SPOKANE, WA - Twelve members of the Alaska Nanook men's and women's cross country teams, including a league-best nine women and three men, garnered spots on the Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Academic team as announced Thursday by the league office. A total of 76 student-athletes – 29 men and 47 women - from the member schools were recognized.
"We travel so much with running and skiing but year after year we have a number of males and females that maintain a 3.30 and better," said assistant coach Matt Dunlap. "It's a credit to the hard work they put in both here and especially on the road along with the supportive environment that UAF's professors provide. It's neat to see it it all pay off."
Both teams were led by sophomore Alyson McPhetres, who's perfect 4.00 grade point average was tops among American GPA's, and second only to Simon Fraser's Madeline Barker, who had a 4.23 (under the Canadian system that awards a 4.33 for an A+).
Joining McPhetres on the women's squad were third-year honorees Theresia Schnurr and Jana Benedix, while juniors Heather Edic and Marit Rjabov earned the accolade for the second consecutive. Senior Crystal Pitney and sophomores Megan Thompson, Heidi O'Connor-Brook and Raphela Sieber made their debut on the women's all-conference academic squad.
For the men, third-year academic team member Erik Soderstrom led the Nanooks three representatives with a 3.91 GPA in his geography studies. Sophmores Wyatt Mayo and Tux Seims joined him on the men's team.
2011 GNAC Cross Country Academic All-Conference Team
Men
*Micah Chelimo, Alaska Anchorage (Engineering, So., 3.74, Kapkoi, Kenya)
Alfred Kangogo, Alaska Anchorage (Nursing/Nutrition, Jr., 3.40, Eldoret, Kenya)
Thomas Hill, Alaska Anchorage (Physical Education, Jr., 3.20, Thunder Bay, Ontario)
Wyatt Mayo, Alaska (Biology, So., 3.90, Fairbanks, AK)
**Erik Soederstroem, Alaska (Geography, Sr., 3.91, As, Sweden)
Tux Seims, Alaska (Civil Engineering, So., 3.73, Homer, AK)
*Jon Swanson, Central Washington (Accounting/Business Administration, Jr., 3.44, Spokane, WA)
Nathan Minor, Central Washington (Undeclared, So., 3.92, Mount Vernon, WA)
*Scott Power, Central Washington (Physical Education, Sr., 3.51, Burlington, WA)
Nathan Power, Central Washington (Undeclared, So., 3.44, Burlington, WA)
Travis Hutchinson, MSU Billings (Business Administration: Management, Sr., 3.50, Billings, MT)
Daniel Lombardi, MSU Billings (Mass Communications, Sr., 3.34, Deer Lodge, MT)
Chase Robinson, MSU Billings (General Studies, So., 3.20, Colstrip, MT)
*Jesse Baggenstos, Northwest Nazarene (Engineering Physics, Jr., 3.80, Renton, WA)
**Luke Hetrick, Northwest Nazarene (Engineering Physics, Sr., 3.50, Caldwell, ID)
*Joseph Patti, Saint Martin's (History/Political Science, Jr., 3.83, Renton, WA)
**Jacob Suazo, Saint Martin's (Biology, Sr., 3.46, Lakewood, WA)
*AJ Baker, Seattle Pacific (Educational Ministry, Jr., 3.26, Au Gres, MI)
Gavin Brand, Seattle Pacific (Philosophy, Jr., 3.23, Suwanee, GA)
**Daniel Hamilton, Seattle Pacific (Computer Science, Sr., 3.45, Missoula, MT)
Will Harrison, Seattle Pacific (Exercise Science, Jr., 3.46, Tucson, AZ)
*Jacob Wahlenmaier, Seattle Pacific (Political Science, Sr., 3.52, Everett, WA)
*James Young, Simon Fraser (Biomedical Physiology, Jr., 3.94, Surrey, BC)
*Connor Kasler, Western Oregon (Comm. Health Education, Jr., 3.51, Grants Pass, OR)
**Dan Sprinkle, Western Oregon (History, Sr., 3.33, Hillsboro, OR)
Lukas Fenley, Western Oregon (Information Systems, Sr., 3.37, Leaburg, OR)
Chip Jackson, Western Washington (Mathematics, So., 3.93, Shoreline, WA)
**Eric Brill, Western Washington (English-Literature, Jr., 3.86, Kent, WA)
*Travis Peters, Western Washington (Mathematics, Sr., 3.32, Kelso, WA)
Women
**Ruth Keino, Alaska Anchorage (Nursing, Sr., 3.50, Kapcheno, Kenya)
*Miriam Kipng'eno, Alaska Anchorage (Nursing, Jr., 3.45, Eldoret, Kenya)
*Shoshana Keegan, Alaska Anchorage (Early Childhood Education, Sr., 3.32, Anchorage, AK)
Katie Krehlik, Alaska Anchorage (Early Childhood Education, Jr., 3.60, Juneau, AK)
Susan Bick, Alaska Anchorage (English/Journalism, So., 3.28, Anchorage, AK)
Alyson McPhetres, Alaska (Mechanical Engineering, So., 4.00, Chugiak, AK)
Megan Thompson, Alaska (Music Education, Jr., 3.93, Fairbanks, Alaska)
*Marit Rjabov, Alaska (Psychology, Jr., 3.89, Voru, Estonia)
**Theresia Schnurr, Alaska (Physics, Sr., 3.88, Buhlertal, Germany)
Raphaela Sieber, Alaska (Business Administration, Jr., 3.80, Voehrenbach, Germany)
*Heather Edic, Alaska (Mechanical Engineering, Jr., 3.80, Fairbanks, AK)
Heidi O'Connor-Brook, Alaska (Music, So., 3.72, Whitehorse, Yukon Territory)
**Jana Benedix, Alaska (Biology, Sr., 3.71, Fairbanks, AK)
Crystal Pitney, Alaska (Business Administration, Sr., 3.54, Fairbanks, AK)
*Ashley Rice, Central Washington (Clinical Physiology, Jr., 3.59, Tieton, WA)
Adriana Zazula Central Washington (Communications: Public Relations, Jr., 3.53, Puyallup, WA)
Rose Cruze, Central Washington (Clinical Physiology, So., 3.52, Issaquah, WA)
Taylor Kartes, Central Washington (Clinical Physiology, So., 3.51, Federal Way, WA)
*Mary Owen, MSU Billings (Health and Human Performance, Jr., 3.95, Hammond, MT)
Keri Clump, MSU Billings (General Studies, So., 3.55, Wasilla, AK)
Melanie Bock, MSU Billings (Chemistry, So., 3.52, East Helena, MT)
**Danielle Beesley, Northwest Nazarene (Nursing, Sr., 3.21, Caldwell, ID)
Missy Colby, Northwest Nazarene (Secondary Education - English, So., 3.98, Lake Oswego, OR)
Natalie Evans, Northwest Nazarene (Nursing, Jr., 3.21, New Plymouth, ID)
Samantha Hill, Northwest Nazarene (Communications, Jr., 3.26, Woodinville, WA)
**Meagan Swenson, Northwest Nazarene (Marketing, Sr., 3.25, Salem, OR)
*Carelia Agis, Saint Martin's (Business, Jr., 3.50, Tacoma, WA)
Erika Copeland, Saint Martin's (Math/Education, So., 3.87, Port Orchard, WA)
**Joscelyn Minton, Saint Martin's (History, Sr., 3.39, Shelton, WA)
**Natty Plunkett, Seattle Pacific (Psychology, Sr., 3.97, Bellevue, WA)
Heidi Laabs-Johnson, Seattle Pacific (Food & Nutrition Sciences, Sr., 3.89, Salt Lake City, UT)
Josie Becker, Seattle Pacific (Mathematics, Sr., 3.66, Grapeview, WA)
Ali Cutting, Seattle Pacific (Ecology, So., 3.51, Sequim, WA)
*Brianna Kane, Simon Fraser (Communications, Sr., 3.34, Burnaby, BC)
Madeline Barker, Simon Fraser (Biomedical Physiology, So., 4.23, Sherbrooke, Quebec)
Kirsten Allen, Simon Fraser (Kinesiology, So., 3.81, London, Ontario)
*KayAnna Cecchi, Western Oregon (Psychology, Sr., 3.24, Gresham, OR)
**Amanda Wright, Western Oregon (Exercise Science, Sr., 3.23, Olympia, WA)
Meryl Butcher, Western Oregon (Health Promotion, Sr., 3.23, Clackamas, OR)
Miranda Lahman, Western Washington (Biology, So., 3.96, Boulder, CO)
**Phoebe Hartnett, Western Washington (Special Education, Jr., 3.89, San Diego, CA)
*Mary Rogers, Western Washington (Pre-Medicine, Jr., 3.88, Spokane, WA)
*Rachael Johnson, Western Washington (English-Creative Writing, Sr., 3.73, Yakima, WA)
**Lauren Breihof, Western Washington (Business Admin.-Marketing, Sr., 3.66, Vancouver, WA)
**Sierra Brisky, Western Washington (Kinesiology: Sport Psychology, Jr., 3.64, Acme, WA)
Lacey Nation, Western Washington (Psychology, Jr., 3.44, Marysville, WA)
Kendra Hedges, Western Washington (Special Education, Sr., 3.30, Lake Stevens, WA)
