Tuesday, August 24, 2021

PORTLAND, Ore. – Two years removed from the last full GNAC cross country season, coaches believe that the conference titles are fully up for grabs.

Defending men’s champion Western Washington and the Seattle Pacific women are narrow favorites in a pair of closely packed 2021 GNAC Cross Country Preseason Coaches Polls.

The Vikings, who won their first GNAC title in a decade in 2019, received four first-place votes to lead the men’s poll with 82 points. Simon Fraser is a close second with 78 points and three first-place votes while Alaska Anchorage received two first-place votes and 74 points to be picked third.

The women’s poll is even closer with just 11 points separating the top-five teams. Despite receiving just one first-place vote, Seattle Pacific was picked first with 76 points. Simon Fraser received four first-place votes and is picked second with 75 points. Alaska Anchorage is third with 72 points and two first-place votes.

Western Washington, the defending women’s champion, also received two first-place votes and is picked fourth with 66 points. Northwest Nazarene, which finished runner-up at the NCAA West Regional, is fifth with 65 points and the final first-place vote.

The full 2020 cross country season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic with no NCAA regionals or championships contested. Alaska, Central Washington, Northwest Nazarene and Seattle Pacific were able to run in a pair of meets in February as a lead-up to the 2021 outdoor track and field season.

Saint Martin’s will serve as the host of the 2021 GNAC Cross Country Championships, which will take place on the SMU campus on Saturday, October 23. It is the first time since 2006 that Saint Martin’s has hosted the meet. Western Oregon will once again host the NCAA West Region Championships on Saturday, November 6, on the university’s Ash Creek Preserve course.

The 2021 season opens in Fairbanks with Alaska and Alaska Anchorage competing in the UAF Blue/Gold Race in Fairbanks on August 28.

MEN
In winning its first GNAC championship since 2009, Western Washington put together an exceptional race. The Vikings placed fourth through seventh and slotted all five scoring runners in the top-16 to finish with 36 points to beat second-place Simon Fraser by 38 points. Western Washington went on to place fifth at the West Regional and 22nd at the NCAA Championships.

All five scoring runners from that championship squad have moved on but the Vikings still have the talent to compete for the title. Sophomore Alec Ritter placed 38th at the 2019 GNAC Championships while junior Mac Franks, the 2021 GNAC outdoor champion at 800 meters, placed 45th in 2019. Western Washington also add talent in senior Kaleb Korta, a transfer from Alaska Anchorage, and freshman Jeret Gillingham, who won the 2021 GNAC title in the steeplechase and was named the Outdoor Track and Field Male Freshman of the Year.

Simon Fraser has not been able to compete against GNAC teams since the pandemic closed the U.S./Canada border in March 2020 but that doesn’t mean that the team has been idle. During the 2021 track and field season, head coach Brit Townsend put together a number of intrasquad meets to keep her athletes in shape. Several went on to run in open meets in Canada and in the Canadian Olympic Track and Field Trials.

Senior Aaron Ahl was one of those athletes. Ahl placed 19th at the 2019 GNAC Championships and 39th at the NCAA West Regional. He and junior Charlie Dannatt, who will be competing in his first SFU cross country season, both competed in the 1,500 meters at the Canadian Olympic Trials. Sophomore Ephrem Mekonnen also returns after finishing 43rd at the 2019 Championships.

Alaska Anchorage finished third in the 2019 GNAC Championships and eighth at the NCAA West Regional but will be challenged to replace much of its lineup in Ryan McWilliams’ second full season as head coach.

The Seawolves return the defending conference champion in senior Felix Kemboi, who took a 10-second win over Western Oregon’s Justin Crosswhite. Kemboi went on to finish eighth at the West Regional and 37th at the NCAA Championships, earning All-American honors. Junior Jacob Moos also returns after placing 32nd at the 2019 Championships. The Seawolves add depth in freshman Coleman Nash, who placed second in the 5,000 meters at the 2021 GNAC Outdoor Championships.

Northwest Nazarene’s fourth-place finish in 2019 was the best for the program since 2011. The Nighthawks return junior Tyler Shea, who placed 23rd at the GNAC Championships and went on to finish 20th at the West Regional. Shea won the only meet that he competed in during the 2020-21 season, winning the College of Idaho Ice Chipper in 19:26.46 over 6,000 meters. During the 2021 track and field season, Shea placed second in the 10,000 meters and third in the 5,000 meters.

Junior Treyson Conley is Northwest Nazarene’s top returning placer (17th) from the 2019 Championships. At February’s College of Idaho Ice Chipper, Conley finished fifth in a time of 20:22.16.

Western Oregon will replace much of its lineup in Octavious Gillespie-Bennett’s first full season as head coach. The Wolves’ top returner is sophomore Hunter Hutton, who placed 35th at the 2018 GNAC Championships but did not compete in the conference meet in 2019. Sophomore Emmett Klus is the top returning runner from the 2019 meet, placing 54th, while sophomore Bryce Mefford placed 81st.

Central Washington brings back arguably the deepest team in terms of championship experience with eight runners on the roster that competed in the 2019 Championships. Senior Trevor Allen is one of two returning top-10 finishers, placing ninth at the 2019 Championships. He did not compete in either cross country or track and field during the 2020-21 season.

Senior Rajesh Gill placed 30th at the 2019 Championships and specialized in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters during the 2021 track season. Sophomore Zach Sundt placed 43rd in 2019 while sophomore Garrett Hough finished 44th. Freshman Shawn Clough was the Wildcats’ top finisher in their lone 2020-21 meet, the CWU Winter Invitational, placing fourth in 27:10.6 over 8,000 meters.

Picked seventh, Seattle Pacific returns one runner from the 2019 Championships in senior Colin Boutin. He just missed All-GNAC honors, placing 12th in 25:38.6. Montana State Billings is picked eighth and returns five athletes with championships experience. Junior Ase Ackerman leads the list after placing 64th at the 2019 Championships, which was run on the Yellowjackets’ home course.

Saint Martin’s brings back four runners with championships experience as the meet comes to Lacey. Sophomore Zach Franco leads the group after he placed 74th in 2019. Alaska will be led this season by junior Mike Ophoff, who led the Nanooks with a 68th-place finish in 2019.

WOMEN
While always ranked among the teams expected to compete for a conference title, Seattle Pacific has come up just short since last hoisting the trophy in 2008. The Falcons finished third in both the 2018 and 2019 championships, scoring 64 points in both meets. In 2019, SPU went on to place fifth at the West Regional and 12th at the NCAA Championships.

While having to place top finishers in Kate Lilly and Dania Holmberg, Seattle Pacific returns a solid core of runners. Senior Elizabeth Thompson placed 12th in 2019 while sophomore Kelsey Washenberger placed 19th. Thompson placed sixth in the 1,500 meters at the 2021 GNAC Outdoor Championships and Washenberger was fourth in both the 800 meters and 1,500 meters. The Falcons will also welcome freshman Ellie Rising, who was the GNAC outdoor 800-meter champion and was named the conference’s Outdoor Track and Field Female Freshman of the Year.

Picked one point behind Seattle Pacific, Simon Fraser returns five athletes that raced in the conference meet in 2019. In nine conference meets since joining the GNAC, Simon Fraser has finished no worse than fourth and has finished second six times.

Like their male teammates, the SFU women spent the 2021 track and field season keeping in shape with high-charged intrasquad meets. Senior Olivia Willett fared well in those meets, running 4:46.49 in the 1,500 meters in May. She placed seventh at the 2019 GNAC Championships and third at the West Regional. Sophomore Grace Chalk placed 26th at the 2019 Championships while junior Megan Roxby placed 30th.

Alaska Anchorage put together an exceptional season in 2019, placing second at the GNAC Championships, fourth at the West Regional and eighth at the NCAA Championships. Like the UAA men, though, the Seawolves will need to replace much of the lineup that earned the team’s 12th straight year of top-10 nationals finishes.

The Seawolves are led by two of their All-GNAC runners from 2019. Senior Nancy Jeptoo placed third at the conference meet, went on to place fourth at the West Regional and 10th at the NCAA Championships to earn All-America honors. Sophomore Joan Kipsanai was named the 2019 GNAC Freshman of the Year after placing sixth at the conference meet. She went on to finish 30th at regionals.

Western Washington won its first-ever GNAC women’s championship in 2019, grouping all five scoring runners between eighth and 15th place to score the seven-point victory over Alaska Anchorage. Much like the men, though, repeating as champion means that the Vikings will do so with a brand new group of athletes.

Junior Shawnee Konrad is the lone returning finisher from the 2019 meet, placing 39th. The Vikings will receive solid newcomer help from freshman Ila Davis, who placed third in the steeplechase at the 2021 Outdoor Championships and ninth in the 5,000 meters.

Northwest Nazarene stunned the conference and the region with its second-place finish at the West Regional. After placing fifth at the GNAC Championships, the Nighthawks slotted three runners in the top-30 to place 12 points ahead of Alaska Anchorage in the meet. The team went on to place 16th in its first-ever NCAA Championships appearance.

Sophomore Julia LaMar was NNU’s top placer last year, finishing 12th at the GNAC Championships before racing to 11th at regionals to earn All-West Regional honors. She went on to finish second in the 800 meters at the 2021 Outdoor Championships. Junior Kalen Johnson placed 47th at the conference meet and finished 55th at regionals. Johnson was the top finisher at NNU’s lone 2020-21 meet, the College of Idaho Ice Chipper, placing third with a time of 15:06.4 over 4,000 meters.

Western Oregon is picked to repeat its sixth-place finish. The Wolves are led by junior Kaylin Cantu, who placed 34th at the 2019 GNAC Championships. Junior transfer Caitlin Heldt will compete in her first WOU cross country season after placing second in the 10,000 meters at the 2021 Outdoor Championships.

Central Washington returns five athletes with conference meet experience. Senior Molly Mattson leads the list. She placed 24th at the 2019 GNAC Championships and fifth in the 10,000 meters at last spring’s outdoor championships. Mattson was the top finisher at the CWU Winter Invitational in February, clocking 23:51.1 over 6,000 meters. Junior Madison Child placed 41st at the 2019 Championships.

Saint Martin’s returns its top-five scoring athletes from the 2019 meet. Sophomore Elaina Hansen, who placed 46th that year, leads the Saints. She ended the track season with a seventh-place finish in the 10,000 meters. Sophomore Naomi Hartley placed 67th in 2019. Freshman Cassidy Walchak-Sloan provides depth after placing third in the 1,500 meters at the 2021 Outdoor Championships.

Alaska, which is picked ninth, is led by Sarah Olson. The junior placed 71st at the 2019 Championships while senior Rya Berrigan placed 73rd. Montana State Billings is led by junior Kailee Stoppel, who finished 57th in 2019.