Oct. 18, 2007

FAIRBANKS, AK- After a solid month off to concentrate on training, the Alaska Nanooks cross country team returns to competition on Saturday as it heads to Nampa, Idaho to compete in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championships. The event, hosted by Northwest Nazarene University, will be a 6,000 meter run for women and a 8,000 meter run for men, starting at 8:30 and 9:15 a.m. Alaska time, respectively.

Though this year's GNAC field boasts a number of strong teams, the Blue and Gold have high expectations for themselves after recording their best finishes in recent memory at last season's conference meet: the Nanook women placed fifth in the event, while the men came in eighth, their best-ever GNAC finish.

"I think confidence is pretty high," said head coach Scott Jerome. "We ran well at the Apple Ridge Run, we ran well here in Fairbanks against the Hawaiian teams, and I think having a month off at home has been good for us. Everyone has gotten caught up on their studies, gotten healthy, concentrated on their training, and they have looked really strong in practice. I think we are right where we need to be."

Jerome has good reason to be optimistic about how his women will perform in the conference race: the Nanooks have already won four of their five events this season, including an impressive win 28-47 win over Central Washington at last month's Apple Ridge Run Invitational.

"The women are confident: they know that they are a quality team, and they are excited to show what they can do," said Jerome. "Everyone has their own motivation. For example, for Beth [Zirbes], it's her last conference meet in her career, so she's especially motivated, and then for someone like Nikkol [Sipes], it's her first [GNAC championship], so she wants to go down there and show everyone what she can do."

Anna Coulter has been in top form for Alaska, turning in two second-place finishes and one fourth-place finish in her three races this season. Coulter, who kicked off her 2007 running season by winning the annual Chena River Run 5K, was the team's top finisher in every race this season.

The Nanooks will also look to Coulter's twin sister Julia to help lead the charge at the GNAC championships. Despite missing the team's first two races this season, Julia is Alaska's top returning finisher from last year's conference meet, having landed in 26th place with a time of 23:28.00.

While the Blue and Gold will be without Aurelia Korthauer, who was forced to redshirt this season due to injuries and illness, the team will retain its depth thanks in large part to freshman Sipes, who has been a revelation in her first year with the Nanooks. Sipes was among the team's top five runners in her first collegiate race and has only improved from there, placing an impressive fourth overall at the Apple Ridge Run.

Jerome also expects another new face, sophomore Amber Drumm, to turn some heads at the conference championships. "Amber is looking really good in practice," he said. "She is as quiet as a church mouse, but she's a tiger out there in training. She loves to train and run hard, and she is a competitor. If it comes down to a horserace in the last 400 meters, I would not bet against her: she does not want to come in second."

Duplicating their top five performance from a year ago will be no easy feat, however, as six GNAC teams are currently ranked in the regional top ten. Defending champions Seattle Pacific are again the favorites, currently ranked third in the West Region, followed by Seattle (sixth), Western Washington (seventh), Central Washington (eighth), Northwest Nazarene (ninth) and Alaska Anchorage (tenth).

On the men's side, Alaska looks to be in good position to improve on last year's eighth-place finish. Their top returnee, sophomore Ray Sabo, has another year of experience after his 55th-place finish in last year's GNAC championships. Seniors Marius Korthauer and Vahur Teppan can also be expected to bounce back after tough races at last year's meet. Teppan was the team's top finisher in both of this season's two home meets, while Korthauer set a new course record at the Ester Dome 5K in September.

"Marius is primed to have a good race," said Jerome. "It's his last conference championships as well, so he is definitely motivated to do well. He's a competitor: he wants to win, and he is going to give it everything he's got."

The Nanooks have also been bolstered by the addition of Finnish exchange student Jani Tulppo and the return of senior Chris Eversman, who spent the last season in an exchange program with the University of Southern Maine.

"I think Jani and Chris are poised to have a really good meet," said Jerome. "Both of them are motivated and fit, and look really good in practice. Based off what we saw at Apple Ridge, I think Jani and Chris will be two of our top four runners."

Along with another new face, freshman Zach McGill (who has logged two top-ten finishes himself this season), Tulppo and Eversman will give Alaska the depth they were missing at last season's championships.

The men will also be up against stiff competition from a tough GNAC field, however. Favorites and defending champs Western Washington are currently ranked No. 11 in the nation and second in the West Region, while rivals Alaska Anchorage stand at No. 17 nationally and third in the region.

Following the GNAC championships, Alaska then concludes its 2007 cross country season by taking five men and five women to the NCAA West Regional meet, which will also be held in Nampa, Idaho, on November 3.