BILLINGS, Mont. – The men of Chico State and women of Alaska Anchorage University were team winners in the NCAA Division II West Region Cross Country Championships Saturday morning on a crisp, cool day at Amend Park. Eddie King (Chico State) won the men's individual title, edging out Felix Kemboi (Alaska Anchorage) to win the men's 10,000 kilometer race with a time of 30:49.00 (4.58/mile).
In the women's 6,000 meters, Emmanuelah Chelimo (Alaska Anchorage) beat the field in convincing fashion when she crossed the finish line with the winning time of 20:57.47 (5:36/mile).
The temperature clung to 18-degrees for the start of the men's event and combined with low wind conditions and a relatively flat course, helped runners create a sizable number of fast times. For the men, Chico State had its' top three finishers come across first, third, and eighth for a team total of 39 points. Simon Fraser was second with runners coming in sixth, seventh, and 12
th for a total of 63.
Alaska Anchorage was the top team representing the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and had 116 points for third place. Cal Poly Pomona (146 points) and Western Washington (159 points) helped round out the top five.
With a slightly higher temperatures and a noticeable increase in breeze, the women's 6,000 meter race ended with a 66 point win for Alaska Anchorage as the Seawolves placed three runners in the top-ten, including a takeover of the No. 1 and No. 2 spots. Simon Fraser was second with 85 points and Chico State made it across just three points behind the Clan with 88. Seattle Pacific and Western Washington wrapped up the top five women's positions.
Race host Montana State University Billings fared well in the men's race and came in 16
th place with 432 points. The Yellowjackets top finisher was
Ivan Colmenero, who crossed 37
th in 32:05.38 and set a new personal best time. The other MSUB men's runners were
Ronald Venema (63
rd, 32:37.19),
Mark Hovland (83
rd, 33:03.74),
Carson Jessop (128
th, 34:17.32),
Logan Straus (140
th, 34:48.19), and
Drake Henson (154
th, 25:40.39).
Ruth Chepsat (Yellow) runs off the start line at the NCAA Region Championships.
On the women's side, the Yellowjackets were led by
Ruth Chepsat who finished 61st in 22:30.83. Second was
Nikki Aiken in 111
th (23:24.49).
Kailee Stoppel was the 'Jackets top freshman finisher in 141
st (24:23.33).
Sierra Durbin (170
th, 25:52.20),
Miranda Livingston (171
st, 26:02.80), and
Maddy Terwilliger (176
th, 26:30.62) ran together the entire race and rounded out MSUB's field of runners.
The top three teams in each of the men's and women's fields earned automatic team bids to the NCAA National Division II Championship set to take place December 1 at Schenley Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Teams that qualified with at-large bids will be announced in coming days.
Men's Team Scores (Top 3 Advance to National Meet): Chico State 39, Simon Fraser 63, Alaska Anchorage 116, Cal Poly Pomona 146, Western Washington 159, Western Oregon 182, Cal State San Marcos 209, Stanislaus State 213, UC San Diego 299, Central Washington 351, Academy of Art 356, Azusa Pacific 375, Notre Dame de Namur 386, Seattle Pacific 395, San Francisco State 399, Montana State Billings 432, Cal State East Bay 444, Humboldt State 478, Hawai'I Pacific 496, Concordia (Ore.) 536, Concordia (Calif.) 568, Fresno Pacific 576, Saint Martin's 636, Cal State Los Angeles 748.
Women's Team Scores (Top 3 Advance to National Meet): Alaska Anchorage 66, Simon Fraser 85, Chico State 88, Seattle Pacific 182, Western Washington 187, Point Loma 188, Azusa Pacific 189, Stanislaus State 205, Cal State San Marcos 210, Central Washington 256, Academy of Art 280, Cal State San Bernardino 340, Cal Poly Pomona 345, UC San Diego 360, Cal State East Bay 365, Humboldt State 402, Northwest Nazarene 451, Western Oregon 497, San Francisco State 558, Fresno Pacific 573, Concordia (Calif.) 574, Concordia (Ore.) 628, Montana State Billings 635, Sonoma State 677, Cal State Los Angeles 692, Saint Martin's 828.
Top 10 Finishers Men: 1. Eddie Felix, CHICO, 30:49.00, 2. Felix Kemboi, UAA, 30:50.84, 3. Jack Johnson, CHICO, 30:55.95, 4. John Lawson, SFSU, 31:00.19, 5. Wesley Kirui, UAA, 31:04.74, 6. Pierre-Louis Detourbe, SFU, 31:06.36, 7. Sean Miller, SFU, 31:06.93, 8. Wyatt Baxter, CHICO, 31:10.15, 9. Tyler Jones, WOU, 31:12.85, 10. Dustin Nading, WOU, 31:14.94.
Top 10 Finishers Women: 1. Emmanuelah Chelimo, UAA, 20:57.47, 2. Nancy Jeptoo, UAA, 21:08.65, 3. Eileen Stressling, APU, 21:13.98, 4. Olivia Willett, SFU, 21:18.31, 5. Nicole Soleim, CWU, 21:19.03, 6. Zennah Jepchumba, UAA, 21:23.02, 7. Sophia Kaiser, SFU, 21:26.04, 8. Alexa Shindruk, CWU, 21:27.52, 9. Hannah Benoit-Bucher, PLU, 21:30.04, 10. Kate Lilly, UAA, 21:34.11
Rachel Hiner and Miranda Livingston race for MSU Billings.
