MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Alaska Nanooks cross country running teams are in Monmouth, Ore. for the Mike Johnson Classic, hosted by Western Oregon University. This will be their third race of the season following two head-to-head meets with Alaska Anchorage.
 

Host School (Race Preview – WOU)	Western Oregon Wolves
Date & Times	Friday, Sept. 24, 2021 Women's 6k Race – 4:00 p.m. AKT Men's 8k Race – 4:45 p.m. AKT
Location	Ash Creek Preserve | Monmouth, Oregon
Follow Along	Live Times
Social Media	Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

 
Last Time Out
The Nanooks cross country running teams have not participated in a race since Sept. 4 when they traveled to Anchorage to take on the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves in a head-to-head meet. The Nanooks women's team grabbed another victory against UAA, claiming first 23-32. Naomi Bailey and Rosie Fordham took one-two for Alaska as Bailey won with a time of 22:37.8. Fordham followed behind with a time of 23:22.2. This win grabbed Bailey her first GNAC XC Women's Athlete of the Week award, giving the 'Nooks back-to-back at the time. 
 
In the men's race, the Nanooks fell to the Seawolves 38-18. Mike Ophoff picked-up his first top-three finish of the season with a time of 26:42.2, leading the Nanooks. The next Nanook finisher was Zephan Ozturgut, who placed seventh with a time of 29:34.2. Nolan Earnest, Koen Ross and Jack Cater rounded out the Nanooks racers. Joe Davies did not finish the race. 
 
Upcoming Race
The Mike Johnson Classic is set to be a 6k race for the women while the men will race an 8k. Other teams joining both Alaska and the host-school, Western Oregon, include; Cal State East Bay, College of Idaho, George Fox, Eastern Washington, Humboldt State, Lane CC, Linfield, Multnomah, Oregon State's women's team, Pacific, Portland, Simon Fraser, Siskiyous, Univ. of Oregon running club, Walla Walla and Willamette. 
 
Fans
Fans who travel to Monmouth, Ore. for tomorrow's race must wear a mask while at the course. 
 
Monmouth Weather Forecast
It's looking like a warm race-day for the Nanooks as Monmouth is expecting mainly sunny sky with a high of 88 degrees. Winds of 5-10 mph expected. 
 
Future Plans
While this is the only guaranteed trip to Monmouth for Alaska runners, it will be a preview for what might come their way in a month and a half. The 2021 NCAA West Regionals race is set to be ran at WOU on Saturday, Nov. 6 at the Ash Creek Preserve. 
 
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks cross country running team, follow @Alaska_XC on Instagram, or like the Alaska Nanooks XC team page on Facebook.