Thursday, September 8, 2022
A BIG DAY FOR THE BEGINNERS: The first meets of the season for Seattle Pacific and Western Oregon proved to be debut parties for two runners who earned victories in their first collegiate meets.
Thanks to a combination of injuries and the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, Falcons senior Libby Michael had not run in an official collegiate cross country meet. When she finally got the chance to run at Saturday’s Puget Sound Invitational, she won it all.
Michael won the women’s 5,000-meter race in a time of 18:58, leading a top-five sweep for Seattle Pacific and a team victory with a perfect score of 15 points. The victory earned Michael selection as the GNAC Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week.
Three of the Falcons’ scoring five were running in their first collegiate meets. Freshman Matise Mulch was second in a time of 19:09.1 while freshman Katelyn Flolo was third in a time of 19:27.
Western Oregon ran a limited lineup of just four freshmen women at Friday’s Linfield Harrier Classic but saw three of its runners take the top three places. Riley Smith won the race, covering the 4,000-meter course in a time of 15:10.5. Holly Hutton was second in 15:13.9 while Ali Clifton was third in 15:49.4.
TWO IN A ROW: For the second week in a row, Alaska Anchorage and Alaska dueled each other in the Seawolf Throwdown on Saturday in Anchorage. Individually and as teams, the results were the same.
Alaska won the women’s competition with a score of 23 points. For the second straight week, sophomore Kendall Kramer won the race as she covered the 6,000-meter course in 22:17.
Alaska Anchorage won the men’s competition with a score of 18 points. Sophomore Coleman Nash won the 8,000-meter race in a time of 25:22. He was selected as the GNAC Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week for the second straight week.
TAKE YOUR MARKS: Three more GNAC teams start their 2022 seasons this weekend. Montana State Billings open on Friday, participating in the Gage McSpadden Memorial meet in Spearfish, South Dakota.
Central Washington will host Seattle Pacific and Western Washington for the CWU Apple Ridge Run in Yakima on Saturday. It will be the season opener for the Wildcats and Vikings.
2022 GNAC RACE WINNERS
MEN
Coleman Nash, UAA (UAF Blue/Gold Race, Aug. 27, 27;17, 8,000m)
Coleman Nash, UAA (Seawolf Throwdown, Sept. 3, 25:22, 8,000m)
WOMEN
Kendall Kramer, UAF (UAF Blue/Gold Race, Aug. 27, 18:28, 5,000m)
Riley Smith, WOU (Linfield Harrier Classic, Sept. 2, 15:10.5, 4,000m)
Kendall Kramer, UAF (Seawolf Throwdown, Sept. 3, 22:17, 6,000m)
Libby Michael, SPU (Puget Sound Invitational, Sept. 3, 18:58, 5,000m)
THIS WEEK'S GNAC ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MEN
Coleman Nash, Alaska Anchorage
Sophomore • Littleton, Colo.
Nash was a winner over Alaska for the second week in a row, winning the Seawolf Throwdown on Saturday with a time of 25:22 over 8,000 meters. Nash finished 44 seconds ahead of second-place teammate Michael Zapherson and led the Seawolves to the victory in the dual meet with 18 points.
WOMEN
Libby Michael, Seattle Pacific
Senior • Nine Mile Falls, Wash.
Running in her first collegiate cross country meet, Michael was the winner of the Puget Sound Invitational on Saturday, covering the 5,000-meter course in a time of 18:57. She led Seattle Pacific to the team victory with a perfect score of 15 points.
Also Nominated: Riley Smith (Western Oregon).
AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Dueling Alaska Anchorage for the second week in a row, Alaska captured the women’s race and took second in the men’s race at the Seawolf Throwdown on Saturday in Anchorage.
• The UAF women won with a score of 23 points, nine points ahead of UAA. The Nanooks had the top three finishers in the race.
• Sophomore Kendall Kramer won her second race in as many weeks, covering the 6,000-meter course in a time of 22:17. She averaged 5 minutes, 59 seconds per mile. Sophomore Rosie Fordham was second for the straight week with a time of 22:19.
• Sophomore Naomi Bailey rounded out the UAF top three in her first race of the season, placing third in a time of 22:23.
• The Alaska men lost to Alaska Anchorage, finishing with a total of 23 points. Sophomore Koen Ross was the Nanooks’ top finisher, placing sixth in a time of 28:26 over 8,000 meters.
• For the first time in program history, the UAF women received votes in the USTFCCCA Division II Women’s Preseason Poll. They are also ranked ninth in the preseason regional poll.
• The Nanooks will not race again until Friday, Oct. 7, competing at the Yellowjacket/Battlin’ Bears Open in Billings, Montana.
ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• For the second straight week, Alaska Anchorage captured its dual meet with Alaska on the men’s side at the Seawolf Throwdown, Saturday at Anchorage’s Kincaid Park.
• Sophomore Coleman Nash was a winner for the second straight week, covering the 8,000-meter course in a time of 25:22. The victory earned Nash selection as the GNAC Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week for the second week in a row. It was the fifth victory of his collegiate career.
• Junior Michael Zapherson placed second in a time of 26:04 while freshman Stephen Zukowski completed the 1-2-3 sweep for the Seawolves in a time of 27:44. Both were running in their first meets for UAA while Zukowski was in his first collegiate meet.
• The Alaska Anchorage women placed second to UAF with a score of 32 points. Senior Alfin Nyamasyo led the Seawolves, finishing fourth in a time of 24:41. Freshman Jordan Strausbaugh was fifth in 25:12 while sophomore Sofija Spaic was sixth in 25:33.
• Alaska Anchorage does not compete again until Saturday, Sept. 24 at the Bill Roe Classic in Bellingham, Washington.
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington opens its 2022 season on Saturday, hosting the CWU Apple Ridge Run in Yakima.
• The Wildcats enter the season ranked No. 5 in the GNAC Men’s Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll and eighth in the women’s preseason ranking.
MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings opens its 2022 season on Friday when it races in the Gage McSpadden Memorial in Spearfish, South Dakota.
• The Yellowjackets are picked sixth in the GNAC Men’s Cross Country Preseason Poll while the women are slotted 10th.
NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene’s scheduled opening meet for the 2022 season, the CSI Invite in Twin Falls, Idaho last Friday, was canceled due to extreme heat.
• With the cancellation, the Nighthawks will open 2022 on Friday, Sept. 16 at the Eastern Oregon Invite in Island City, Oregon.
• Both the Nighthawks’ men and women are picked eighth in the GNAC Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll.
SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s will not start its 2022 season until Friday, Sept. 16, at the Ash Creek Invitational in Monmouth, Oregon.
• The Saints’ women are picked to finish sixth in the GNAC Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll. The men are picked to finish seventh.
SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific opened 2022 with a bang, posting a perfect score of 15 points in the women’s race at the Puget Sound Invitational, Saturday in Lakewood, Washington.
• Senior Libby Michael was named the GNAC Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week after she won the women’s 5,000-meter race in a time of 18:58. It was her first official collegiate cross country meet after having her first three seasons wiped out by injuries and the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The Falcons’ 15 points was 27 points better than second-place Pacific Lutheran. Freshman Matise Mulch was second in her collegiate debut in 19:09.1 while fellow freshman Katelyn Flolo was third in a time of 19:27.
• The SPU men placed second in the season debut with 45 points, 13 points behind first-place Pacific Lutheran. Sophomore Drew Thompson led the way, placing third in a time of 15:47.5 over 5,000 meters. Junior Brennan LeBlanc finished third in a time of 15:52.4.
• The Falcons return to action this weekend, traveling to Yakima, Washington on Saturday for the CWU Apple Ridge Run.
SIMON FRASER
• The defending GNAC men’s and women’s champions, Simon Fraser will not start the season until the Ash Creek Invitational on Friday, Sept. 16 in Monmouth, Oregon.
• The SFU women are ranked ninth in the USTFCCCA Division II Preseason Poll, which was released on Tuesday. The team is also ranked No. 1 in the West Region. The SFU men are ranked eighth in the West Region but missed the Division II rankings.
• Both the Simon Fraser men and women are picked to repeat as champions in the GNAC Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll.
WESTERN OREGON
• A limited lineup of freshman women made their mark Friday as Western Oregon opened the season at the Linfield Harrier Classic in McMinnville, Oregon.
• Riley White led the top-three sweep, covering the 4,000-meter course in a time of 15:10.5. Holly Hutton was second in 15:13.9 while Ali Clifton was third in 15:49.4.
• The three WOU runners finished 13 seconds ahead of fourth-place Jennifer Torres-Bermudez of Linfield.
• The WOU men are ranked ninth in the USTFCCCA West Region Preseason Coaches Poll.
• Western Oregon is expected to field full squads when it hosts the Ash Creek Collegiate on Friday in Monmouth.
WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington will begin its 2022 season on Saturday, competing in the CWU Apple Ridge Run in Yakima, Washington.
• Both the Vikings’ men and women enter the season ranked in the USTFCCCA Division II Preseason Poll. The WWU women are ranked 20th while the men are ranked 30th.
• Western Washington men and women are picked second in the GNAC Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll. The Vikings were runners-up in both conference meet races last year.