2023 NWAC Cross Country Championships Preview
By James Berry
UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. – This coming Saturday, November 11, the NWAC Cross Country Championships will return to Chambers Creek Regional Park once again. This marks the third year on this course, which hosted the Pac-12 championships just recently and has hosted regional NCAA meets over the last few years. The men will open the action at 11:00 a.m., with the women following at 12 p.m. The top three teams will trophy, while the top seven individual finishers in each race earn All-American recognition.
MEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP 8 KILOMETER RACE
TEAM RACE
The last eight NWAC Championships have featured the Lane Titans and Spokane Sasquatch trading off the top two spots, with five of those races decided by a mere 10 points or fewer. This year could see yet another repeat with both the Titans and Sasquatch bringing in strong contenders. But could this be the year that the streak is broken? The Lakers of Southwestern Oregon come in with a team every bit as good after a close second to Lane at the Southern Region Championship and will look to play spoilers and bring home the school's first cross country title since 1964. The Lakers aren't the only team looking to play spoilers as the North-West Region champion Gators of Green River come in with a strong team and look to improve on last year's third place finish, while the Clark Penguins placed a close third at the Southern Region championship and will be looking for that elusive title as well.
INDIVIDUAL RACE:
RJ Kennedy of Lane comes into the meet undefeated in NWAC competition this year, boasting a season best time of 24:51 over 8 kilometers. RJ is the top returning runner from last year's meet where he finished fifth place, as well as being the NWAC champion over 10,000m in track. He may see strong challenges from several runners including two other track champions particularly the North-West Region individual champion Ryan Perkins (the 800m champion in track) who has the second fastest 8-kilometer time this year, and the 5,000m champion Luke Hurd of Spokane. Kiler Borg (Spokane) is the only other returning All-American from last season's race, while Wyatt Sparks (Lane) and Justus Jackson (Southwestern Oregon) finished a close second and third at the Southern Region meet.
RUNNERS TO WATCH: RJ Kennedy - Lane, Talbot Friesen – Clackamas; Max Baeder, Spencer Holm – Clark; Ulysses Lopez-Vazque, Oliver Accola – Edmonds; Yahir Marban, Blake Wayman – Everett; Ryan Perkins, Blaze O'Brien – Green River; Wyatt Sparks, Christian Lee – Lane; Gianni Altman – Mt. Hood; Miles Cole – Olympic; Luke Hurd, Kiler Borg, Darian Slack – Spokane; Justus Jackson, Habtamu Hurty, Gabriel Weaver – Southwestern Oregon, Connor Deveny - Umpqua
WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP 5 KILOMETER RACE
TEAM RACE
The Titans of Lane come into this meet riding a three year title streak, after breaking the six year streak of wins by the Spokane Sasquatch. This year it appears that the Sasquatch may take the title back, as the ladies of Spokane come into this meet filling up the top ranks of the NWAC this season. Despite the apparent front-runner status, the Southern Region champion Clark Penguins will be gunning for them, looking for their first title since 2010. The Titans of Lane have been shorthanded much of the season, but if they have everyone ready look for the Lady Titans to have a word in the race as well. The Titans have been without their top two for the last month of action and have been sharing another of their athletes with their soccer team. The North-West Region champion Trojans of Everett will also look secure their first podium spot since their runner-up finish in 2016.
INDIVIDUAL RACE
The conference has been dominated by a single runner on the Women's side as well. Freshman Sydnee Boothby of Clark has been untouched by conference foes all season and is coming off a win nearly two minutes ahead of the runner up at the Southern Region Championship. The closest any runner has come to her was Spokane's Kaley Bohl, finishing 16 seconds back at the Willamette Invitational. Behind them come a slew of sub 20-minute 5K runners, including a contingent from Spokane of sophomores Camille Ussher and Sophia Ferraro and freshman Holly Meadows, Mary Nakamura, Ashlee Scheel and Emma Gray, as well as a trio of Clark freshman in Dani Buttrell, Chloe Crawford and Soliel Bianchi, and a pair of Lane Titans in Hannah MacDuffie and Haylee Baldwin. North-West Region winner Emma Arceo of Everett will be in the mix as well, and though she hasn't run for a while Lane's Cydney Sanchez is the top returner from last year's race where she finished runner-up.
RUNNERS TO WATCH: Sydnee Boothby, Dani Buttrell, Chloe Crawford, Soliel Bianchi, Stacy Sutton, Raleena Maxon – Clark; Emma Arceo – Everett; Alexandra Doumanov – Green River; Hannah MacDuffie, Haylee Baldwin, Grace Godinez, Cydney Sanchez, Brinna Weiseth – Lane; Gabrielle Becker – Olympic; Gabriella Martinez-Duran – Pierce; Kaley Bohl, Holly Meadows, Camille Ussher, Mary Nakamura, Sophia Ferraro, Ashlee Scheel, Emma Gray – Spokane; Mariana Ramirez – Treasure Valley
NWAC CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
11:00 a.m. – Men's Championship 8K Race
12:00 p.m. – Women's Championship 5K Race
12:50 p.m. – Awards
NWAC Cross Country Championship Home
LIVE RESULTS – Available on Athletic.Live