FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The scores were as close as they could get – just one point from first place to second place, and another point from second to third.

But the Seattle Pacific men's cross country team was happy to take the close scores. And even happier to take home the win.

With sophomore Will Harrison running to a fourth-place individual finish and three teammates joining him in the top 10, the Falcons finished with the low total of 41 points on Saturday morning in the Alaska Nanook Invitational Short-Course meet at West Ridge Ski Trails on the Alaska Fairbanks campus.

The host Nanooks were right behind with 42 points, and Northwest Nazarene was third with 43 in the 4-kilometer race.

“It was nice to bounce back from Thursday and get the win today,” said Harrison (Tucson, Ariz.) “I think both of these races really showed us that we have our work cut out for the rest of the season.”

The Falcons were third among the three teams in Thursday's 8K race with 51 points. NNU won with 25, and Fairbanks was second with 48.

In the women's 4K on Saturday. Seattle Pacific junior Natty Plunkett came through with another strong run, taking third place, and the Falcons also finished third as a team with 49 points. The host Nanooks won with 32, and Northwest Nazarene was second with 46.

Harrison hit the finish line in 13 minutes, 19 seconds. All six SPU men were within 46 seconds of each other on Saturday – strong pack running for the early portion of the season. Junior Daniel Hamilton (Missoula, Mont.) was seventh in 13:32, sophomore Andrew Van Ness (Bellevue, Wash./Bellevue Christian HS) took ninth in 13:37, sophomore AJ Baker (AuGres, Mich.) was 10th in 13:38, and freshman Evan Bradford (Santa Barbara, Calif.) ran 11th in 13:47 to complete the scoring.

Sophomore Gavin Brand crossed 16th for the Falcons in 14:03.

“This was very nice,” Seattle Pacific assistant coach Letiwe Patton said of Saturday's performance. “They've never done this kind of race where they run one day, have one day off, then race again. We're pretty happy with our performances. Will thought he could have done better today, but he hasn't done this before. … There's so much room to improve.”

Harrison ran second in Thursday's 8K race.

“That first race I think was a lot more suited for me,” said Harrison, who, like many cross country runners, gets better as the distances get longer. “I was hoping to win today because the guy who beat me on Thursday wasn't running today. But I was just tired from Thursday.

Plunkett (Bellevue, Wash./Newport HS), after coming from behind on Thursday and then pulling away to a victory of nearly 26 seconds, was among the leaders again on Saturday, as she finished in 15:26.8. Raphaela Sieber of Alaska Fairbanks won in 15:19.9, and Jaclyn Puga of Northwest Nazarene was second in 15:25.5.

Falcon freshman Allison Cutting (Sequim, Wash./Sequim HS) joined Plunkett in the top 10, placing fifth in 15:55. Freshman Robyn Zeidler (Plymouth, Minn.) was 12th in 16:40; sophomore Krysta Carrick (Tokyo, Japan) was 13th in 16:41, and sophomore Kelsey Brown (Colorado Springs, Colo.) took 17th in 17:43.

“On the second hill, I started passing some people,” Plunkett said. “The only thing disappointing today was my kick wasn't there, and this one person (NNU's Puga) passed me in the last five seconds.

Still, Plunkett considered it a successful week up north.

“I really liked the course – it had a good feel to it – and the weather was perfect,” Plunkett said of the 60-degree temperatures. “And it was exciting to race as a team, rather than as three returners and two freshmen. On Thursday, I wanted to be with the front pack, because I felt that was the right place for me. In the second half of the race, I really started closing on the Fairbanks girl, and I realized they were starting to get a little tired on the hills. I know my strength is hills, and I knew I had to make my decision to go”

Added Patton, “This was a good way for us to know where we are and know what we need to work on for our next races.”


NCAA MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Alaska Nanook Invitational Short-Course
Saturday, September 4, 2010
4 kilometers at West Ridge Ski Trails/Fairbanks, Alaska

Team scores – 1, Seattle Pacific 41; 2, Alaska Fairbanks 42; 3, Northwest Nazarene 43.
Winner – 1, Matt Stark (NNU) 13:00.6. SPU placers – 4, (5th overall) Will Harrison 13:19.2; 7, (8th overall) Daniel Hamilton 13:32.3; 9 (10th overall), Andrew Van Ness 13:37.0; 10 (11th overall), AJ Baker 13:38.6; 11, (13th overall), Evan Bradford 13:47.6; 16 (19th overall), Gavin Brand 14:03.5.


NCAA WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Alaska Nanook Invitational Short-Course
Saturday, September 4, 2010
4 kilometers at West Ridge Ski Trails/Fairbanks, Alaska

Team scores – 1, Alaska Fairbanks 32; 2, Northwest Nazarene 46; 3, Seattle Pacific 49
Winner – 1, Raphaeia Sieber (UAF) 15:19.9. SPU placers – 3, Natty Plunkett 15:26.8; 5, Allison Cutting 15:55.7; 12, Robyn Zeidler 16:40.6; 13, Krysta Carrick 16:41.7; 17, Kelsey Brown 17:43.2.