FAIRBANKS, AK -
The Alaska Nanooks men's and women's cross country teams travel to Yakima, Washington this weekend to take part in the ninth annual Great Northwest Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships on Saturday, October 24. The event is hosted by the Central Washington University Wildcats.
The Nanooks will race at the Apple Ridge Run Cross Country Facility against the nine other teams in the GNAC, which includes 2008 women's champion Seattle Pacific University and Alaska Anchorage on the men's side.
The Nanooks will have their work cut out for them as they will battle against four teams ranked in the top 10 of the NCAA Division II West Regional Rankings and five teams on the women's side.
“The GNAC is tough,” said head coach
Scott Jerome. “You have very good running programs and we are going up against some of the best in the west so you have to keep things in perspective; but everyone is psyched to race so it will be good.”
The Nanooks' top runners, sophomore
Theresia Schnurr (Buhlertal, Germany) and freshman
Heather Edic (Fairbanks, AK), will be looked upon to pace the Blue and Gold to a top-five finish in the women's race this year.
Schnurr has claimed three individual titles in dual-meet action this season, including a pair of tilts against CWU in Fairbanks in late August and an island-side bout with West Region foes at Hawaii Pacific the first weekend of September. Edic recorded a top-five finish as Alaska's top finisher at the Apple Ridge Run/GNAC Championships preview meet in mid-September.
“She (Schnurr) was in the top 15 in the conference last year and I think she has a chance to be all-conference this year and finish in the top 10,” said Jerome.
“Heather has really improved steadily over the season and with those two we have the potential to have two of the top 20 which gives us a great chance at being in the top five of the conference.”
The Alaska men will look to attain their preseason goal of a top five finish in the conference, despite being without their number two runner,
Alex Weissberg (Sitka, AK), who is unable to travel and compete due to illness. On the season,
Sam Tilly (Rainbow Valley, AK) and
Mitch Chandler (Chattaroy, WA) have led the Blue and Gold on the courses and trails: a trend they hope will continue this weekend.
“We tied for sixth last year and we've been as high as fifth in the past, so it's definitely not going to be easy, but it will be possible.” Jerome said. “
Mitch Chandler and
Sam Tilly have been running really well so if they continue to run well we have a chance to be in the top five”
The Nanooks will be ready for the challenge with their success during the season and the preparation that has gone into the conference meet over the past month.
“We had a time trial two weeks ago and we set 13 different person records,” Jerome said. “Matt Dunlap, our assistant, has done an awesome job with the training plan and has got people fit and got the kids peaking at the right time.”
The Nanooks will look to claim a spot amongst the top five teams when the races begin on Saturday morning in Yakima. The women's race kicks off at 9 a.m. Alaska time, while the men's leg begins at 10 a.m.
