Wednesday, October 2, 2019

NIGHTHAWKS MAKE SOLID STRIDES IN LACEY: Making their longest trip of the season thus far, Northwest Nazarene made sure the journey was worth it with the collection of hardware at the Ken Garland Invitational.

The Nighthawks were the team for both individual winners. Freshman Julia LeMar led a tight women’s group that saw four runners finish in the top-five en route to the team title with a score of 22 points. LeMar won with a time of 18:13.48 over 5,000 meters. Senior Bethany Danner was second in 18:14.68 while junior Annalisa Hamilton was third in 18:14.94. Senior Sierra Manzer rounded out the top-five, placing fifth in 18:24.49.

The NNU men were paced by sophomore Tyler Shea, who won with a time of 25:43.27 over 8,000 meters. Senior Godfrey Kemboi was fifth in 26:02.02 while sophomore Treyson Conley was seventh in 26:04.72. The performances allowed the NNU men a second-place finish with 50 points.

TWO-FOR-TWO FOR MITCHELL: Two weeks into her cross country season and Seattle Pacific sophomore Kaylee Mitchell is stuck on the number one.

Mitchell made a statement for herself as she won the women’s college invitational race at the Capital Cross Challenge in Sacramento on Saturday. The race was run on the same Arcade Creek Golf Course that will be the site for the 2019 NCAA Division II Championships. Mitchell covered the 6,000-meter course in a blistering 20:30.2, bettering second-place Jenny Sandoval of San Jose State by three seconds. The performance earned Mitchell selection as the GNAC Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week for the second consecutive week.

In all, Seattle Pacific placed four runners in the top-25 to finish eighth out of 40 teams in the race with a score of 261 points.

In the men’s college invitational race, Alaska Anchorage placed a pair of runners in the top-five to lead the GNAC. Seawolves’ junior Wesley Kirui was second in 24:07.1 while junior Felix Kemboi was fourth in 24:12.7. Kirui was named the GNAC Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week.

VIKINGS HOLD THEIR OWN AT GRIAK: Western Washington headed east and proved they have what takes against tough competition as well. Both the Vikings’ men and women finished fourth in the maroon races at the Roy Griak Invitational in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The women placed four runners in the top-30 to score 113 points, led by senior Talia Dreicer’s 16th-place time of 23:07.1. The men had three top-30 runners to finish with a score of 126 points. Junior Eric Hamel paced the WWU men with his 17th-place time of 26:08.7.

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)
Tyler Shea, NNU (Ken Garland Invitational, Sept. 28, 25:43.27, 8,000m)

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)
Julia LeMar, NNU (Ken Garland Invitational, Sept. 28, 18:13.48, 5,000m)
Kaylee Mitchell, SPU (PLU Invitational, Sept. 21, 21:04.4, 6,000m; Capital Cross Challenge, Sept. 28, 20:30.2, 6,000m)

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
Wesley Kirui, Alaska Anchorage
Junior • Nakaru, Kenya

Kirui was the top Division II finisher in the Capital Cross Challenge in Sacramento, California. Kirui was second out of 280 athletes in the men’s college invitational race, covering the 8,000-meter course in 24:07.1. He averaged 4:51 per mile and was just three seconds behind the winner, Jake Ritter of Cal Poly.

Also Nominated: William Miller (Central Washington), Ronald Venema (Montana State Billings), Tyler Shea (Northwest Nazarene), Marcus Rice (Saint Martin’s), Carlos Vargas (Simon Fraser), Eric Hamel (Western Washington).

WOMEN
Kaylee Mitchell, Seattle Pacific
Sophomore • Salem, Ore.

Mitchell was a race winner for the second straight week. This time, she won the women’s college invitational race at the Capital Cross Challenge as she covered the 6,000-meter course in 20:30.2. She averaged 5:30 per mile to finish on top of the 300-athlete field and three seconds ahead of Jenny Sandoval of San Jose State for the win.

Also Nominated: Emmah Chelimo (Alaska Anchorage), Zoie Mastin (Central Washington), Nikki Aiken (Montana State Billings), Julia LeMar (Northwest Nazarene), Elaina Hansen (Saint Martin’s), Olivia Willett (Simon Fraser), Talia Dreicer (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska did not race last week. The Nanooks return to competition on Saturday at the Willamette Invitational in Salem, Oregon.

• Alaska made the trip to Monmouth, Oregon on Sept. 20 with the Nanooks’ men placing ninth and the women placing 10th at the Sundowner Invitational.

• Senior Alexandra Bergholtz was the top UAF finisher in either race, placing 12th in the women’s 6,000-meter race in a time of 23:20.0. She was the No. 5 GNAC finisher and the No. 9 Division II finisher.

• Sophomore Lukash Platil was the top Nanooks’ finisher in the men’s 8,000-meter race, placing 21st in a time of 25:32.9. He was seventh place among GNAC finishers.

• Sophomore Jacob Walsh was the No. 2 runner among the men, placing 44th in 26:17.5. Sophomore Noelle Resignolo was No. 2 for the UAF women, placing 66th in 25:23.1.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Racing for the first time in nearly a month, Alaska Anchorage placed 14th in the men’s college invitational race and 12th in the women’s college invitational race at the Capital Cross Challenge in Sacramento, Calif.

• Despite the team placing, the Seawolves placed two athletes in the top-five of the men’s race. Junior Wesley Kirui placed second as he covered the 8,000-meter course in 24:07.1. He was just three seconds behind the winner, Jake Ritter of Cal Poly. For his effort, Kirui was named the GNAC Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week.

• Junior Felix Kemboi was the other top-five placer, taking fourth in a time of 24:12.7.

• Senior Emmah Chelimo was the top women’s placer for the Seawolves, finishing 15th with a time of 21:05.1 over 6,000 meters. Junior Nancy Jeptoo was not far behind, placing 21st in a time of 21:15.7.

• The Alaska Anchorage women dropped seven spots to No. 14 in this week’s USTFCCCA Division II Coaches Poll. The Seawolves’ men dropped out of the poll after being ranked at No. 12 last week.

• Alaska Anchorage will race just one more time before the GNAC Championships, competing at the Western Washington Invitational on Sat., Oct. 12 in Bellingham.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington posted a fourth-place women’s team finish to lead the Wildcats’ efforts at the Ken Garland Invitational in Lacey, Washington.

• The Wildcats finished with a score of 147 points. The CWU men raced only four runners and was incomplete in the team scoring.

• Freshman Zoie Mastin was the top individual in the women’s race, covering the 5,000-meter course in a time to 19:32.03 to finish 26th. Junior Samantha DuPras was 31st in a time of 19:46.68. Freshman Jenna Heesacker placed 34th in 19:54.06 and freshman Alexa Neff was 35th in 19:55.22.

• Junior Will Miller was the top athlete in the men’s 8,000-meter race, placing 40th in a time of 27:31.69. Freshman Ian Engdahl finished 45th in 27:37.19.

• Central Washington returns to competition this weekend, competing in the John Payne/Curtis Invitational on Saturday afternoon in University Place, Washington.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia did not race last weekend. The Cavaliers return to the course on Saturday at the Willamette Invitational in Salem, Oregon.

• Concordia last raced on Friday, Sept. 20, placing 10th in men’s race and 11th in the women’s competition at the Sundowner Invitational.

• Freshman Josh Scheetz was the top finisher for the Cavaliers in either race, placing 48th in the men’s 8,000-meter race in a time of 26:26.8. Senior Noah Murry was the No. 2 finisher, placing 75th in 27:22.4.

• Senior Gabby Hobson finished 54th in the women’s 6,000-meter race with a time of 24:49.8. Freshman Cheyenne Abbett was the No. 2 runner, placing 72nd in 25:35.9.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings tested itself in a big meet setting Saturday, placing 21st in the men’s race and 31st in the women’s race at the Roy Griak Invitational in St. Paul, Minnesota.

• The men finished with a score of 610 points. Senior Ronald Venema was the top placer for the Yellowjackets, placing 117th in a time of 28:12.8 over 8,000 meters. Freshman Bryant Edgerton was the No. 2 runner, placing 140th in a time of 28:32.

• In the women’s 6,000-meter race, senior Nikki Aiken scored a top-100 finish as she placed 54th in a time of 23:55.5. Sophomore Kailee Stoppel was the No. 2 runner for the Yellowjackets, placing 210th in a time of 26:12.5.

• The Roy Griak Invitational was the last meet away from Billings for MSUB prior to the NCAA West Regional. The Yellowjackets will host the GNAC Preview meet on Fri., Oct. 11, at Amend Park. The site of this month’s GNAC Championships, the meet will be the third for MSUB at the park this season.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• The Nighthawks were big winners on Saturday, emerging with both individual champions and the women’s team winners at the Ken Garland Invitational in Lacey, Washington.

• The NNU women placed four runners in the top-five and all five scoring runners in the top-11 to win with a score of 22 points. The Nighthawks were 31 points better than second-place Lane Community College.

• The Nighthawks’ top-three runners all finished within two seconds of each other. Freshman Julia LeMar was the winner in a time of 18:13.48 over 5,000 meters. Senior Bethany Danner was in second in a time of 18:14.68 and junior Annalisa Hamilton placed third in 18:14.94.

• Senior Sierra Manzer finished fifth in a time of 18:24.49 while sophomore Kalen Johnson rounded out the scoring five with a time of 18:52.34.

• The Northwest Nazarene men placed three runners in the top-10 and placed second with a score of 50 points. The Nighthawks were just four points behind winner Southern Idaho.

• Sophomore Tyler Shea was the individual race winner, covering the 8,000-meter course in a time of 25:43.27. Senior Godfrey Kemboi placed fifth in 26:02.02 while sophomore Treyson Conley was seventh in 26:04.72.

• The Nighthawks will be off from racing this weekend and will close the regular season on Saturday, Oct. 12 at the Western Washington Invitational.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Hosting the team’s lone home meet of the season, Saint Martin’s placed fifth in the men’s team race and sixth in the women’s race at the Ken Garland Invitational.

• The men finished with a score of 129 points. Junior Marcus Rice led the way as he placed 13th in a time of 26:31.33 over the 8,000-meter course. Freshman Nick Sarysz finished 18th in a time of 26:42.79 while sophomore Andrew Oslin placed 19th in a time of 26:44.64.

• Saint Martin’s women turned in a score of 195 points. Freshman Elaina Hansen led the way as she placed 32nd on the 5,000-meter course in a time of 19:48.22. Freshman Bethany Forward was the No. 2 runner as she placed 36th in a time of 19:58.18.

• The Saints will take this weekend off from competition. They return to racing on Saturday, Oct. 12 at the Western Washington Invitational.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• For the second week in a row, sophomore Kaylee Mitchell was the individual winner as the Seattle Pacific women’s team competed at the Capital Cross Challenge in Sacramento.

• Mitchell repeated as the GNAC Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week as she covered the 6,000-meter course in the women’s college invitational race in a time of 20:30.2. She was three seconds ahead of San Jose State’s Jenny Sandoval. It is the third race victory in Mitchell’s SPU career.

• Senior Kate Lilly posted a strong 12th place finish as she crossed the finish line in a time of 21:02.1. Junior Dania Holmberg placed 24th in a time of 21:17.6.

• Seattle Pacific placed eighth out of 40 teams with a score of 261 points. The Falcons placed third among Division II teams in the field. The men did not compete in the race.

• With the solid Sacramento effort, the Falcons moved up one spot to No. 7 in the USTFCCCA Women’s Division II Top-25 Poll.

• Both the Seattle Pacific men’s and women’s teams will race close to home this coming weekend, competing at the John Payne/Curtis Invitational on Saturday in University Place, Washington.

SIMON FRASER
• Racing on the course that will host the NCAA Division II Championships, Simon Fraser finished 16th in the men’s race and 22nd in the women’s race at the Capital Cross Challenge.

• The SFU men finished with a total of 446 points in the men’s college invitational race, leading all GNAC teams and sixth among the Division II teams in the field. Senior Carlos Vargas led the way, placing 29th as he covered the 8,000-meter course in 24:45.5.

• Junior Aaron Ahl was the Clan’s No. 2 runner, finishing 54th in a time of 24:58.4 to cap the top-100 placers for SFU.

• The SFU women finished with 568 points in the women’s college invitational race, third among GNAC teams. Junior Olivia Willett was the No. 1 runner she placed 66th in a time of 21:46.4 over 6,000 meters.

• Junior Mairin Shield-Brown was the No. 2 runner, placing 84th in a time of 21:58.1.

• Simon Fraser returns to action this weekend, competing in the John Payne/Curtis Invitational on Saturday in University Place, Washington.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon did not race last weekend. The Wolves will get back to competition on Saturday, competing at the Willamette Invitational in Salem, Oregon.

• The Wolves placed fifth in both the men’s and women’s team races in the program’s second home meet of the season, the Sundowner Invitational on Sept. 20.

• Senior Justin Crosswhite third in the 8,000-meter race. Crosswhite’s season debut yielded a time of 24:57.1 and earned him GNAC Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week honors on Sept. 23.

• Senior Hunter Mosman added a 25th-place finish in 25:39.8 while senior Sawyer Heckard placed 31st in a time of 25:54.7.

• For the women, senior Grace Knapp led the way for the Wolves as she placed fifth and covered the 6,000-meter course in a time of 22:51.3. She was the top-placing GNAC runner in the race.

• Senior Cassie McKinney followed as the No. 2 runner, placing 21st in 23:36.1. Sophomore Kaylin Cantu placed 24th as she crossed in a time of 23:43.2.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington went split squad for the only time this season, send athletes to both the Ken Griak Invitational in St. Paul, Minnesota and the Ken Garland Invitational in Lacey, Washington.

• The Vikings’ top runners performed well in the big Roy Griak meet, placing fourth in both the men’s and women’s maroon races. The women posted a score of 113 points and the men finished with 126 points.

• Senior Talia Dreicer led the Vikings with her 16th place finish, covering the 6,000 meters in 23:07.1. Sophomore Rebecca Lehman placed 21st in a time of 23:17.2 while junior Jane Barr was 24th in 23:19.5.

• Junior Eric Hamel and senior James Jasperson finished back-to-back to lead the WWU men. Hamel placed 17th in a time of 26:08.7 for 8,000 meters while Jasperson was 18th in 26:10.6. Junior Edward Kiolbasa also had a top-30 finish, placing 25th in 26:27.4.

• Western Washington placed third with 89 points as a select group of men’s runners attended the Ken Garland Invitational. Sophomore Jesse Wiley led the way as placed sixth with a time of 26:03.96 over 8,000 meters.

• The Western Washington women dropped two positions to No. 17 in the latest USTFCCCA Division II Coaches Poll.

• Western Washington does not compete again until hosting the Western Washington Classic on Saturday, Oct. 12.