PORTLAND, Ore. – On Saturday mornings, the Seattle Pacific Falcons find their way around different cross country courses.
 
During the week, they're also very good at finding their way around a classroom.
 
Led by third-time honoree Annika Esvelt on the women's side and second-timer Brennan LeBlanc on the men's, SPU placed nine runners on the Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Academic team that was announced on Wednesday.
 
 

Esvelt is an applied human biology major with a 3.97 grade-point average. She has competed in two races this fall and led the Falcons in both, including a second-place finish at the PLU Invitational on Sept. 16 in Tacoma. Esvelt also has been named to the GNAC All-Academic track and field team twice.
 
 

LeBlanc is a computer science major with a 3.22 GPA. He has been the front runner for the Falcons in all three meets, with a pair of top-15 finishes: 11th at the Puget Sound Invitational, and 15th at PLU. He has been the first SPU runner across the finish line in six of the last seven meets, dating back to last October.
 
 

Nicki Yorges made the women's team for the second year in a row. She is a psychology major with a 3.89 GPA. She has run in all three meets this season, scoring No. 5 for the Falcons at Puget Sound and PLU.
 
 

Picking up their first All-Academic honors on the women's side are sophomores Katelyn Flolo and Matise Mulch. Flolo has a 3.99 GPA as an applied human biology major. She was No. 3 for Seattle Pacific and 20th overall at Puget Sound, and was back among the scoring five at the Bill Roe Western Washington Classic on Sept. 23. Mulch has been a solid No. 2 for the Falcons all season, placing 19th overall at Puget Sound, 16th at PLU and 54th at WWU.
 
 

SPU had four men earn their first All-Academic awards. Sophomore Isaac Venable is a computer science major with a 3.73 GPA. He has stepped up in a big way on the course, placing No. 2 for the team at UPS and PLU, and No. 3 at Bellingham. Fellow sophomore Nathaniel Gale sports a 3.37 GPA as a political science major. He has been the No. 4 team finisher twice and No. 5 once.
 
 

Ben Sheirbon, a junior, carries a 3.67 GPA as a physiology major, and Kade Franco, also a junior, is a visual communication major with a 3.33 GPA. Both have been dealing with injuries through the season so far.
 
Making the All-Academic team requires a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.20, and an academic status of sophomore or higher. Runners must be in at least their second year with the team and must be on the active roster for the entire season. Freshmen and first-year transfers are not eligible.
 
Seattle Pacific wraps up the regular season on Saturday in the Emerald City Open at Lower Woodland Park near Green Lake. The 8-kilometer men's race starts at 10:30 a.m., followed by the women's 6K at 11:15.


2023 GNAC ALL-ACADEMIC CROSS COUNTRY TEAM
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC WOMEN
Name                            Academic major                 Year       GPA        Hometown
Annika Esvelt             Applied Human Biology     Jr        3.97       Spokane, WA
Katelyn Flolo              Applied Human Biology     So       3.99       Camas, WA
Matise Mulch             Mechanical Engineering     So       3.70       Nine Mile Falls, WA
Nicki Yorges               Psychology                       Jr        3.89       Eugene,  OR
 
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC MEN
Name                           Academic major                 Year       GPA        Hometown
Kade Franco             Visual Communication       Jr        3.33      Santa Ana, CA
Nathaniel Gale          Political Science               So        3.37      Florence, MT
Brennan LeBlanc       Computer Science            Sr        3.22      Duvall, WA
Ben Sheirbon            Physiology                        Jr        3.67      Wilsonville, OR
Isaac Venable           Computer Science             So       3.73       Tacoma, WA