Thursday, September 23, 2021

FIRST-TIMERS: Individual success has been the hallmark of the GNAC cross country season in September. To date, 12 different conference athletes have won races. That includes three more last weekend.

Montana State Billings opened its season last Friday at the Gage McSpadden Memorial in Spearfish, South Dakota, and junior Ase Ackerman took charge in the small field. Ackerman became just the fourth men’s runner in the Yellowjackets’ GNAC era to win a race, running 19:21.5 over 6,000 meters. Ackerman was nine seconds ahead of South Dakota Mines’ Tim Dunham to become the first MSUB men’s winner since Jorey Egeland won the Yellowjacket Invitational on October 7, 2017.

The winning performance earned Ackerman selection as the GNAC Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week.

Northwest Nazarene ran in its first race of the season and Julia LaMar came out on top. The sophomore won her second collegiate as she covered the 5,000-meter course at the Eastern Oregon Invitational in a time of 19:22.9. That was just enough to outdistance College of Idaho’s Kahea Figueira by three seconds.

At Saturday’s PLU Invitational on Tacoma, Washington, it was Seattle Pacific sophomore Annika Esvelt who crossed the line in first. Running in just her second collegiate cross country meet, Esvelt coasted to a 15-second win with a time of 22:15.7 over 6,000 meters. The winning performance earned Esvelt selection as the GNAC Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week.

WINNER’S CIRCLE: The following GNAC athletes have picked up cross country victories during the 2021 season...

MEN
Coleman Nash, UAA (UAF Blue/Gold Race, Aug. 28, 22:53, 6,000m)
Coleman Nash, UAA (Seawolf Throwdown, Sept. 4, 26:18.4, 8,000m)
Kainalu Pagente, SMU (Puget Sound Invitational, Sept. 4, 19:03, 6,000m)
Aaron Ahl, SFU (San Francisco St., Sept. 10, 24:30.6, 8,000m)
Keanu Daos, WOU (Ash Creek Invitational, Sept. 10, 18:22.1, 4,000m)
Ase Ackerman, MSUB (Gage McSpadden Memorial, Sept. 17, 19:21.5, 6,000m)

WOMEN
Kendall Kramer, UAF (UAF Blue/Gold Race, Aug. 28, 18:34, 5,000m)
Naomi Bailey, UAF (Seawolf Throwdown, Sept. 4, 22:37.8, 6,000m)
Sara Sabra, SMU (Puget Sound Invitational, Sept. 4, 15:35, 4,000m)
Olivia Willett, SFU (SF State Invitational, Sept. 10, 21:57.6, 6,000m)
Luz Garcia, WOU (Ash Creek Invitational, Sept. 10, 13:59.3, 4,000m)
Julia LaMar, NNU (EOU Invitational, Sept. 17, 19:22.9, 5,000m)
Annika Esvelt, SPU (PLU Invitational, Sept. 18, 22:15.7, 6,000m)

THIS WEEK'S GNAC ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MEN
Ase Ackerman, Montana State Billings
Junior • Glendive, Mont.

Ackerman won the men’s 6,000-meter at Friday’s Gage McSpadden Memorial in a time of 19:21.5. Ackerman averaged 5:11 per mile and finished nine seconds ahead of Tim Dunham of South Dakota Mines. He is just the fourth MSUB men’s athlete to win a race in the program’s GNAC era and the first since Jorey Egeland on October 7, 2017.

Also Nominated: Trevor Allen (Central Washington), Tyler Shea (Northwest Nazarene).

WOMEN
Annika Esvelt, Seattle Pacific
Freshman • Spokane, Wash.

Competing in just her second collegiate cross country race, Esvelt posted an 11-second victory at the PLU Invitational. She covered the 6,000-meter course in a time of 22:15.7 for the 11-second win over Kara Putman of Pacific (Ore.), averaging 5:58 per mile.

Also Nominated: Kay Lester (Central Washington), Kailee Stoppel (Montana State Billings), Julia LaMar (Northwest Nazarene).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska did not race last week. The Nanooks return to the course on Friday at the Mike Johnson Classic in Monmouth, Oregon.

• Alaska last competed in the Seawolf Throwdown on Saturday, September 4. For the second time this season, Alaska captured the women’s team title with a score of 23 points, 11 better than UAA. The Nanooks’ men placed second with 18 points.

• Freshman Naomi Bailey won the 6,000-meter race in a time of 22:37.8. She was 45 seconds ahead of freshman teammate Rosie Fordham, who finished second for the second straight week.

• Junior Mike Ophoff was the Nanooks’ lead runner in the men’s race, finishing third in a time of 26:42.2. He was the only UAF runner in the top-six.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage did not compete last week. The Seawolves do not race again until the Chambers Bay Collegiate Open on Saturday, October 2.

• The Seawolves last competed on Saturday, September 4, capturing the men’s team title and placed second in the women’s race in its own Seawolf Throwdown.

• Freshman Coleman Nash was the winner in the men’s race as he covered the 8,000-meter course in a time of 26:18.4. He was nine seconds faster than junior Jacob Moos, who was second in 26:27.9.

• Senior Nancy Jeptoo led the Seawolves’ women, covering the 6,000-meter distance in a time of 24:334.2 to place third. Junior Alfin Nyamasyo was fifth in a time of 26:00.9.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington placed second in the men’s race and sixth in the women’s race at Saturday’s PLU Invitational in Tacoma.

• The Wildcats’ men finished with a score of 68 points, five points behind host Pacific Lutheran. There was a 39-second gap between the five scoring runners.

• Senior Trevor Allen led the way, placing 10th with a time of 25:57.7 over 8,000 meters. Freshman Ty Savely placed 12th in a time of 26:16. Freshman Shawn Clough was 13th in 26:17.2 while senior Rajesh Gill placed 16th in 26:21.9.

• The CWU women scored 130 points, 12 points behind Seattle Pacific. Junior Kay Lester was the Wildcat’s top runner, placing 17th in a time of 24:08.5 over 6,000 meters.

• Junior Madison Child placed 22nd in a time of 24:20.6 while freshman Kelli Heim placed 28th in 24:39.8.

• Central Washington is one of three GNAC teams scheduled to compete in the Ken Garland Classic on Saturday in Lacey, Washington.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings opened its 2021 season by competing at the Gage McSpadden Memorial on Friday in Spearfish, South Dakota.

• The Yellowjackets only had two men’s competitors but junior Ase Ackerman made the most of the opportunity. He was named the GNAC Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week after winning the 6,000-meter race in a time of 19:21.5. He was nine seconds faster than Tim Dunham of South Dakota Mines.

• Ackerman is the fourth MSUB men’s athlete to win a race in the GNAC era and the first since Jorey Egeland won the Yellowjacket Invitational on October 7, 2017.

• Montana State Billings won the two-team women’s competition with a score of 25 points. Junior Kailee Stoppel placed second in a time of 19:56.2 over 5,000 meters while junior Ally Whitmer placed third in 20:51.6. Sophomore Madisan Chavez rounded out MSUB runners in the top-10, placing seventh in 22:00.7.

• Montana State Billings is back in action on Friday, competing in the Montana Open at the University of Montana Golf Course in Missoula.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene opened the 2021 season with a third-place women’s team finish and a fourth-place men’s team finish at the Eastern Oregon Invitational in La Grande.

• Sophomore Julia LaMar opened the season with her second collegiate victory, covering the 5,000-meter course in a time of 19:22.9. She scored a three-second victory over College of Idaho’s Kahea Figueira.

• Junior Kalen Belton was not far behind, placing third in a time of 19:28. Freshman Emily McMahon rounded out NNU finishers in the top-15, placing 14th in 20:26.8.

• Junior Tyler Shea led the NNU men, placing third in a time of 22:24.5 over 7,000 meters. Freshman Dylan Tidwell placed eighth in a time of 22:45.

• The Nighthawks’ women are ranked ninth in the latest USTFCCCA West Region Rankings.

• Northwest Nazarene will not compete again until the Charles Bowles Invitational on Saturday, October 2 in Salem, Oregon.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s did not compete last week. The Saints will host the Ken Garland Classic on Saturday on the Saint Martin’s campus.

• Saint Martin’s started the 2021 season off in grand style, taking two individual victories and the men’s team title at the Sept. 4 Puget Sound Invitational in Lakewood, Washington.

• The Saints’ men won with a score of 42 points, finishing 15 points ahead of second-place Pacific Lutheran. The SMU women placed second with 44 points.

• Freshman Kainalu Pagente won the 6,000-meter race in a time of 19:05. He was two seconds ahead of second-place Cayan Dibble of Green River Community College. Junior John Farrell took third in a time of 19:12.

• Freshman Sara Sabra took home the women’s title as she covered the 4,000-meter course in a time of 15:35. She was 11 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, Jasmine Davis of Pierce Community College. Freshman Ali Saucedo was third in a time of 16:09.

• This weekend’s Ken Garland Classic is named in memory of Garland, who served 10 years as SMU baseball coach and oversaw the grounds crew on campus before his unexpected passing in 2018.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific scored a pair of fifth-place finishes at the PLU Invitational on Saturday in Tacoma.

• Sophomore Annika Esvelt was the winner in the women’s 6,000-meter race in just her second collegiate race. Her 22:15.7 was 15 seconds ahead of second-place Kara Putman on Pacific (Ore.). The victory earned Esvelt selection as the GNAC Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week.

• Freshman Ellie Rising added a third-place finish in a time of 22:45.2. Junior Kelsey Washenberger placed 12th in 23:28.7. The women finished with a score of 118 points, five points behind fourth-place Whitworth.

• The men scored a total of 128 points, six points behind fourth-place Puget Sound. Senior Colin Boutin was the Falcons’ top finisher, placing 11th in a time of 26:15.3 over 8,000 meters.

• The Seattle Pacific women dropped out of the USTFCCCA Division II Coaches Poll but remain in the West Region Rankings at No. 8.

• Seattle Pacific is off this weekend. The Falcons will host the Chambers Bay Collegiate Open on Saturday, October 2 at Chambers Creek Regional Park in University Place, Washington. The course is a preview of the site for the 2022 Division II Championships, which will be hosted by SPU.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser did not race last week. The teams return to the course on Friday at the Mike Johnson Classic in Monmouth, Oregon, and will also have runners entered in Sunday’s Vancouver Spirit Run.

• After not racing since 2019, Simon Fraser made a statement with a first-place women’s finish and second-place men’s finish at the SF State Invitational on September 10 in San Francisco.

• The SFU women placed all five scoring runners in the top-20 to win with a score of 36 points, 24 points ahead of Chico State. There was a 48-second gap between the No. 1 and No. 5 runners. Junior Olivia Willett won with a time of 21:57.6 over 6,000 meters. It was Willett’s first collegiate cross country victory.

• Senior Alison Andrews-Paul placed fifth in 22:10.6. Junior Megan Roxby finished seventh in 22:13.6 and sophomore Grace Chalk was one place behind in 22:16.7. Junior Claire Noort rounded out the scoring five, placing 19th in 22:45.6.

• The SFU men placed second with 49 points. The team placed all five scoring runners in the top-16 led by junior Aaron Ahl’s winning time of 24:30.6 over 8,000 meters. It is Ahl’s first collegiate cross country victory and the second all-time individual win for SFU in the program’s GNAC era.

• Sophomore Charlie Dannatt finished eighth with a time of 25:03.4 while freshman Steve Arndt was 11th in 25:20.1. Junior Sebastian Brinkman and sophomore Ephrem Mekonnen placed 16th and 17th, respectively, both recording times of 25:37.8.

• Simon Fraser’s women dropped one spot to No. 11 in this week’s USTFCCCA Division II Poll and remained at No. 2 in the West Region Poll. The SFU men are at No. 24 in this week’s national poll and No. 4 in the West Region Rankings.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon did not compete last week. The Wolves return to the home course on Friday, hosting the Mike Johnson Classic on Saturday at the Ash Creek Preserve.

• Western Oregon opened the home meet schedule in winning fashion, taking both individual titles and a pair of second-place team finishes at the Ash Creek Invitational on September 10.

• The Wolves’ women placed second with a score of 58 points. Junior Luz Garcia, in her first race in a WOU uniform, won with a time of 13:59.3 over 4,000 meters. Junior Caitlin Heldt, in her first cross country race for the Wolves, was second in a time of 14:08.7.

• The WOU men scored 63 points to earn a second-place finish. Junior Keanu Daos made his Western Oregon debut with the victory, covering the 6,000-meter course in a time of 18:22.1. Freshman Tim Rambo also had a strong debut, placing seventh in 19:05.5. Freshman Easton Pomrankey also earned a top-20 finish, placing 14th in 19:18.1.

• Friday’s meet is named in honor of Mike Johnson, who served as Western Oregon head cross country and track and field coach for 17 years before retiring in 2020.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington did not race last week. The Vikings will split its squad this week, sending athletes to both the Roy Griak Invitational on Friday in St. Paul, Minnesota and Saturday’s Ken Garland Classic in Lacey.

• Western Washington made a winning men’s debut and the Vikings’ women placed second at the CWU Invitational on September 11 in Ellensburg, Washington.

• The defending GNAC men’s champions won the meet with a score of 29 points, 36 points ahead of College of Idaho. Senior Kaleb Korta placed second in a time of 19:40 over 6,000 meters. It was his first cross country race since running in the 2018 NCAA Division II Championships for Alaska Anchorage.

• Freshman Jeret Gillingham finished fourth in 20:02.2 while junior Mac Franks placed sixth in 20:09.1. Freshman Jared Sands placed eighth in 20:11.2 while freshman Jalen Javurek rounded out the five in ninth place and a time of 20:13.7.

• The Western Washington women scored 51 points to finish second and placed three runners in the top-10. Sophomore Eugenia Palko led the Vikings with a fourth-place finish, covering the 4,000-meter course in 15:57. Freshman Sophie Wright placed fifth in 16:06.1 while freshman Mia Crocker was seventh in a time of 16:06.9.

• The Western Washington men received votes in this week’s USTFCCCA Division II Coaches Poll and are eighth in the West Region Rankings. The Vikings’ women are 10th in this week’s West Region Rankings.