JOPLIN, Mo. - Micah Chelimo of Alaska Anchorage won the NCAA Division II men’s cross country individual national title Saturday at the Missouri Southern State cross country course leading the Seawolves to a third-place team finish.

Chelimo had the highest-ever finish by a GNAC male athlete in the national meet in earning All-American honors for the fourth year in a row.  By virtue of his win, he also earned the USTFCCCA Athlete of the Year award.

Chelimo covered the 10,000-meter course in a time of 28:56.6, finishing 15 ½ seconds ahead of runner-up Kevin Batt of Adams State, who was clocked in a time of 29:12.1.

Chelimo, who also had All-American finishes, in 2009 (40th), 2010 (21st) and 2011 (11th), bettered the previous best GNAC finish of seventh by Paul Kezes of Western Washington in 2002.

UAA also got All-American (Top 40) finishes from Alfred Kangogo and Dylan Anthony in finishing third with a team score of 148.  Kangogo placed 14th in a time of 29:56.5 and Anthony was 23rd in a time of 30:09.4.  Also earning All-American honors was Dak Riek of Western Washington who placed 37th in a time of 30:20.9.

Adams State won the team title with 34 points, well ahead of second place Colorado Mines (102) and UAA. The Seawolves bettered the previous best team finish by a GNAC team of fourth by Western Washington in 2009.  UAA's previous best team finish was a pair of eighths in 2010 and 2011. Western Washington ended up 21st.

Susan Tanui nearly made it a clean sweep of the individual titles for the Seawolves placing second in the women's race in a time of 20:12.6, just 9.3 seconds back of winner Alicia Nelson of Adams State.

Tanui is the third GNAC woman to finish either first or second since 2007.  Seattle Pacific’s Jessica Pixler won three consecutive national titles in 2007, 2008 and 2009, while Western Washington’s Sarah Porter finished second in both 2009 and 2010.

Tanui was the lone GNAC female to win All-American honors Saturday.  Kathie Thralls of Seattle Pacific had the next highest finish placing 44th in a time of 21:28.2 in leading the Falcons to a 17th place team finish.

UAA finished sixth in the team standings as Grand Valley State edged Augusta (S.D.) 101-104 for team title.  The Seawolves had 202 points, earning their fifth straight Top 10 finish at the national meet.  UAA also finished ninth in 2008, fifth in 2009, sixth in 2010 and sixth in 2011.  

WEST REGION EARNS FIVE FOR 2013:  Chico State finished fifth in both the men's and women's races.  Along with UAA's Top 8 team finishes, that earns the West Region five team berths for the 2013 meet when it returns to Spokane as the GNAC hosts the meet for the second time in three years.

Men –  1. Adams State 34, 2. Colorado Mines 102, 3. Alaska Anchorage 148, 4. Augustana (S.D.) 182, 5. Chico State 183, 6. Western State 194, 7. Grand Valley State 222, 8. Missouri Southern 308, 9. Edinboro and Ashland 325; 21. Western Washington 542.  Individuals (10,000 Meters) - 1. Micah Chelimo, UAA, 28:56.6; 14. Alfred Kangogo, UAA, 29:56.5; 23. Dylan Anthony, UAA, 30:09.4; 37. Dak Riek, WWU, 30:20.9; 67. Kevin Rooke, UAA, 30:55.3; 72. Jacob Parisien, UAA, 30:58.9; 126. Tyler Cannon, WWU, 31:46.8; 127. Isaac Kangogo, UAA, 31:47.0; 143. Tanner Boyd, WWU, 31:57.1; 155. Chip Jackson, WWU, 32:05.2; 166. Kyle Johnson, WWU, 32:15.1; 186. Tabor Reedy, WWU, 32:35.8; 189. Dominik Notz, UAA, 32:40.9; 196. Dylan Peterson, WWU, 32:47.1.

Women – 1. Grand Valley State 101, 2. Augustana (S.D.) 104, 3. Adams State 109, 4. Western State 172, 5. Chico State 200, 6. Alaska Anchorage 202, 7. Shippensburg 287, 8. Colorado Mines 292, 9. Winona State 304, 10. UC-Colorado Springs 326, 17. Seattle Pacific 393.  Individuals (6,000 Meters) – 1. Alicia Nelson, Adams State, 20:03.3; 2. Susan Tanui, UAA, 20:12.6; 44. Katie Thralls, SPU, 21:28.2; 48. Ivy O’Guinn, UAA, 21:34.5; 50, Miriam Kipng’eno, UAA, 21:35.9; 62. Sarah Freistone, UAA, 21:46.9; 88. McKayla Fricker, SPU, 22:05.6; 93. Susan Bick, UAA, 22:10.6; 96. Katie Morris, SPU, 22:17.3; 100. Bryn Haebe, UAA, 22:20.9; 122. Lynelle Decker, SPU, 22:34.6; 129. Jasmine Johnson, SPU, 22:37.9; 132. Anna Patti, SPU, 22:38.7; 135. Robyn Zeidler, SPU, 22:40.5; 170. Katie Krehlik, UAA, 22:57.8.