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Oct. 22, 2003

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Western Washington University is favored to take the men's title at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships on Saturday at Monmouth, Ore., on the Western Oregon University campus.

The women's 6-kilometer race begins at 10:30 a.m., followed by the men's 8-kilometer run at 11:15 a.m.

The Viking men's squad, ranked 25th nationally in the latest USA Cross Country Coaches Association/NCAA II poll, is undefeated this season when running with their full squad. The other contenders include defending champion Alaska Anchorage, Humboldt State and Western Oregon.

"Our men have a very good chance of winning," said Western coach Pee Wee Halsell. "Our team is really rounding out well, but it will take our top runners having a good race for us to capture the title."

The Vikings are led by seniors Kurt Hartmaier (Woodinville/Redmond), Steve DeKoker (Maple Valley/Tahoma), T.J. Garlatz (Redmond/Inglemoor) and Brian Brancheau (Edmonds/Edmonds-Woodway). They have been the team's top four finishers in every race they've run this season.

Rounding out the men's squad is Ryan Albright (So., Port Orchard/Peninsula), Sam Brancheau (Fr., Edmonds/Edmonds-Woodway), Matt Crabtree (So., Lynden), Justin McNeil (So., Tacoma/Franklin Pierce), Logan Senrud (Fr., Bigfork, MT) and Jacob Stewart (So., Kelso).

Humboldt State's Doug Hamilton is the individual favorite, though Western's top four runners all figure to challenge for the top spot. Hamilton, who finished 10th in the GNAC meet last season, won at the Humboldt State Invitational and placed eighth at the Willamette Invitational.

Seattle Pacific, ranked No.23 nationally, is the favorite in the women's run, winning its last two meets and finishing no lower than third in any meet this year. The Falcons are led by Jamie Witt, who has placed among the top three in all five of her meets this season and is unbeaten against GNAC competition.

Western is among four teams which could challenge Seattle Pacific. The Vikings finished fourth behind Seattle Pacific, Central Washington and Alaska Anchorage at the WWU Invitational two weeks ago.

Humboldt State has won the last two GNAC women's titles.

"We are seeded fourth, but it would be nice to see them compete and move up," said Halsell. "We have a solid group which is really improving and looking like they are ready to go after it."

Challenging Witt, who redshirted last year, will be Western sophomore Laura Trevellyan (Vashon), last season's GNAC Freshman of the Year. Trevellyan has been the Vikings' top finisher in all five races she's run this season.

Completing the Vikings' contingent are Lexi Baxter (Jr., Colville), Molly DePasqual (So., Jackson, WY/Jackson Hole), Kristin Haas (Jr., Port Orchard/South Kitsap), Marissa Harshman (Fr., Vancouver/Heritage), Keely Kaligis (Fr., Mukilteo/Kamiak), Carla Mingione (So., Sammamish/Skyline), Beth Rosapepe (Jr., Port Orchard/South Kitsap), Sally Ryan (So., Kirkland/Inglemoor) and Tina Stimson (Sr., Renton/Liberty).

At last year's GNAC Championships, Western placed third in the women's race and fourth in the men's race.

This weekend's meet is the final tune-up for Western prior to the NCAA II West Regional on Nov. 8 at Prada Park in Pomona, Calif.

Viking Men, Seattle Pacific Women Among GNAC Favorites

Western Washington and Seattle Pacific are the top-ranked GNAC men's and women's teams, respectively, in the latest NCAA Division II West Regional poll.

The Vikings and Falcons will test out those rankings against the eight other conference teams Saturday morning at Monmouth on the campus of Western Oregon University in the third annual Great Northwest Athletic Conference Cross Country championship meet.

The women's 6,000 meter race begins at 10:30 a.m. and will be followed at 11:15 by the men's 10,000 meter race.

Alaska Anchorage, which is ranked fifth in the regional poll right behind the fourth-ranked Vikings, is the defending men's team champion. Humboldt State, which is ranked sixth in the region, finished second a year ago.

The Seawolves, however, return just two runners - Eric Strabel and Todd List - off their championship team, while the Lumberjacks have only three back - Doug Hamilton, Matt DeShazo and Lehrin Morey.

Strabel and Hamilton placed ninth and 10th a year ago and along with Seattle Pacific's Tim LeCount are the lone returning runners from last fall's all-conference team. LeCount is the top returning placer finishing eighth in his freshman season in a time of 25:15.34 on the 10,000 meter layout.

Western Washington, which is ranked 25th nationally, has five runners back, including Kurt Hartmaier, who placed 16th . Hartmaier has been WWU's No. 1 runner this fall, leading the Vikings to four team titles in the four races in which they've entered all their top runners.

The Vikings won titles at the Emerald City Open and the UW Sundodger, both in Seattle. They also won the Saint Martin's Open and their own Western Washington Invitational. Hartmaier was the top GNAC finisher in three of the four races, placing second at Emerald City, seventh at the Sundodger and sixth at WWU. The Saints' Nathan Carlson finished second in the Saint Martin's Open to lead the conference competitors.

Five other returning runners finished in the Top 20 at last year's conference meet, including Western Oregon's Chase Wells (11th), Jason Porter of Central Washington (12th), Steve Manos of Seattle University (13th) and Jake Hotchkiss of Northwest Nazarene (18th).

Wells has led the Wolves, who are ranked seventh in the regional poll, to wins at Pacific, Lewis & Clark and Northwest Nazarene this fall. Two other GNAC teams - Saint Martin's (9th) and Northwest Nazarene (10th) - are also ranked in the regional poll.

Seattle Pacific, which is ranked third in the region and 23rd nationally, will be trying to dethrone two-time conference champion Humboldt State in the women's 6,000 meter race. The Falcons finished just sixth in the conference meet a year ago, but have had a solid fall, winning the WWU Invitational, finishing second at Emerald City, Saint Martin's and Central Washington and third at UW. The Falcons, who also won a dual with WWU, were the top GNAC team in all five competitions.

Jamie Witt, who sat out last season after placing sixth in the 2001 conference meet, has lost just once all year to another GNAC runner, placing third at Emerald City in back of Western Washington's Laura Tevellyan, who finished second. Witt won the Saint Martin's Open and placed second at UW and WWU. She also finished second in the WWU dual to an unattached runner.

Humboldt returns only three runners off its 2002 championship team, Kelly Cronin, who placed seventh; Nicole Campbell, and Sadie Solem. Campbell has had an impressive fall, finishing second and leading the Lumberjacks to the team title in their own invitational and placing 60th at Stanford and 24th at Willamette. She was the top GNAC placer in both events.

Three other all-conference runners also return in addition to Cronin. Alicen Maier of Central Washington is the top returnee, placing third a year ago. Maier, however, hasn't returned to the form she exhibited last fall after sustaining an injury last spring in track. Also back is Sigrid Aas of Alaska Fairbanks and Stacy Edwards of Alaska Anchorage, who placed fourth and fifth, respectively.

Trevellyan finished 13th in last year's meet. Two other returnees were Top 20 finishers - Diana Heimerl of Alaska Fairbanks (16th ) and Stephanie Stine of Central Washington (17th).

In addition to SPU, five other GNAC teams are ranked in the Top 10 in the regional poll, including Central Washington (5th), Alaska Anchorage (6th), Western Washington (7th), Seattle (8th) and Alaska Fairbanks (10th).