from competition, returning to the course on Oct. 1 at the Charles Bowles Willamette Invitational in Salem, Ore.
ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage returned to the course with a pair of solid showings at the Sundodger Invitational. The Seawolves’ men placed second with 86 points while the UAA women placed sixth with 138 points.
• The UAA men placed all seven of their scoring runners in the top-50 and had a 1 minute, 23 second gap between the No. 1 and No. 5 runners. Senior Michel Ramirez placed third in a time of 24:08.00, less than 10 seconds behind the individual champion. Junior Edwin Kangogo was also in the top-10, placing sixth in 24:32.60.
• Junior Caroline Kurgat was the only Alaska Anchorage women’s runner in the top-25, placing third in 20:34.90. She was five seconds behind the individual runner and earned Women's Athlete of the Week honors. Sophomore Jennah Jepchumba was the No. 2 runners, placing 32nd in 22:22.60.
• Alaska Anchorage continues to be ranked in both USTFCCCA Division II Coaches Polls this week. The Seawolves men are No. 9 this week, dropping four spots, and are No. 3 in the West Region. The UAA women dropped 18 spots to No. 24 in the national poll and to sixth in the West Region poll.
• The Seawolves compete just one more time before the GNAC Championships, participating in the Western Washington Invitational on Sat., Oct. 8.
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington competed for the second week in a row, participating in the Sundodger Invitatioinal. Both the men and women placed 11th in the team competition with the men scoring 353 points and the women with 330 points.
• Sophomore Tyler Humprhies and senior Nick Spencer led the CWU men with side-by-side finishes. The two runners were both given credit for 67th place with a time of 25:54.20. Junior Josh Boston was 75th in 25:55.90.
• Senior Elena Gomez paced the Central Washington women, placing 29th in 22:15.40. Sophomore Alexa Shindruk finished 52nd in a time of 22:44.00.
• Central Washington is one of the few GNAC teams that will compete every weekend leading up to the GNAC Championships. The Wildcats will join three other GNAC teams this Saturday at the SMU Open in Lacey, Wash.
CONCORDIA
• Concordia is in the midst of three weeks away from competition after racing the first two weekends. The Cavaliers will race again on Sat., Oct. 1, at the Charles Bowles Willamette Invitational.
• In their last race, Concordia placed fourth in the men’s competition at Friday’s Ash Creek Invitational #1 on Sept. 9, scoring 112 points. The Cavaliers’ women placed sixth with a score of 145 points.
• Senior Jared Seckel captured a top-10 finish in the men’s 6,300-meter race, placing ninth with a time of 19:38.6. Junior Judd Lewis placed 12th in a time of 19:41.7.
• Sophomore Nicole Pederson won the top Concordia finisher in the women’s 4,600-meter race, placing 23rd in 18:44.6. Freshman Bailey Fjelstul finished 27th in a time of 18:52.2.
• Concordia is in the third year of a three-year transition process to NCAA Division II membership. This is its second 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 put together a pair of solid performances against Division I competition at Saturday’s MSU-Bozeman Running Co. Invitational. The Montana State BIllings’ men placed ninth with 282 points while the women placed 13th with 405 points.
• Junior Jorey Egeland was once again the top MSUB men’s runner, placing 55th on the 5-mile course in 26:16.33. Senior Garrett Love placed 61st in 26:25.20. In all, there was a 1:01 gap between the No. 1 and No. 5 runners.
• The MSUB women were led by senior Rio Frame in the 3-mile race, who placed 110th in her first race of the season in 19:23.01. Freshman Nikki Allen placed 116th in 19:41.59.
• Montana State Billings will host the Yellowjacket Invitational on Friday at Avery Park, which will be the location for this year’s NCAA West Regional Championships. It is also the only time that MSUB will race against a GNAC squad before the GNAC Championships with Northwest Nazarene making the trip to Billings.
NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene took a second weekend off from competition. The Crusaders to facing form on Friday, taking part in the Yellowjacket Invitational in Billings, Mont.
• The Crusaders opened the season competing against Division I competition at the Idaho State Invitational in Pocatello, Idaho, on Sept. 2. 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.
SAINT MARTIN’S
• After a weekend off, the Saints returned to competition at the Sundodger Invitational. The SMU women placed 12th in the team competition with 330 points as all seven GNAC squads placed in the top-14 out of 29 teams. The SMU men placed 23rd with 632 points.
• Senior Shannon Porter placed fifth in the biggest meet of her short collegiate cross country career (her first race was two weeks ago), covering the 6,000 meters in 20:56.30. Junior transfer Yadira Lopez also had a top-25 finish, placing 25th in 22:08.60.
• Junior Jasper Heckman led the SMU men, placing 142nd individually with a time of 26:48.60. Junior Josh Hunt was 10 places behind, placing 152nd in 27:00.60. The Saints grouped well with a gap of just 47 seconds between the top-five runners.
• Saint Martin’s will welcome Central Washington, Seattle Pacific and Western Washington (among other teams) to Lacey for the SMU Open on Saturday on the Saint Martin’s campus.
SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Despite having a big meet in its hometown, Seattle Pacific did not run last weekend. The Falcons return to competition on Saturday at the SMU Open.
• Seattle Pacific turned in a pair of solid performances against some of the region’s top teams as the Falcons opened the season on Sept. 10 the Humboldt Invitational in Trinidad, Calif. The Falcon’s women placed second with 57 points while the men placed sixth with 197 points.
• Junior Mary Charleson collected her first collegiate race win, taking top honors in the 6,000-meter race in a time of 21:08.21. She was a three seconds better than second place Analicia Garcia of Sonoma State.
• Junior Ben Halladay was Seattle Pacific’s top finisher in the men’s 8,000-meter race, placing 19th in a time of 25:34.74.
• Not competiting did not hurt the Falcons’ position in the USTFCCCA Division II Women’s Poll. Seattle Pacific rose six spots to No. 18 in the national rankings and two spots to No. 4 in the West Region Rankings.
SIMON FRASER
• The Clan finished fourth in the men’s and women’s team competitions at the Sundodger Invitational. The women scored 114 points and was the top of the seven GNAC teams. The SFU men scored 110 points and were second among the GNAC teams.
• Senior Rebecca Bassett was one of three GNAC runners in the top-10 in the women’s race, placing ninth in a time of 21:15.80. Junior Julia Howley placed 18th in 21:56.70 while sophomore Addy Townsend was 22nd in 22:02.50. The Clan had a 1:23 gap between its top-5 runners.
• Junior Braeden Charlton led three Simon Fraser men’s runner that all crossed within a second of each other. Charlton placed 18th in 24:57.00. Sophomore Sean Miller was 19th in 24:57.70 and senior Marc-Antoine Rouleau was 20th in 24:57.80. All five scoring SFU runners placed in the top-50 with a gap of 39 seconds.
• The Simon Fraser women lost its spot in the USTFCCCA Division II National Poll for the first time this season, but remain ranked eighth in the West Region. The Simon Fraser men are seventh in the regional rankings.
• Simon Fraser will stay close to home this weekend, participating in the Vancouver Spirit Run cross country event on Sunday. The Clan return to collegiate competition on Oct. 1 at the Stanford Invitational.
WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon put together a pair of good team performances at the Sundodger Invitational. The WOU men placed seventh with a score of 190 points and were third out of the seven GNAC team. The Wolves’ women placed 14th with 414 points.
• Junior David Ribich was named the GNAC Male Athlete of the Week for the third consecutive week. He placed second in a time of 24:04.90, just five seconds behind the individual winner.
• Sophomore Dustin Nading notched a solid top-15 finish, placing 12th in the race in a time of 24:48.20.
• Junior Kennedy Ruferner led the WOU women with her 37th place finish, covering the 6,000-meter course in 22:25.90. Junior Suzie Van de Grift finshed 47th in 22:39.20.
• After competing each of the first three weeks of the season, Western Oregon will take this weekend off from competition. The Wolves race again next Saturday at the Stanford Invitational.
WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington sent a pair of limited squads, comprised mostly of newcomers, to the Sundodger Invitational in Seattle. The Vikings placed eighth in the women’s competition with 300 points while the men placed 13th with 416 points.
• Freshman Payton Shinnick led the WWU women, placing 42nd in a time of 22:33.30. Freshman Sophia Galvez placed 49th in 22:40.60.
• Junior Logan Giese paced the Western Washington men, placing 45th in a time of 25:37.40.
• Western Washington enters the week as the GNAC’s top team in the USTFCCCA Division II Women’s Poll, moving up two spots to No. 8. The Vikings are also second in the West Region rankings. The WWU men climbed one spot to No. 14 in the national rankings and retained their No. 4 West Region ranking.
• The Vikings will split their squad this weekend. Their top runners will head to St. Paul, Minn., to compete at the Roy Griak Invitational. The remainder of the squad will be in Lacey, Wash., at the SMU Open.