Complete results (PDF)

MONMOUTH, Ore. – Katie Morris wasn't sure she'd like the course. By the end of Saturday's Great Northwest Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships, she had changed her mind.
 
The Seattle Pacific freshman ran near the top 10 from start to finish and came across the line 12^th, leading the Falcons to third place in the meet at Ash Creek Preserve adjacent to Western Oregon University and guaranteeing a trip to Hawaii in two weeks for the NCAA Division II West Regionals.
 
Morris was one of five SPU runners among the top 30, as the Falcons checked in with 104 points.
 
Alaska Anchorage, led by champion Susan Tanui, made it four straight titles with a near-perfect score of 16 points, and Simon Fraser grabbed second place with 61. Only SPU (2005-08) had won four conference crowns in a row.
 



“I think we were really anxious for this race, and everyone ended up performing really well,” said Morris (Spokane, Wash. / Shadle Park HS). “Having McKayla (Fricker) out there for the first time (this season) and knowing that Katie Thralls had a good race, I think everyone is happy with how we did.”
 
That included head coach Erika Daligcon.
 
“They had a very solid performance,” she said. “Katie Morris had a really strong day, and Katie Thralls, who had some iron issues the last month, looked to be back on form. McKayla had a great first race, and we're just excited to see what this team can do in the next two weeks.”
 
With Saturday's finish and their No. 4 spot in this week's West rankings by U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, the Falcons now can pack their bags for a trip regionals in Kahuki, Hawaii. That meet is set for Saturday, Nov. 3. From there, the top five teams will qualify for nationals, taking place on Nov. 17 in Joplin, Mo. The Falcons were sixth as last year's regionals in Spokane.
 
While Alaska Anchorage and Simon Fraser runners quickly took command in the 6-kilometer race on the flat, damp, multi-loop course, Morris found herself back around 25^th, but then steadily started to move up, with Thralls (Livermore, Calif.) following close behind.
 
By the 3K point, Morris was 12^th, and Thralls was 17^th. Morris hung right in that spot the rest of the way and came across the line in 21 minutes, 35.70 seconds. Thralls, in a three-woman sprint to the line, was 18^th in 21:55.52.
 
“When I was in the race, I actually did like the course,” Morris said. “I was getting in the zone, there wasn't any wind, there wasn't any rain – it was perfect weather. I really loved this course.”
 
Thralls' finish earned her the GNAC Newcomer of the Year award, which goes to the highest-placing sophomore, junior, or senior in their first year at the conference meet. She is the second straight Falcon to win it. In 2011, it went to Heidi Laabs-Johnson.




The third-place team spot was secured by what happened farther down the line. SPU junior Fricker (Canby, Ore.), who missed the regular season while dealing with an injury, was a solid 23rd in 22:03.00. Sophomore Robyn Zeidler (Plymouth, Minn.) was 28th in 22:10;06, and sophomore Jasmine Johnson (Federal Way, Wash. / Federal Way HS) was 30th in 22:15.11.
 
All three moved up from their spots early in the race, and Fricker, the defending GNAC indoor and outdoor 800-meter champion, made a big surge on the final loop to become the No. 3 scorer for the Falcons.
 
“The last lap, I finally got in a zone, concentrated on my breathing, concentrated on where I was, and just started picking it up,” Fricker said.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
GNAC Championships
Saturday, October 20, 2012
6 kilometers (3.72 miles) at Ash Creek Preserve / Monmouth, Ore.
 
Team scores – 1, Alaska Anchorage 16; 2, Simon Fraser 61; 3, Seattle Pacific 104; 4, Western Washington 115; 5, Central Washington 151; 6, Montana State Billings 168; 7, Northwest Nazarene 181; 8, Alaska Fairbanks 198; 9, Western Oregon 201; 10, Saint Martin's 317.
 
Top 10 – 1, Susan Tanui (UAA) 20:37.29; 2, Miriam Kipng'eno (UAA) 20:55.16; 3, Ivy O'Guinn (UAA) 21:04.20; 4, Sarah Freistone (UAA) 21:13.06; 5, Lindsey Butterworth (SFU) 21:19.56; 6, Susan Bick (UAA) 21:20.09; 7, Katie Krehilk (UAA) 21:22.34; 8, Kelsey Kreft (CWU) 21:23.96; 9, Kansas Mackenzie (SFU) 21:25.67; 10, Peggy Noel (SFU) 21:28.06.
 
SPU placers – 12, Katie Morris 21:35.70; Katie Thralls 21:55.52; McKayla Fricker 22:03.00; 28, Robyn Zeidler 22:10.06; 30, Jasmine Johnson 22:15.11; 33, Lynelle Decker 22:23.02; 49, Anna Patti 23:00.31; 61, Josie Becker 23:46.74; 75, Elizabeth Doe 24:16.75.