MONMOUTH, Ore. - The Alaska Nanooks cross country teams competed at the 2026 GNAC Cross Country Championships on Saturday morning. Both the men's and women's teams finished in seventh with the men's team scoring 182 points in the 9 a.m. 8k race and the women's team scoring 175 points in the 9:45 a.m. 6k race.
It was a strong showing for both teams as they bested the GNAC's preseason rankings at the 2026 championships. Both teams were selected to finish eighth. In the men's race, the Nanooks used consistent groupings to score 28-30-39-42-43 individual placement points.
Nick Iverson led the way for the 'Nooks, as the sophomore placed 31st with a time of 25:07.7.
Ian Baker followed just three spots behind. The fellow-sophomore placed 34th and earned 30 points for Alaska with a finishing time of 25:12.5.
Brady Benedict and
Aidan Niedbalski followed and both cracked the top 50 with a 46th-place finish for Benedict and a 50th-place finish for the freshman Niedbalski. Benedict finished the 8k in 25:46.8 while Niedbalski wrapped up his first GNAC Championships in 25:55.3.
Ned Peters was the final men's racer to finish for the Nanooks. The sophomore placed 52nd with a time of 25:57.2. George Fernandez of Western Washington won the individual men's championship and Western Washington won the team title with 25 points.
2026 GNAC Men's Cross Country Awards
Athlete of the Year - George Fernandez, Western Washington
Freshman of the Year - Rowan Jung, Western Washington
Newcomer of the Year - Benjamin Peck, Alaska Anchorage
GNAC Elite Scholar Athlete - Eli Williams, Western Washington
In the women's race, the Nanooks had strong showings from all scorers. They had two just miss the cut for All-GNAC finishes, scoring 13-19-44-45-54 individual points for their 175 team points.
Tabitha Williams led the women's team with a 13th-place finish, running the 6k championships race in 21:22.8.
Iris Haas followed close behind. The freshman put on a great race in her conference championship debut, finishing 19th with a race time of 21:42.8.
Sadie Johnson was one of three freshmen for the women's team to compete today. She also performed well in her championships debut, cracking the top 50 with a 50th-place finish and race time of 22:58.6.
Rory Claussen followed one place behind, finishing 51st with a time of 23:02.8.
Devyn Townsend rounded out the team scoring for the women's team, finishing 66th with a 6k time of 24:10.8.
Madison Schuh and
Emma Niedbalski wrapped up the racers for the Nanooks. Schuh posted a 69th-place finish with a time of 24:35.9 and Niedbalski finished 72nd with a time of 24:45.8. Ella Edens won the individual women's championship and Western Washington also won the women's team title with 44 points.
2026 GNAC Women's Cross Country Awards
Athlete of the Year - Ella Edens, Western Washington
Freshman of the Year - Maren Anderson, Western Oregon
Newcomers of the Year - Cameron Moore, Northwest Nazarene; Natalie Allen, Alaska Anchorage
GNAC Elite Scholar Athlete - Payton Conover, Central Washington
The Nanooks now set their sights on the NCAA DII West Regional Championships on Saturday, Nov. 21 in Sacramento, Calif. The race will be at the Arcade Creek Cross Country Course.
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