FAIRBANKS - The Alaska Nanooks men's and women's cross country teams capped off a historic 2024 season with great showings at the GNAC Championships, NCAA DII West Regionals, and NCAA Division II National Championships. Let's take a look back at what 2024 had in store for Nanook Nation.
Women's Season Recap
The Nanooks women's team opened their season with dominance at the Seawolf Throwdown, sweeping the top two spots and placing four runners in the top eight. Kendall Kramer and Rosie Fordahm led the charge, going 1-2 in the 6k to set the tone for what would become a record-setting fall campaign. Momentum continued to build at the Blue & Gold Meet, where Alaska swept the top three spots in the 6k. Fordham crossed the line first this time, followed by Kramer and teammate Katharine Brigham, showing impressive depth early in the season. Kramer and Fordham stayed hot at the Bill Roe Classic, both placing in the top five against a competitive field and helping the Nanooks women to a third-place team finish. They followed that with a strong performance at the Lewis Crossover, facing off against some of the nation's top teams and placing fifth overall-gaining valuable experience ahead of championship season. Kendall Kramer took home second at the Lewis Crossover with a 20:54.50 in the 6k. Just 11 seconds behind was Fordham, taking fourth. Brigham took 54th, while Tabitha Williams and Lucca Duke took 70th and 78th, respectively.
The experience against a number of big programs proved worth it at the GNAC Championships. Kendall Kramer made history by claiming her third consecutive individual GNAC title, becoming the first Nanook and only the second woman in GNAC history to do so. Rosie Fordham followed right behind, once again, taking second at the GNAC Championships and joining Kramer with GNAC All-Conference honors. The historic day at GNAC's continued for the Nanooks outside of the top-10 with Brigham taking 17th, Williams taking 22nd, and the final scorer Teegan Silva, taking 35th. This gave the Nanooks 86 points and a second-place team finish, the best in program history. Alaska took their momentum to Billings, Mont. for the 2024 NCAA Division II West Regionals. Fordham took her turn in the spotlight at the NCAA West Regional, claiming the individual title in a thrilling race and punching her ticket to nationals. She was the lone-women's racer to post a sub-20 time, winning in 19:52.68. Kendall Kramer followed 14 seconds behind for a second-place finish. Tabitha Williams was the final racer to earn All-Region honors, finishing 25th. Brigham followed in 50th, while Lucca Duke, Teegan Silva, and Riga Grubis were the final three racers to finish. The women placed fourth overall, securing the program's second-ever team trip to the NCAA Division II Championships. The season culminated in Sacramento, Calif. where the Nanooks delivered a performance to remember. Led by Kramer and Fordham, Alaska finished 13th in the country—its highest finish in program history, marking a new standard for excellence in Nanooks cross country. Kendall Kramer raced the best nationals race by a Nanooks runner in program history, placing second, grabbing the national runner-up spot with a time of 20:30.7, racing through wet conditions in Sacramento. Rodie Fordham followed behind with an eighth-place finish and a time of 20:43.7. Tabitha Williams was the third finisher for the Nanooks, taking 132nd. Lucca Duke (146th) and Hazel Probst were the final Nanooks to cross the finish line at nationals.
2024 Awards
GNAC Runner of the Year - Kendall Kramer
NCAA DII West Region Runner of the Year - Rosie Fordham
GNAC All-Conference - Rosie Fordham, Kendall Kramer
NCAA DII All-West Region - Rosie Fordham, Kendall Kramer, Tabitha Williams
NCAA DII All-American - Rosie Fordham, Kendall Kramer
Men's Season Recap
On the men's side, the Nanooks made steady strides throughout the season, developing a young core that showed promise for the future. They opened the season strong at the Seawolf Throwdown, with freshman Ben Browning finishing second overall and helping the Nanooks to a team win. The following week at the Blue & Gold Meet, In the men's race, Ben Dohlby led the way for the Nanooks, taking third with a time of 26:06. At the Bill Roe Classic in Bellingham, Wash. the men's team finished sixth in the college division and eighth in the overall placements. Ben Browning continued his shining season for the 'Nooks, posting a 35th overall finish and 8k time of 25:16.9. Ben Dohlby followed and Koen Ross followed Dohlby in the official results.
The Ben-duo led the way in Illinois at the Lewis Crossover for the men's team. Ben Dohlby had a great showing, posting a top-10 finish, taking ninth to lead the 'Nooks. Ben Browning followed behind, taking 23rd in the 8k race. The Lewis Crossover wrapped up the men's regular-season as they looked ahead to the 2024 GNAC Championships. After being selected ninth in the GNAC Preseason Poll, the Nanooks came into the GNAC Championships looking to leapfrog the critics and that's exactly what they did. The men finished with 196 points, giving them seventh place with an average time of 26:13.22. Dohlby was the first Nanook to cross the finish line in 31st place, while Ben Browning followed in four spots behind him at 25:49.20. Derk Lyford finished with a 26:26.20 to put him 49th, and Koen Ross's time of 26:29.10 put him two spots behind Lyford. Rounding out the Nanook's top-five finishers was Finn Morley, who posted a 26:36.30. Following a strong showing at the GNAC Championships, the men traveled to Billings, Mont. for the 2024 NCAA DII West Regional. The men's team raced to a 19th-place finish in the West Regional Championships, finishing with 553 points.
Ben Browning led the way for the Nanooks at the regional race, finishing 77th with a time of 32:39.84. That earned 77 points for the 'Nooks. Ben Dohlby followed close behind, finishing 106th with a time of 33:25.01. He earned 105 points for Alaska with the finish. Finn Morley and Clem Taylor-Roth were the third and fourth finishers for the Nanooks as Morley took 120th place and Taylor-Roth finished 126th. Morley finished in 34:00.12 and Taylor-Roth posted a finishing time of 34:16.32. Koen Ross and Jace Peters rounded out the racers for Alaska; Ross finished 133rd with a time of 34:39.67 and Peters took 138th with a time of 34:57.30.
As a team, they averaged a time of 33:48.19.
Looking Ahead
With the women's team establishing itself as a national contender and the men's squad showing promise with a young and talented roster, the future is bright for Nanooks cross country. Under the direction of head coach Eliska Albritsen and assistant coach Conrad Haber, the 2024 season will be remembered as a turning point, showcasing the true potential for Alaska's distance runners.
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