Results (PDF)

ANCHORAGE - The 2023 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships were hosted by the University of Alaska Anchorage on Saturday, Oct. 21 at Kincaid Park. The Alaska Nanooks left with a piece of history as the women's team finished third with 86 points while the men's team grabbed ninth with 220 points.

In the women's 6k championships race, the Western Washington Vikings grabbed the team win with 49 points, besting Saint Martin's (2nd - 71 points) and the Nanooks women's team, who finished third with 86 points, tying their best-finish ever. The 86 points beat their previous third-place finishing score of 92 in 2021 when Saint Martin's University hosted the GNAC Championships. Kendall Kramer got the party started in Anchorage winning her second-consecutive GNAC Championships with a championship time of 20:46.2. With the first-place finish, she also earned her second-consecutive GNAC Female Cross Country Athlete of the Year honor. "We had really good preparation and coming here was a treat." Said Kramer. "We have been training in the cold so we are really used to it. It's a really fun representation for Alaska to perform well and our team has been underestimated for a long time." 

Rosie Fordham followed just behind Kramer, taking second-place at the Championships and earning All-Conference honors with the placement. She raced to a finishing time of 20:55.5, trailing Kramer by just under 10 seconds. Naomi Bailey was the third finishing Nanooks racer, just missing out on All-GNAC honors with a 12th-place finish, crossing the finish line in 21:47.7 and earning 12 points for the Nanooks women's squad. Delainey Zock was the final 'Nooks racer in the top-25, taking 24th-place with in a time of 22:24.8. Tabitha Williams was the second-to-last women's finisher, taking home 55th-place, earning 48 points for Alaska. She crossed the finish line in the 6k championships in a time of 24:01.3. Teegan Silva rounded out the Nanooks runners with a 60th-place finish finishing in 24:17.2.

In the men's race, the Nanooks bested the 2023 GNAC Preseason Poll prediction of finishing 10th in the conference with a ninth-place finish. The Nanooks battled all season and Ben Dohlby was the top-finishing men's racer. The freshman finished 32nd and earned the team 29 points with a finishing time in the 8k championships race of 26:36.1. Philipp Moosmayer was the next best-finishing Nanook, taking 44th-overall with a time of 26:57.8 for 41 team points. Koen Ross followed close behind, taking 52nd in 27:15.0. Finn Morley finished 57th (27:30.6), Jace Peters took 60th (27:48.0), Ryan Owens took 68th (28:10.0) and Nolan Earnest took 76th, rounding out the scoring for the Nanooks. Kona Atkins and Josh Baurick were the final finishers for Alaska taking 79th and 80th with times of 29:15.1 and 29:30.6. 

Western Washington also grabbed the championship in the men's race, finishing with 37 points. Alaska Anchorage followed with 51 and Simon Fraser rounded out the top-three with 80 points. Western Oregon took fourth with 142 points, Northwest Nazarene took fifth with 145 points, Central Washington took sixth with 161 points, Saint Martin's followed with 187 and Seattle Pacific took eighth with 217 points. Montana State Billings took 10th with 259 points. 

Both sides look ahead to the NCAA DII West Regionals race on Nov. 4 in Monmouth, Ore. at Western Oregon University. 

Follow the 'Nooks
Instagram - @NanooksXC
X - @NanooksXC
Facebook - Alaska Nanooks XC