Saturday, October 22, 2011

Micah Chelimo and Ruth Keino won individual titles to lead defending champion Alaska Anchorage to the men's and women's team titles Saturday in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference cross country championships at the Apple Ridge Run Cross Country Facility near Yakima.

Chelimo won the men's 8,000 meters in a time of 24:24, finishing seven seconds ahead of second-place Barak Watson of Northwest Nazarene.

The Seawolves placed five runners in the Top 10 to win their fifth men's team title in the 11-year history of the meet with a total of 27 points. Western Washington placed second with 63 points.

Keino won the women's 6,000 meters in a time of 21:26, becoming just the seventh woman in the history of the GNAC to earn all-conference honors (with a Top 10 finish) four times.

Alaska Anchorage, which won its third straight women's team title outpointing Simon Fraser 31-76, placed three runners in the top four including Miriam Kipng'eno and Ivy O'Guinn who finished third and fourth, respectively.

SFU broke up the UAA domination getting a second place finish from Jessica Smith in a time of 21:39 and a fifth from Lindsey Butterworth.

Tyler Cannon of Western Washington and Dylan Anthony of Alaska Anchorage earned GNAC Male Newcomer and Freshman-of-the-Year honors by finishing fifth and seventh, respectively.

Former soccer player Heidi Laabs-Johnson of Seattle Pacific, who placed eighth, and Bryn Haebe of Alaska Anchorage, who finished 13th, received the GNAC Female Newcomer and Freshman-of-the-Year award, respectively.

By virtue of their first-place finishes, Chelimo and Keino were crowned the GNAC Male and Female Athletes-of-the-Year.

In addition to Keino, eight other athletes were repeat all-conference selections.

On the women's side, Kipng'eno, Natty Plunkett of Seattle Pacific and Lauren Breihof of Western Washington finished in the Top 10 for the third time. Plunkett placed seventh and Breihof finished ninth.

On the men's side, Chelimo, Watson, Kyle Van Santen of Saint Martin's (3rd) and Alfred Kangogo of Alaska Anchorage (4th) each earned their third Top 10 finish.

SMU's Spencer Hunt, who placed eighth, finished in the Top 10 for the second year in a row.

GNAC Championships (Oct. 22 at Yakima): Men - Alaska Anchorage 27, Western Washington 63, Western Oregon 80, Northwest Nazarene 139, Saint Martin's 151, Seattle Pacific 161, Simon Fraser 193, Central Washington 203, Montana State Billings 220, Alaska Fairbanks 228. All-Conference (8,000 Meters) - 1. Micah Chelimo, UAA, 24:24; 2. Barak Watson, NNU, 24:31; 3. Kyle Van Santen, SMU, 25:00; 4. Alfred Kangogo, UAA, 25:13; 5. Tyler Cannon, WWU, 25:18; 6. Yonatan Yilma, UAA, 25:18; 7. Dylan Anthony, UAA; 25:32; 8. Spencer Hunt, SMU; 25:38; 9. Isaac Kangogo, UAA, 25:41; 10. Dak Riek, WWU, 25:44. Women -   Alaska Anchorage 31, Simon Fraser 76, Western Washington 87, Alaska Fairbanks 97, Seattle Pacific 110, Northwest Nazarene 173, Western Oregon 196, Montana State Billings 234, Saint Martin's 236, Central Washington 269. All-Conference (6,000 Meters) - 1.Ruth Keino, UAA, 21:26; 1. Jessica Smith, SFU, 21:39; 3. Miriam Kipng'eno, UAA, 22:12; 4. Ivy O'Guinn, UAA, 22:24; 5. Lindsey Butterworth, SFU, 22:36; 6. Theresia Schnurr, UAF, 22:44; 7. Natty Plunkett, SPU, 22:44; 8. Heidi Laabs-Johnson, SPU, 22:44; 9. Lauren Breihof, WWU, 22:45; 10. Whitney Mickelsen, MSU, 22:51.