Complete individual results (PDF)
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        Baker sets pace for SPU men in Spokane

SPOKANE – Natty Plunkett proved she could run with the best on Saturday morning at the Erik Anderson/Runner's Soul Cross Country Invitational.

In fact, among the more than 100 NCAA Division II runners on the Plantes Ferry Park course, the Seattle Pacific senior was the best – period.

Plunkett (Bellevue, Wash./Newport HS), covered the 6-kilometer course in 21 minutes, 55.1 seconds, finishing eighth overall and leading the Falcons to an eighth-place team finish among the 26 schools entered. The next D-2 runner across the line was Chia Chang of UC San Diego, 10th in 21:58.3.

“Natty felt good about it. She raced well,” SPU coach Erika Daligcon said. “She has some experience with hot-weather races under her belt and doesn't let that get to her.

SPU finished with 298 points in a meet won handily by Washington State 21 points. Gonzaga was second with 114, and Seattle Pacific's Great Northwest Athletic Conference rival Western Washington took third with 133.

However, Western was the only one of the seven GNAC school entered to beat the Falcons. Northwest Nazarene was 11th with 344, Alaska Fairbanks was 12th with 361, Western Oregon took 14th with 388, Montana State Billings was 18th with 512, and Central Washington was 26th with 966. Nationally ranked Alaska Anchorage was one of the three conference schools not in Spokane.

Of the four non-GNAC teams from the West Region, the only one to beat the Falcons was fifth-place UC San Diego with 187 points. The next closest one to Seattle Pacific was Humboldt State (13th with 364).

The meet served as pre-regional look at the Plantes Ferry Park course. That will be the site of the NCAA D-2 West Regionals on Nov. 5, and also will host the D-2 nationals on Nov. 19.

In order to make regionals as a team, the Falcons will have to finish in the top five at the GNAC Championships on Oct. 22 in Yakima, and/or be regionally ranked at that time. They are No. 8 in this week's West Region rankings.

The Falcons accomplished with they did on Saturday with just five runners, and without two of their upper-pack competitors. Freshman Jasmine Johnson (Federal Way, Wash./Federal Way HS) was in Seattle taking part in freshman orientation activities on campus in advance of Monday's start of the fall quarter. Sophomore Alli Cutting is still working her way back from an injury.

Plunkett, who came on strong over the second half of last week's Sundodger Invitational in Seattle to finish 14th overall, wasn't the only Falcon delivering a solid performance on Saturday. Heidi Laabs-Johnson (Salt Lake City) came up big again, crossing the line 18th in 22:23.88. That was fourth among GNAC runners and seventh among those from the West Region.

Laabs-Johnson ran 17th at Sundodger a week ago.

Redshirt freshman Robyn Zeidler (Plymouth, Minn.), racing cross country for the first time since last September, placed 48th among the 229 finishers in 23:18.9. Zeidler got hurt early in the 2010 season and missed the rest of cross country and all of indoor track before returning to action in time for outdoor track in the spring.

Sophomore McKayla Fricker (Canby, Ore.) was 92nd for SPU in 23:55.6, and senior Josie Becker (Grapeview, Wash./White River HS) took 144th in 25:10.4.

“I'm proud of Heidi. We challenged her to get out a little bit quicker today,” Daligcon said of Laabs-Johnson's performance. “Robyn got out there and she felt really encouraged by the results.”


NCAA WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Erik Anderson/Runner's Soul Invitational
Saturday, September 24, 2011
6 kilometers at Plantes Ferry Park / Spokane, Wash.

Team scores – 1, Washington State 21; 2, Gonzaga 114; 3, Western Washington 133; 4, College of Idaho 142; 5, UC San Diego 187; 6, Colorado School of Mines 206; 7, Carroll College 269; 8, Seattle Pacific 297; 9, Regis 299; 10, Lewis-Clark State 323; 11, Northwest Nazarene 344; 12, Alaska Fairbanks 361; 13, Humboldt State 364; 14, Western Oregon 388; 15, Rocky Mountain College 389; 16, Whitworth 439; 17, Cal State East Bay 500; 18, Montana State Billings 512; 19, Grand Canyon 545; 20, Eastern Washington 613; 21, Spokane CC 622; 22, Eastern Oregon 625; 23, Whitman 729; 24, Great Falls 736; 25, Flathead Valley CC 852; 26, Central Washington 966.
Top 5 – 1, Ruby Roberts (WSU) 20:53.8; 2, Caroline Austin (WSU) 21:09.9; 3, Lindsey Drake (Gonz) 21:16.6; 4, Rhianna Grossman (Carroll) 21:38.9; 5, Sarah Bobbe (WSU) 21:42.4. SPU placers – 8, Natty Plunkett 21:55.1; 18, Heidi Laabs-Johnson 22:23.9; 48, Robyn Zeidler 23:18.9; 92, McKayla Fricker 23:55.6; 144, Josie Becker 25:10.4.