Tuesday, October 22, 2019
BILLINGS, Mont. – As the GNAC Cross Country Championships moves to its easternmost host site, the conference’s westernmost teams are once again the ones to beat.
The defending champion in both the men’s and women’s team competitions, Alaska Anchorage sits as the favorites to win it at Amend Park in Billings, Montana.
The Seawolves are bolstered by the return of both individual champions in senior Emmah Chelimo (women) and junior Wesley Kirui (men). Both squads return two runners that were top-five finishers, the most of any school.
While the favorites, Alaska Anchorage has some formidable challengers. Both Western Washington’s men and women downed the Seawolves two weeks ago at the Western Washington Classic while the Seattle Pacific women are expected to submit a strong challenge.
Alaska Anchorage’s women come into the meet having won four straight GNAC titles and nine in the last 10 years. The UAA men have won eight crowns over the last nine years.
WOMEN
No one has had the athletes to knock Alaska Anchorage off the podium in the last four years and the Seawolves have the legs to make it five in a row.
The Seawolves return two top-five finishers at last year’s championship meet in Chelimo and junior Nancy Jeptoo. Chelimo is the defending GNAC and NCAA West Regional champion. She won the conference title with a time of 21:25.1. Jeptoo placed fifth at last year’s conference meet and went on to finish as the West Regional runner-up.
This season, Chelimo has a season-best of 21:05.1 over 6,000 meters, run at September’s Capital Cross Challenge. Jeptoo ran her best of 21:15.7 on the same Sacramento course before winning October’s Western Washington Classic in four seconds over Chelimo.
Picked to win it all in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll, Seattle Pacific has also put some solid performances in the top-10. Senior Kate Lilly placed 12th at conference last year and finished ahead of both UAA runners at the Capital Cross Challenge with her best of 21:02.1. Junior Dania Holmberg will be in that top-10 mix as well, having notched a top-five finish at the Western Washington Classic.
Western Washington has exhibited team title potential, especially late in the season. The Vikings placed second at their own WWU Classic, finishing five points ahead of Alaska Anchorage and 22 points ahead of Seattle Pacific. Junior Jane Barr has been the Vikings’ No. 1 runner all season, running her 6-kilometer season-best of 22:17.5 at home. Sophomore Tovah Swartz-Ireland has raced No. 2 much of the season and has the potential for a top-10 finish.
After finishing second last year by a narrow 11-point margin, Simon Fraser is once again a player in the title conversation. The Clan performed well against other top Division II teams at October’s Lewis Crossover, placing eighth. Junior Olivia Willett placed fourth at last year’s championship and ran her season-best of 21:46.4 at the Capital Cross Challenge. Freshman Mairin Shields-Brown has been a solid No. 2 and has a season-best of 21:58.1.
The race, however, will be won or lost with the No. 3 through No. 5 runners. In the only meet where all three teams competed against each other, the Western Washington Classic, the Vikings were the only squad to place all five scoring runners in the top-30. Both Alaska Anchorage and Seattle Pacific have regularly placed three runners in the top-20.
Central Washington finished fifth at last year’s conference meet. The Wildcats have been led much of the season by junior Lily Tyrrell, who has three top-20 finishes and a best of 23:18.5 at the Western Washington Classic. Sophomore Molly Mattson has performed well with a pair of top-15 finishes.
Northwest Nazarene will look to senior Bethany Danner to try to build on last year’s sixth-place team finish. Danner has two top-five finishes to her credit and a season-best of 23:05.2 at Western Washington. Junior Annalisa Hamilton led the Nighthawks at the WWU Classic with an impressive 22:37.6.
Western Oregon will look to senior Grace Knapp to be among the front-runners. Knapp placed 18th at last year’s conference meet and enters the meet having run a collegiate-best of 22:30.8 at Western Washington. Alaska also has the potential for a top-10 finisher in senior Alexandra Bergholtz, who has three top-25 finishes to her credit and a season-best of 23:20 at the Sundowner Invitational.
MEN
Like it’s female counterparts, Alaska Anchorage comes in looking to repeat as champion. The Seawolves have won the meet in eight of the last nine years and come back with both the defending champion and runner-up.
Kirui and junior Felix Kemboi ran together through the entire race last year before Kirui edged ahead to win in a time of 24:38. Kemboi ran 24:38.6 and then went on to better Kirui with his second-place finish at the NCAA West Regionals.
Either athlete could win it again in 2019. Kirui placed second at the Capital Cross Challenge with a season-best of 24:07.1 over 8,000 meters while Kemboi was fourth in 24:12.7. Kemboi, meanwhile, won the Western Washington Classic for the second year in a row in a time of 31:37.6 over 10,000 meters.
The most likely challenger to knock the Seawolves off the podium is Western Washington. The Vikings have run quite strong this season, placing fourth at the Roy Griak Invitational and second at the Western Washington Classic where they bettered UAA by 19 points, scoring 96 points.
Junior Eric Hamel has led the Vikings much of the season, registering three top-20 finishes and a best of 26:08.7 over 8 kilometers at the Roy Griak Invitational. The 10th place finisher at last year’s championships, Hamel placed 15th at the Western Washington Classic. A quartet behind Hamel has provided solid depth, including seniors Liam Cossette and James Jasperson along with junior Edward Kilobasa.
One can never count Simon Fraser out of the conversation after the Clan finished second last year, but will need to see its No. 3 through No. 5 runners step up to make a trophy happen. Senior Carlos Vargas took second at the Apple Ridge Invitational and turned in a collegiate-best of 24:58.4 over 8,000 meters at the Capital Cross Challenge.
The Clan’s top returning finisher from last year (15th), junior Aaron Ahl enters with a season-best of 24:58.4 at the Capital Cross Challenge.
Western Oregon placed fourth last year and will also need a big day from its entire lineup to make a run at the podium. Senior Justin Crosswhite has emerged after placing 40th at conference last year. He placed third at the Sundowner Invitational while running a collegiate-best of 24:57.1. Junior Andy Muha has run well since transferring from Lane Community College, placing 14th at the Western Washington Classic.
Both Central Washington and Seattle Pacific have seen significant improvements this season. Junior Trevor Allen earned a top-10 finish at the Sundowner Invitational, running a collegiate-best of 25:06. Senior Matt Conrardy and junior Rajesh Gill will provide additional depth.
The Falcons opened the season by winning the PLU Invitational and turned in a solid eighth-place finish at the Western Washington Classic. Colby Otero has been solid in his sophomore season, placing third at the PLU Invitational with a season-best time of 25:47.3. Junior Colin Boutin led SPU at the Western Washington Classic while junior Elius Graff ran 26:10.5 for 8 kilometers at the John Payne/Curtis Invitational.
Northwest Nazarene looks to move up behind the swift feet of senior Godfrey Kemboi and sophomore Tyler Shea. The eighth-place finisher at last year’s meet, Kemboi has two top-five finishes to his credit this season while also placing 20th at the Western Washington Classic. Shea won the Ken Garland Classic in a time of 25:43.3 over 8 kilometers and finished 23rd at Western Washington.
Other runners to watch include Alaska senior Lukash Platil (27th at 2018 meet), Concordia senior Noah Murry and Saint Martin’s freshman Nick Sarysz.