GNAC title clash slated for Saturday at Saint Martin's...
With the five Washington Division I schools off this weekend before the conference championship meets next week, the four D2 schools--Central Washington, Seattle Pacific, and Western Washington will all converge on Lacey Saturday for the Great Northwest Athletic Conference meet hosted by Saint Martin's on its campus course.
The men's 8k will open the championship at 10 am PT, with the women's 6k to follow at 11 am PT.
On the men's side, it looks like it will be a battle between Simon Fraser and defending 2019 champs Western Washington, while on the women's side, the Vikings, who are the defending 2019 champs as well, may have a bigger obstacle in Simon Fraser, who is ranked number 9 in the national USTFCCCA D2 poll.
While the Vikings’ lineup looks vastly different than the one that won in 2019, it has proven just as potent. Junior Mac Franks is one of just two athletes left from that team. He has assumed the leadership mantle with three top-10 finishes, including an impressive fifth place at the Roy Griak Invitational. Senior Kaleb Korta adds significant experience having placed 45th at the 2018 Championships for Alaska Anchorage.
Adding to the depth are dynamic freshmen Jeret Gillingham and Kevin McDermott. Gillingham placed 12th at the Griak and 13th at the Bill Roe Classic while McDermott placed 14th two weeks ago in Bellingham.
Host Saint Martin’s will look to its youth to perform well on its home course. Sophomore Jack Farrell has three top-10 finishes to his credit and helped pace the Saints to a third-place finish at Chambers Bay. Freshman Kainalu Pagente opened his career by winning the Puget Sound Invitational and has three top-15 finishes.
Seattle Pacific will be led by senior Colin Boutin, who has three top-15 finishes this season and a best of 26:15 over 8K.
In the women's race, Western Washington, the defending champion, will have to have a young lineup pull through to take the trophy again in 2021. The Vikings placed a solid sixth at the Roy Griak Invitational, proving their mettle in big races. Freshman Ila Davis led the way with a 27th-place finish. Senior Brittany Aquino ran a team-best 22:55 at the Bill Roe Classic two weeks ago, leading the Vikings to fifth place.
Seattle Pacific, which opened the season nationally ranked by the USTFCCCA, has seen its squad weakened by injury this season. The Falcons are young but talented. Freshman Annika Esvelt won her first two of her first three collegiate races, running 22:15 for 6,000 meters at the PLU Invitational in September. Freshman Ellie Rising, the 2021 GNAC outdoor 800-meter champion, has a pair of top-four finishes.
Saint Martin’s looks to freshmen Sara Sabra and Cassidy Walchak-Sloan for top performances on the home course. Both runners have three top-10 finishes this season, with Sabra winning the PLU Open and Walchak-Sloan placing 10th at Chambers Bay.
Central Washington will be led by junior Kay Lester, who ran a team-best 24:08 at the PLU Open.
The GNAC meet preview is here, while the link to live results is available here.
NOTE: The GNAC & the sports information offices of Saint Martin's, Western Washington, Central Washington and Seattle Pacific contributed to this report.
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