Nov. 17, 2007

Complete Results

JOPLIN, Missouri - Redshirt freshman Bennett Grimes (Pocatello, ID/Century) earned All-America honors, helping Western Washington University place 11th among 24 teams in the men's division at the NCAA Division II National Cross Country Championships held Saturday.

It was the second trip to the NCAA II nationals for the Vikings, who were ranked No.16 in the most recent United State Cross Country Coaches Association Top 25. They finished 13th in 2003.

"Our goal going in was to beat our ranking and we did," said Western coach Pee Wee Halsell (21st year). "I'm really pleased with our guys."

Grimes finished 43rd among 187 runners, touring the 10-kilometer course on the campus of host Missouri Southern State University in 31:46.5. The top 30 runners are All-Americans with additional spots granted for the 14 foreign runners in the top 30.

Daniel Phillips (R-Fr., Olympia) placed 51st for the Vikings in 31:57.6 and Jordan Welling (Fr., Burlington/Burlington-Edison) was 58th in 32:11.1.

Completing Western's contingent were Jon Skelton (Sr., Mount Vernon), 101st in 32:57.3; Anthony Tomsich (Jr., Fairbanks, AK/West Valley), 110th in 33:04.4; Blake Medhaug (R-Fr., Bothell), 142nd in 34:01.8; and Keith Lemay (Sr., Lynden/Lynden Christian), 158th in 34:34.0. Tomsich was still hampered by a sore Achilles' tendon that kept him out of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championships.

"It wasn't the best race that we could have run, but considering Tomsich's status, we did very well," Halsell said. "And with the youth of this team (four freshmen), the future looks very bright."

The Vikings' Sarah Porter (Fr., Hockinson) placed 45th among 189 runners in the women's division with a clocking of 21:58.3 over six kilometers.

"It was a good solid run for her," said Halsell, "especially considering that she was the only freshman here running as an individual."

Abilene Christian TX won the men's team title and Adams State CO took the women's crown. Nicodemus Naimadu of Abilene Christian was the men's individual champion (29:39.7), becoming the first runner, male or female, in all divisions to win four straight national cross country titles.

Seattle Pacific's Jessica Pixler was the women's national champion in the course record time of 20:29.1, helping the West Regional champion Falcons place second to Adams State. Men's West Regional winner Chico State was sixth, and the Wildcat women were fourth.

It was the 12th overall trip to nationals for the Viking men, 10 of them as a NAIA member when their highest finishes were fifth in 1995 and sixth in 1992.

Western qualified for nationals by placing second at the West Regional, the highest finish in school history. The Vikings also won a second straight GNAC title.