SEATTLE, Wash. – The trio of runners from the Alaska Nanooks cross country team prepares for the 2022 NCAA Cross Country Championships in Seattle, Wash., tomorrow in Seattle, Wash. At 10:15 a.m. AKT.   
 
Friday, Dec. 2
NCAA Championships | Live Video | Live Timing | More Information
Chambers Creek Regional Park | Women's Race – 10:15 a.m. AKT
 
Last Time Out
These three have not raced since the 2022 NCAA West Regional race hosted by Montana State Billings on Nov. 19. Naomi Bailey claimed the win at the West Regional and was followed by Kramer in second place and Fordham in fourth place. Bailey won the race with a time of 20:53.08, Kramer took second five seconds later at 20:58.47 and Fordham followed closely behind with a time of 21:13.81. The Nanooks women's team took seventh at the NCAA West Regional that saw these three propel themselves to a second-straight NCAA Championships appearance. 
 
Alongside their seventh-place finish, the 'Nooks were the second-best placed GNAC team, trailing only Western Washington, who finished sixth with 220 points, besting Alaska by only one point (221). 
 
#NookNotes

• The Nanooks are at the NCAA Cross Country Championships for the second-straight season after these same three appeared at the 2021 NCAA XC Championships in St. Leo, Fla. 
• Rosie Fordham led the 'Nooks a year ago at Saint Leo University – she placed 61^st-place with a time of 21:44.9. Her 61^st-place finish sits as the best by a Nanook at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. 
• Kendall Kramer followed Fordham in 72^nd with a time of 21:52.5 and Bailey was the third and final finisher for the 'Nooks with a 174^th-place finish and a time of 23:08.6. 
• NCAA's will be hosted at the same location as the Pre-Nationals race earlier this season – Naomi Bailey took the win at Pre-Nationals, running the 6k course in a winning time of 20:46.10.
• The trio from Alaska is also joined individually from the West Region by Alauna Carstens from Saint Martin's and Eline Pinter from Azusa Pacific. 

 

6k Course
The Nanooks have taken first-place in all races that are 6k in length this season. Kendall Kramer grabbed wins at the Seawolf Throwdown in Anchorage on Sept. 3 before grabbing her second win at the GNAC Championships on Nov. 5 at Western Oregon. Naomi Bailey has won the other two 6k races this season, taking the win at the NCAA Pre-Nationals Race in University Place, Wash., on Oct. 22 before taking the win on Nov. 19 at the NCAA West Regional in Billings, Mont. 
 
GNAC Runner of the Year
With the win at the 2022 GNAC Championships, Kendall Kramer was named the 2022 GNAC Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Year. She grabbed the win by .10 seconds, beating her teammate, Naomi Bailey. The two held hands across the finish line, leading the way for the Nanooks women's team that finished the Championships in fifth-place. Rosie Fordham also joined them with All-Conference honors as she finished fifth-place with a time of 21:19.20.
 
USTFCCCA Runner of the Week
On Oct. 24, 2022, Naomi Bailey was named the GNAC Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Week as well as the USTFCCCA NCAA Division II Women's National Runner of the Week. This came after Bailey's victory at the Pre-Nationals race where she posted a winning time of 20:46.1. Not only was this Bailey's first career USTFCCCA National honor, but it was the first time in program history that an athlete from the Nanooks cross country teams was named USTFCCCA M-F National Athlete of the Week during the cross country season. 
 
USTFCCCA West Regional Runner of the Year
Bailey earned the honor USTFCCCA Division II West Region Cross Country Women's Athlete of the Year after finishing no worse than third in any race she competed in this season. She won the Division II Pre-Nationals with an 11-second margin of victory before taking second at the GNAC Championships by .10 seconds. She then followed up her GNAC Championships performance with the NCAA West Regional title, winning by five seconds over Kramer in second place. 
 
NCAA Division II Festival
Seattle Pacific is currently hosting the 2022 NCAA Division II Festival. Division II is the only NCAA division that conducts "National Championships Festivals," Olympic-style events in which a number of national championships are held at a single site over several days.

The concept was developed in the early 2000's as a way to provide student-athletes with a championships experience that exceeds what they normally would enjoy in their conference or NCAA postseason events.

The festival idea, in fact, was a response from then-NCAA President Cedric W. Dempsey, who in 2000 challenged each of the three divisions to create more awareness and excitement around the NCAA championships program, particularly for sports that don't regularly experience the limelight of a select few.

Division II's membership answered the call, staging the first festival in spring 2004 in Orlando. Since then, the festival has maintained its standing not only as an enhanced championships experience but also as a unique identifier for the Division II brand. SPU will host men's and women's soccer championships at Interbay Soccer Stadiums, women's volleyball at Royal Brougham Pavilion, men's and women's cross country at Chambers Bay and women's field hockey at Renton Memorial Stadium over the Dec. 1-3 dates. 
 
Championship Weather
Chambers Bay Golf Course in University Place, Wash. Is calling for a high of 42 degrees Fahrenheit and a low of 34 on race day. The Nanooks will race at 11:15 a.m. PT/10:15 a.m. AKT – at that time, the Nanooks could see cloudy weather and high 30's with 4 mph winds and 75% humidity. They are calling for a 14% chance of precipitation. 

Coaches Quote
Graduate assistant Josh Sanderlin had this to say leading up to NCAA's, "It has been such an honor to coach three intuitive, hard-working, passionate athletes. My hopes for them tomorrow are the same as what I hope for their careers: that they be happy with the work they've put in and the efforts they have given when it matters most. This is a special moment in the history of Alaskan running." 

Viewing Party
The Alaska Nanooks athletics team invites those of you in Fairbanks out to the Patty Center and Nanook Lounge for a viewing party beginning at 10:00 a.m. The Nanooks women's team will officially take off at 10:15 a.m. a.m. AKT. Assorted snacks and hot/cold drinks will be available while we root on our 'Nooks! 
 
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks cross country team, follow @NanooksXC on Instagram or Twitter, or like the Alaska Nanooks XC team page on Facebook.