Plantes Ferry Sports Complex Spokane, Washington
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NOVEMBER 9 PLANTES FERRY SPORTS COMPLEX SPOKANE, WASHINGTON 10:30AM, WOMEN’S 6K METERS 11:30AM, MEN’S 10K METERS 2013 NCAA® DIVISION II CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS WEST REGIONAL HOSTED BY GREAT NORTHWEST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE AND SPOKANE SPORTS COMMISSION WEST REGIONAL WELCOME TO SPOKANE On behalf of the Spokane Region, welcome athletes, coaches, officials, and fans to the 2013 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships West Regional. MEET INFORMATION MEET PREVIEW DATE: Saturday, November 9, 2013 Chico State, Alaska SITE: Plantes Ferry Sports Complex, Spokane Valley, WA Anchorage Top Ranked Teams TIMES: 10:30am, Womens 6K • 11:30am, Mens 10K for NCAA West Regional TEAMS: NCAA Division II members in the West Region. This race is the qualifier for the NCAA Division II SPOKANE, Wash.– Chico State National Championships on Saturday, Nov. 23, and Alaska Anchorage are the also at Plantes Ferry Sports Complex in Spokane top-ranked teams for the NCAA Valley, Washington. Division II Men’s and Women’s PREVIEW: Friday, Nov. 8, Noon–5pm West Regional Cross Country HEADQUARTERS: Administrative building at Plantes Ferry Sports Championships, which will be held Complex today at the Plantes Ferry Athletic PRE-RACE SCHEDULE: 10:10 - Women’s competitors called to start line. Complex. 10:20 - Second call to start line. The Great Northwest Athletic 10:25 - Start line cleared of non-competitors. 10:27 - Runners at start line for instructions. Conference and the Spokane 10:30 - Start of women’s 6,000. Sports Commission are co-hosts 11:10 - Men’s competitors called to start line. for the event. 11:20 - Second call to start line. 11:25 - Start line cleared of non-competitors. Chico State, which is ranked fourth 11:27 - Runners at start line for instructions. in the latest USTFCCCA national 11:30 - Start of men’s 10,000. poll, will be gunning for its 10th SCORING: Seven athletes may compete for each team. The men’s regional title in the past 12 top five athletes’ places will comprise the final Top: Alfonso Cisneros, years. score for each team. The additional runners on Chico State; Bottom, Susan Tanui, Alaska The Wildcats reclaimed the region each team may displace scoring runners for other Anchorage teams. crown last season after Alaska Anchorage, which is ranked ADVANCEMENT: The top five men’s teams and top five women’s teams will advance to the National second in the region and ninth nationally, had won Championships. In addition, the top three back-to-back titles in 2010 and in 2011, the latter at individuals not on one of the qualifying teams will Plantes Ferry, to end Chico’s eight-year title run under also advance. coach Gary Towne. 1–2 WEST REGIONAL MEET PREVIEW, CONTINUED Chico State is also the defending champion in the women’s division, The championships will also include PacWest champion Cal but is currently ranked second in the region in back of coach Baptist, which is competing in the regional for the first time since Michael Friess’ Seawolves. UAA’s women, which is led by 2012 gaining full NCAA membership this fall. national runner-up Susan Tanui, are ranked fourth nationally just Bryton Reim and Sergio Rodriguez finished 1-2 in the PacWest ahead of No. 5 Chico State and No. 6 Simon Fraser. meet to lead the Lancers to their third consecutive conference team Both Chico State and Alaska Anchorage are coming off sweeps in title. their respective conference championships. The top returnee on the women’s side is Tanui, who won the The Wildcats posted a perfect score—the first in CCAA history— GNAC individual title two weeks ago leading Alaska Anchorage to in winning their 12th consecutive CCAA men’s championship at its fifth consecutive conference team title Hooker Oak Park in Chico. Tanui won the West Region individual title last year covering the CSUC’s Aaron Thomas led a tightly bunched pack in a 6,000-meter layout in a time of 21:19. She repeated as GNAC 6,000-meter time of 24:50.6. The top six finishers were all from champion in a time of 20:24.74 leading the Seawolves to a Chico and were separated by less than four seconds. 13-point win over Simon Fraser in the conference meet. That included Alfonso Cisneros who placed second and Isaac Alaska Anchorage and Chico State, which outraced Cal State Chavez who finished fourth. Cisneros is the top returning athlete Stanislaus to win the CCAA title (29-77), each return four Top 25 from last year’s men’s regional meet when he finished third in a finishers from last year. The Warriors bring a No. 4 regional rank 10,000-meter time of 32:06. and a No. 24 national rank into the meet. Chavez, who placed fourth in last year’s regional meet in a time In addition to Tanui, returnees for the Seawolves include Ivy of 32:07, is also one of two returning All-Americans from a year O’Guinn (13th), Sarah Freistone (17th) and Susan Bick (24th). ago when he placed 13th in the national meet at Joplin, Mo. UAA’s Freistone did not run in the GNAC meet due to an injury. Dylan Anthony also earned All-American honors last season placing The top returnee for Chico State from last year’s all-region team 23rd. is Ayla Granados, who finished third. Granados won the CCAA Thomas (11th), Cisneros and Chavez are among 13 returning individual title two weeks ago in a time of 22:10.9 finishing athletes who earned all-region honors in 2012 by placing in the 3.5 seconds ahead of teammate Sara Mikesell. Mikesell placed Top 25 at the region meet in Hawaii. seventh at regionals last season before going on to join Tanui on the All-American team by placing 14th at the national meet. Chico State returns five all-region selections. In addition to Thomas, Cisneros and Chavez, Dayne Gradone (20th) and Johnny Sanchez Also back off of last year’s all-region team from Chico was (21st) were also all-region selections. Jessica Varela and Rebekah Bahra, who placed 15th and 18th, respectively. Alaska Anchorage, led by Anthony (13th), returns four 2012 all- region athletes—including Isaac Kangogo (14th), Kevin Rooke In addition to the UAA and CSUC, the only other returning Top 25 (19th) and Dominik Notz (25th). finishers from the 2012 meet are Humboldt State’s Devon Kelsey, who finished ninth, and Kansas Mackenzie of Simon Fraser, who Kangogo won the GNAC title on Oct. 26 at Monmouth in a time placed 21st. of 24:51.27 leading a 1-2-3 UAA sweep as the Seawolves edged Western Washington by three points for the team title. Freshman PacWest champion Azusa Pacific will not be among the Victor Samoie finished second and Anthony finished third. participating teams as they are a provisional NCAA member and won’t gain full status until next fall. The conference, however, will Western Washington, which is ranked third in the region and 16th be represented by Fiona McKenna of Hawaii Pacific who won the nationally, returns two all-region performers—Chip Jackson (6th) PacWest’s individual title in a 5,000-meter time of 17:16.1. and Dylan Peterson (24th). The regional will determine which five men’s teams and women’s Also back from last year’s Top 25 are Ryan Carrell of Cal Poly teams return to Spokane to compete in the NCAA Division II Pomona (7th) and Bruk Assefa of San Francisco State (9th). Cal Poly national meet Nov. 23. In addition to the team qualifiers, the top Pomona is ranked fourth in the region and 21st nationally. three men’s and women’s individuals not on one of the qualifying teams also will earn a spot in the national meet. WEST REGIONAL ABOUT SPOKANE Vibrant, enriching, dynamic, and yet with all the charm and scenic ABOUT THE COURSE grandeur of a quintessential Northwest town, Spokane has become Plantes Ferry Sports Complex is an 80-acre park, a major hub for shopping, entertainment, sports, and medical amidst 5 softball fields, 13 soccer fields, play equipment, Eastern Washington and Oregon, North Idaho, Western Montana, hiking trails shelters and a barbeque area located in and southern Alberta and British Columbia. the Spokane Valley. Plantes Ferry has hosted numerous Spokane’s connection with and proximity to the outdoors makes high school and local cross country competitions, as everything from downhill and cross-country skiing, white water well as the 2006 USATF National Junior Olympic Cross rafting, and camping to hiking, boating, and bicycling all right in Country Championships, the 2008 USATF National our backyard. In fact, the Spokane River, with it’s meandering banks Club Cross Country Championships, 2010 USA Cross and spectacular waterfalls, runs right through downtown and our Country National Championships and the 2011 NCAA centerpiece Riverfront Park. And our Centennial Trail connects 61 DII Cross Country Championship. paved miles of bicycle and walking pathways throughout the city and Runners have labeled the course as both spectator and surrounding nature. competitor friendly. Spectators can enjoy watching the It’s truly an area where indoor and outdoor sports thrive; local, race at several locations with very little transitioning. regional, and national teams make their home and destination; and While the competitors like the venue for its ability why year after year, Spokane is among the most celebrated, record- to provide a fast course, a challenging course, or a breaking, best-attended event locales. We have the capacity, the course somewhere in between. The course elevation facilities, the passion, the people power, and innovation to turn is approximately 1,800 feet and 99% of the course is events golden.