FAIRBANKS - The Alaska Nanooks cross country team is looking to leave their mark in the 2023 season. The men's team is coming off of a 10th-place GNAC Championships finish while the women's team climbed the ranks to a fifth-place finish before sending a trio of runners to the NCAA Championships.
The men's team is looking to grow after a learning year in 2022. They wrapped up their season with a 10th-place finish at the GNAC Championships in Monmouth, Ore. after placing fifth at the Montana State Invite in Billings, Mont. followed by a 27th-place finish at the Pre-Nationals race in University Park, Wash. On the women's side, the cross country runners had a really successful last 2022 year. After finishing off their regular-season with a fifth-place finish at the NCAA West Regionals in Billings, Mont., and a seventh place finish by Kendall Kramer at the NCAA Division II Championship in Seattle, the best-finish ever posted by a Nanook, the women's team is looking back to a historic cross country season.
After these impressive results, the bar for the Alaska Nanooks cross country team is set high and the 2023 season is right around the corner.
Over the summer, the team put in a lot of work, six new freshmen on the team brought in a lot of new energy. On the women's side, the goal for this season is to qualify for the NCAA Championships. The men's team wants to show that Alaska is a place where young runners can come to become successful athletes on the collegiate level. The new recruits are willing to work hard to leave their mark on the college circuit. Over the summer the team prepared well and worked hard for the upcoming season. Good morale within the team and good physical preparation bring a lot of hope that the goals for this season can be met. "Having a peer achieve All-American status makes these goals feel reachable for everyone on the team and with the new men's and women's recruiting class, we feel that such success will be normalized," said head coach Eliska Albrigtsen.
The Nanooks just completed their season-opener at UAA in the Seawolf Throwdown. The Nanooks women's team grabbed an impressive win with Rosie Fordham taking first, Kendall Kramer taking second and Naomi Bailey taking third. The men's team fell to UAA but showed a lot of grit, battling the elements and seeing freshman Ben Dohlby take fourth (15:16.6) to lead the men's team. The hopes are high for a successful start to the season, "We had a really successful team camp in Palmer that helped the entire squad come together as a team and prepare them physically for the rigors of early season races." Albrigtsen said about how the team prepared for these upcoming challenges.
After the season kickoff in Anchorage on the 26th, they will continue their season with the Blue and Gold Race on the home course in Fairbanks on Sept. 9 before they head to Bellingham, Wash. on Sept. 23.
A new regional site will await the Nanooks at the San Francisco State Invite in San Francisco, Calif. on Oct. 6. The team is preparing specifically for this new challenge, "We print out course maps and create workouts that will mimic the terrain that we will be facing at the competition." Albrigtsen said. This year's GNAC Championships are going to be on a well-known course for the Nanooks. The races will take place in Anchorage on Oct. 21. The final big races of the season will be the NCAA Division II Regionals in Monmouth, Ore. on Nov. 4 where the Nanooks can qualify for the last race of the season, the NCAA DII Championships in Joplin, Mo. on Nov. 18.
The Alaska Nanooks cross country team is looking forward to a promising season. A fresh team with a new coach with years of experience and a lot of newcomers who are eager and excited to compete as Nanooks. They will attack the goals for this 2023 cross country season and after last year's successful season, the hopes are high that these goals will be met.
