ANCHORAGE - It's championship season for the Nanooks' cross country teams. Both the mens' and women's teams are south for the 2023 GNAC Cross Country Championships, hosted by UAA.

Saturday, Oct. 21
GNAC Championships | Live Times
11:00 a.m. | Kincaid Park | Anchorage, Alaska

Live Video
No full-length live video will be provided at this year's GNAC Championships, but the results will be provided. Use the "Live Times" link above to access those videos during the race. 

Last Time Out
The women's cross-country team finished 5th at the San Francisco State Invitational. In the 6k, Rosie Fordhamfinished in first place with a final time of 21:25.9, her second win of the year.  Kendall Kramer also finished in the top five, taking fourth with a time of 21:44.3 and Delainey Zock finished top 20 with a finish at 19, with a time of 22:55.3. 

The men's cross-country team finished in 12th place with an overall score of 298 points. Finn Morley ran the fastest time for the Nanooks in the 8k with a time of 26:49.3. Ben Dohlby ran the second fastest time for Alaska with 27:25.5. Nolan Earnest was the next Nanooks finisher, finishing with a 27:35.3. 

Quick Hitters

• 11 members of the cross-country team were selected for the 2023 GNAC All-Academic Team: Naomi Bailey, Sarah Baum, Rosie Fordham, Kendall Kramer, Teegan Silva, Mariel Pulles, Delainey Zock, Nolan Earnest, Koen Ross, Ryan Owens and Mike Ophoff, who took home a rare fourth All-Academic honor. 

• The Nanooks look to improve on last year's finish at Western Oregon. The 'Nooks men's placed ninth. The women's team took fifth and had the individual winner as Kendall Kramer won the race. Naomi Bailey finished with Kramer taking second, and Fordham added a fifth-place finish. 

• On the men's side, Ryan Owens is the top-returner for the Nanooks. He placed 59th a season ago with a time of 27:42.30, while Nolan Earnest grabbed a 61st-place finish and Koen Ross took 67th. The men's squad finished with 285 points for a tenth-place finish.

• Kendall Kramer was the 2022 GNAC Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Year, taking first-place. Naomi Bailey followed in second and Rosie Fordham took fifth en route to the 91-point performance by the 'Nooks women's team. Delainey Zock came in 23rd-place at GNAC's. 

• Rosie Fordham won the last meet the Nanooks ran in in San Francisco. This win earned her the GNAC XC Women's Athlete of the Week Award.

• The honor of the GNAC XC Women's Athlete of the Week was the second time an Alaska Nanooks cross country athlete won the award this season after Fordham took her first runner of the week in the first race of the year. 

The Lay of the Land
The GNAC Championships will take place in Kincaid Park. This will be the second time the championships take place here. 

Weather Update
Anchorage weather looks clear and sunny while chilly, with temperatures calling for 34 degrees. The Nanooks can expect winds up to nine mph. There is no rain in the forecast. 

A Look Ahead
After the GNAC Championships, the Nanooks will look to make some more noise at the NCAA West Regional in Monmouth, Ore. Last season, the Nanooks saw the best performance to date by a Nanook in a cross-country regional as Kendall Kramer finished in eighth place. Rosie Fordham and Naomi Bailey both finished in the top-100, 43rd and 90th, respectively. 

While still two weeks away, the weather in Monmouth, Ore., is a warmer 60 degrees. The area is seeing rain several days this upcoming week.

For more information on the Alaska Nanooks XC teams, follow @NanooksXC on Instagram or X, or like the Alaska Nanooks XC team page on Facebook.