SPU's Natty Plunkett wins in Fairbanks as Falcons open 2010 season...

FAIRBANKS, Alaska--Year one of life after Jessica Pixler began as Seattle Pacific's Natty Plunkett (left/photo courtesy Seattle Pacific University) covered 6 kilometers in 22 minutes, 30.3 seconds, and was nearly half a minute in front of her closest challenger at the finish line, leading the Seattle Pacific women to a second-place finish in the Alaska Nanook Cross Country Invitational Thursday.

In a three-way dual against Alaska Fairbanks and Northwest Nazarene, the Falcons finished with 42 points. The host Nanooks won with 27, placing all five of their scorers among the top eight, and NNU was third with 63.

Plunkett, a junior from Bellevue's Newport HS, was 25.9 seconds ahead of runner-up Raphaela Sieber of Fairbanks at the finish.

Joining Plunkett in the top 10 for the Falcons were freshmen Allison Cutting (Sequim, Wash./Sequim HS), who was fifth in 23:58.2, and Robyn Zeidler (Plymouth, Minn.,), who took 10th in 24:51.8.

Sophomore Will Harrison (Tucson, Ariz.) came up with a strong performance for the Seattle Pacific men, placing second, and the Falcons wound up third as a team. Harrison completed 8 kilometers in 26:53.3, and was joined in the top five by junior Daniel Hamilton (Missoula, Mont.), who took fifth in 27:22.6.

Seattle Pacific finished with 51 points. Northwest Nazarene, led by overall winner Barak Watson (26:30.0) won with 25, and Alaska Fairbanks was second with 48.

Results and the SPU recap from the Alaska Nanook Invitational can be accessed here.

NOTE: The sports information office at Seattle Pacific University contributed to this report.