Oct. 14, 2005

2005 GNAC Cross Country Championships Program

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Bidding to become the first two-time men's cross country champion in league history, Western Washington University plays host to the fifth annual Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships Saturday at Lake Padden Park.

The women's 6k race begins at 10:30 a.m., and the men's 8k run starts at 11:30 a.m.

Seattle Pacific won last year's men's race, and Central Washington took the women's run. Western finished third and fifth, respectively. The Viking men, who won the GNAC in 2003, are one of three other schools to claim a title in the conference's four-year history.

Alaska Anchorage, the 2002 champion, appears to be Western's main competition. The Seawolves are ranked No.3 in the latest American Cross Country Coaches Association/NCAA II West Region rating, one spot ahead of the Vikings. Alaska Anchorage is ranked No.20 nationally and Western is No.24.

Alaska Anchorage has won three meets this year, including an Oct. 8 race against West Region-No.5 Cal Poly Pomona.

"Alaska Anchorage has been running well recently, so they're looking pretty good and they're going to be tough to beat," Western coach Pee Wee Halsell said. "It's going to be either them or us as long as we both run well."

Western is coming off its second victory of the year at their own 32nd annual Viking Invitational, finishing ahead of two regionally-ranked GNAC foes - No.7 Seattle Pacific and No.9 Seattle U. The Vikings also won the Emerald City Open.

Three other GNAC schools are in the West Region ratings, No.6 Humboldt State, No.8 Northwest Nazarene and No.10 Western Oregon.

In the women's race, Seattle Pacific and Central, rated third and fourth in the West Region, are the favorites. Central is the defending conference champion and Seattle Pacific is ranked No.13 nationally. Alaska Anchorage (No.6), Seattle U. (No.7) and Western (No.10) are also rated in the region.

"I think Seattle Pacific is top-notch at this point in time," Halsell said. "Central and Alaska Anchorage have a shot, but they'll have to get with it."

Eleven all-conference performers return from last year's conference championships, but Halsell expects two newcomers to be the individual favorites.

"The top individuals would be Meredith Crane (of Seattle Pacific) for the women and Casey Moriarty (of Seattle U.) for the men," Halsell said. "That's easy. They are for sure the individual favorites."

Crane, a transfer from NCAA I Texas A&M, has three wins this season, the most recent coming at the WWU Invitational. Moriarty, a Yale graduate currently attending the Seattle U. School of Law, was the top men's finisher at the Viking Invitational and ran the second-fastest 8,000-meter time in GNAC history at the Sundodger Invitational on Sept. 17.

Western has three runners who finished in the top 10 at last year's GNAC championships. Laura Trevellyan (Sr., Vashon Island), a two-time All-American, was runner-up in the women's race after finishing third in 2003. On the men's side, Sam Brancheau (Jr., Edmonds/Edmonds-Woodway) finished eighth and Keever Henry (So., Kelso) 10th. Henry was the GNAC Freshman of the Year last fall.

Another top runner for the Viking men is Logan Senrud (Jr., Bigfork, MT), who earned GNAC Runner of the Week honors as he placed a team-leading eighth at the WWU Invitational.

"I'm excited that the kids get to run on their home course," Halsell said. "I think that will be an advantage for them. It's just a matter of them taking that advantage and going for it. It should be a good meet and hopefully the weather will cooperate with us."