Wednesday, September 18, 2019

WASHINGTON’S BIG APPLE: It was the starting line for four GNAC teams last Saturday as Central Washington hosted its annual Apple Ridge Invitational on the Apple Ridge Course in Yakima.

The opener was a particularly good one for Simon Fraser and Western Washington. The Clan won the men’s team title with a score of 26 points while the women placed third with a score of 54 points. The Vikings were second in both team races, with the women scoring 42 points and the men scoring 44 points.

The race yielded both GNAC Athletes of the Week. Simon Fraser junior Carlos Vargas won the men’s award as he placed second in the 6,000-meter race in a time of 19:06.8. Western Washington junior Jane Barr claimed the women’s award, taking third in the 4,000-meter race in a time of 15:14.7.

The Apple Ridge Invitational is unique as it is one of the few meets in the west held on a course exclusively dedicated to cross country (most meets are held on college campuses, parks or golf courses). Run on land donated by Strand Fruit of Cowiche, Washington, the Apple Ridge course is in the country, near Yakima, and surrounded by apple orchards.

WINNER’S CIRCLE: The following GNAC athletes have picked up cross country victories during the 2019 season...

MEN
Wesley Kirui, UAA (Blue & Gold Run Fest, Aug. 31, 21:59.68, 7,000m).

WOMEN
Nikki Aiken, MSUB (SD Mines Hardrocker Classic, Sept. 7, 21:25.40, 5,000m)
Emmah Chelimo, UAA (Blue & Gold Run Fest, Aug. 31, 18:33.12, 5,000m)

NATIONAL RANKINGS: The conference continues to be represented well in the first USTFCCCA Division II Coaches Polls of the regular season. Four conference teams remain in the women’s poll, led by Alaska Anchorage at No. 7 and Seattle Pacific at No. 8. Western Washington climbed two positions to No. 15 while Simon Fraser dropped nine spots to No. 17.

In the men’s poll, Simon Fraser climbed two spots to No. 11. Alaska Anchorage moved up three spots to No. 14 while Western Washington leaped seven spots to No. 17.

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE: For the first time, the GNAC Championships will head east of the Rocky Mountains to Billings, Montana. The conference meet will be held on Saturday, Oct. 26, at Amend Park and is hosted by Montana State Billings. The course is familiar to GNAC teams, though, having hosted the NCAA West Regional Championships in 2014, 2016 and 2018. Western Oregon’s Ash Creek Preserve, which hosted last year’s GNAC Championships, will be the site of the NCAA West Regional Championships on Saturday, Nov. 9.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MEN
Carlos Vargas, Simon Fraser
Senior • Brossard, Que.

Vargas averaged 5 minutes, 7 seconds per mile as he finished second in the men’s 6,000-meter race at the CWU Invitational on Saturday. Vargas finished in a time of 19:06.74 to lead three top-five finishes for the GNAC in the meet. He led Simon Fraser to the team title with 26 points.

Also Nominated: Donovan Barnhart (Central Washington), Logan Straus (Montana State Billings), Godfrey Kemboi (Northwest Nazarene), Andrew Oslin (Saint Martin’s), Macauley Franks (Western Washington).

WOMEN
Jane Barr, Western Washington
Junior • Seattle, Wash.

Barr placed third at the women’s 4,000-meter race at the CWU Invitational on Saturday. She finished in a time of 15:14.7, averaging 6 minutes, 8 seconds per mile to lead three top-five GNAC finishers. Barr led the Vikings to a second-place team finish with 44 points.

Also Nominated: Lily Tyrrell (Central Washington), Bethany Danner (Northwest Nazarene), Elaina Hansen (Saint Martin’s), Olivia Willett (Simon Fraser).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska last competed on Sept. 6 at the Ash Creek Invitational. The Nanooks will return to Monmouth, Oregon this Friday to compete in the Sundowner Invitational.

• Alaska succeeded in a fourth-place women’s finish and an eighth-place men’s finish at the Ash Creek Invitational.

• The Nanooks’ women were the top placer out of three competing GNAC teams, scoring 131 points. Senior Alex Bergholtz was the No. 2 finishing runner from the GNAC, placing 12th in a time of 15:43.9 over 4,000 meters.

• Sophomore Anja Maijala and freshman Noelle Resignolo also scored top-20 finishes. Maijala finished 18th in a time of 16:18.8 while Resignolo was 19th in a time of 16:19.3.

• The UAF men also placed first among GNAC teams in the meet with a score of 202 points. Freshman Mike Ophoff led all conference runners in the race, placing 22nd in a time of 19:39.8 over 6,000 meters.

• Junior Logan Mowry placed 34th in a time of 19:49.8 while sophomore Zephan Ozturgut finished 41st in a time of 20:01.8.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage has not competed since the Blue & Gold Run Fest on Aug. 31. The Seawolves return to action at the Capitol Cross Classic in Sacramento, California, on Saturday, Sept. 28.

• Senior Emmah Chelimo won her fifth race in a UAA uniform as she covered the 5,000-meter course in a time of 18:33.12. The victory earned Chelimo selection as the GNAC Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week on Sept. 3.

• Junior Nancy Jeptoo was right with Chelimo, placing second in a time of 18:33.89. Senior Yvonne Jeschke placed third in a time of 19:36.

• Junior Wesley Kirui was the winner in the men’s 7,000-meter race, finishing in a time of 21:59.68. It was the fourth individual win in a UAA singlet for Kirui, who was named the GNAC Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week on Sept. 3.

• Junior Felix Kemboi placed second for the Seawolves in a time of 22:11.15 while Nickson Koech placed third in a time of 22:57.16.

• The Alaska Anchorage women lead three GNAC teams in the top-10 of the USTFCCCA Division II Coaches Poll No. 7. The UAA men jumped three spots to the preseason poll to No. 14.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Opening the season with its lone home meet of the season, the Central Washington men placed third and the women placed fourth in its own CWU Apple Ridge Invitational on Saturday.

• Junior Lily Tyrrell was the top individual finisher for the Wildcats, placing 20th in the women’s 4,000-meter race in a time of 15:54.1. Sophomore Molly Mattson was one place behind in 21st with a time of 15:56.4.

• Junior Donovan Barnhart led the CWU men, placing 23rd in the men’s 6,000-meter race in a time of 20:04.6. Freshman Garrett Hough was right behind in 24th place in a time of 20:05.6. In all, the Wildcats’ five scoring runners had a gap of just 16 seconds.

• Central Washington returns to competition on Friday, competing in the Sundowner Invitational in Monmouth, Oregon.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia took a weekend off after opening the season at the Ash Creek Invitational on Sept. 6. The Cavaliers return to Monmouth on Friday for the Sundowner Invitational.

• At the Ash Creek Invitational. The Cavaliers’ men placed 10th with a score of 238 points while the women placed 11th with a score of 230 points.

• Freshman Josh Scheetz was the top finisher for the Cavaliers in either race, finishing 25th on the men’s 6,000-meter course in a time of 19:33.2. Freshman Ethan Tucey was the No. 2 finisher, placing 39th in a time of 19:58.2.

• Senior Gabrielle Hobson was the top women’s placer, coming in 32nd with a time of 16:36.9 over 4,000 meters. Freshman Cheyenne Abbott was 43rd in 17:01.2 while freshman Abby Burton was 44th in 17:02.5.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Racing at the same park that will host next month’s GNAC Championships, Montana State Billings finished sixth in the men’s competition and eighth in the women’s at the Frontier Preview Meet in Billings.

• Senior Nikki Aiken was the top finisher in either race for the Yellowjackets. She finished 13th in the women’s 5,000-meter race in a time of 20:30.90.

• Sophomore Logan Straus was the top MSUB finisher in the men’s race. He placed 26th in the 8,000-meter run with a time of 29:00.30. Freshman Bryant Edgerton placed 30th as he covered the course in 29:18.60.

• The Yellowjackets will be off this weekend before traveling to the Twin Cities on September 28 to compete in the University of Minnesota’s Roy Griak Invitational.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene notched a pair of second-place team finishes at the EOU Invitational on Friday in La Grande, Oregon.

• The NNU women finished with 36 points, eight points behind College of Idaho. There was a 1 minute, 11 second gap between the No. 1 and No. 5 runners.

• Senior Bethany Danner led the Nighthawks’ women individually, placing fourth as she covered the 5,000-meter course in 18:57.10. Junior Annalisa Hamilton was sixth in a time of 19:18.70.

• The Northwest Nazarene men placed second with a score of 41 points and saw two athletes notch top-10 finishes.

• Senior Godfrey Kemboi placed second in the 8,000-meter race in a time of 26:02.40. Sophomore Tyler Shea placed fourth in a time of 26:09.60.

• Northwest Nazarene will take the weekend off before returning to competition on Saturday, Sept. 28 at the Ken Garland Invitational in Lacey, Washington.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• In its season-opening competition, the Saint Martin’s men placed fourth and the women placed sixth at the CWU Apple Ridge Invitational in Yakima, Washington.

• Sophomore Andrew Oslin was the top placer for the Saints in either race, taking 17th in the men’s 6,000-meter race in a time of 19:44.33. Freshman Nick Sarysz also had a top-20 finish, placing 20th in a time of 20:00.7.

• Freshman Elaina Hansen led the SMU women, placing 30th in the 4,000-meter race in a time of 16:22.0. Freshman Bethany Forward was the No. 2 runner, placing 39th in 17:13.2.

• The Saints will not compete this weekend. They are next on the course on Saturday, Sept. 28, hosting the Ken Garland Invitational on the Saint Martin’s campus.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific will open its season on Sat., Sept. 21, competing at the PLU Invitational in Tacoma, Washington.

• The SPU women moved up one spot in the first USTFCCCA Division II Coaches Poll of the regular-season, coming in at No. 8.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser got the 2019 season off to a great start, winning the men’s race and placing second in the women’s race at the CWU Apple Ridge Invitational.

• The Clan men won with a score of 26 points, 18 points ahead of second-place Western Washington. The team placed six runners in the top-10 and has just a 26-second gap between the five scoring runners.

• Senior Carlos Vargas was named the GNAC Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week after placing second in the 6,000-meter race in a time of 19:06.8.

• Junior Aaron Ahl placed third with a time of 19:14.1. Freshman Ephrem Mekennon led a quartet of SFU runners that placed between sixth and 10th, taking seventh in a time of 19:30.7.

• The Simon Fraser women scored a total of 54 points to place third and was 14 points behind second-place Western Washington.

• The Clan had two top-10 runners. Junior Olivia Willett opened with a fifth-place finish, covering the 4,000-meter course in 15:25.7. Junior Mairin Shields-Brown was 10th in a time of 15:32.5.

• The Simon Fraser men lead three teams in the USTFCCCA Division II Coaches Poll at No. 11. The Clan women propped nine spots from the preseason poll, coming in this week at No. 17.

• Simon Fraser will return to action on Friday, taking part in the Sundowner Invitational in Monmouth, Oregon.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon did not compete last weekend. The Wolves will host their second home meet of the season, the Sundowner Invitational, on Friday.

• Western Oregon’s second-place finish in the women’s team competition proved the highlight in the first of three home meets this season, the Ash Creek Invitational, on Sept. 6.

• The Wolves’ women scored 90 points to finish 27 points ahead of Willamette. Oregon won with a near-perfect score of 16 points. Sophomore Kaylin Cantu led the way, placing 10th with a time of 16:00.1 over the 4,000-meter course.

• Senior Cassie McKinney also had a top-20 finish, placing 15th in a time of 16:18.0. Freshman Jillian Green just missed the top-20, placing 22nd in a time of 16:18.

• Western Oregon’s men placed 11th with a score of 253 points. Freshman Bryce Mefford led the Wolves as he placed 27th in a time of 19:39.8 over 6,000 meters. Junior Curt Knott was 28th in a time of 19:41.4.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington opened the season with a pair of second-place team finishes at the CWU Apple Ridge Invitational on Saturday.

• The women scored 42 points, finishing behind 15 points behind first-place Trinity Western. The men scored 44 points, 18 points behind Simon Fraser.

• Junior Jane Barr was named the GNAC Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week as she placed third with a time of 15:14.7 over the 4,000-meter course.

• The Vikings placed three runners in the top-10 of the women’s race and had a gap of 28 seconds between the top-five runners. Sophomore Tovah Swartz-Ireland placed fourth in a time of 15:28.7 while sophomore Rebecca Lehman was sixth in a time of 15:28.7.

• Sophomore Macauley Franks led the WWU men, placing fifth in the 6,000-meter race in a time of 19:27.5. Freshman Alec Ritter was right behind, placing sixth in a time of 19:27.5. The Vikings finished with just a 16-second gap between the No. 1 and No. 5 runners.

• The Western Washington men jumped seven spots in the USTFCCCA Division II Coaches Poll, moving up to No. 17. The WWU women moved up two spots to No. 15.

• The Vikings will return to action this weekend, competing in the Emerald City Open on Saturday in Seattle.