West region: Chico State vs. Alaska-Anchorage

In the Southeast, it’s Queens. In the Midwest, it’s Grand Valley State. In the Atlantic, it’s Shippensburg. Certain teams dominate the landscape in D2 cross country regions. In the West, that’s Chico State.
Or is it? Alaska-Anchorage figures to give the Wildcats a stern challenge. Saturday will be their firstsecond tangle of the season. I like the Chico State men and the Anchorage women to win.
In an earlier post, I mistakenly asserted that the Central region gets the most teams to nationals. Nope. The West will have 10 (!) representatives in Louisville. So there’s plenty of room for regional hosts Western Washington and Western Oregon men’s and women’s teams. Additional women’s teams will be Cal Poly Pomona and, maybe, Alaska-Fairbanks?
Individually, a sweep for Anchorage (Marko Cheseto (pictured) and Mirian Kipng’eno).

What’s going on in Alaska?

When you think of Alaska cross country, you might think of Sarah Palin. You shouldn’t. Alaska-Anchorage men’s and women’s teams are on track to post their best-ever finishes at a national meet.
Certainly, head coach Michael Freiss recruits just as heavily from the Rift Valley (or thereabouts) as he does from the Skagit Valley (or thereabouts). But the team faces other challenges that most programs don’t, primarily travel. Although it may be hard to shed a tear for a program that opens with two meets at Hawaii, the team will make a total of seven trips to the mainland (and Hawaii).
Another challenge for this bunch: The start time in Louisville will be 7 a.m. Alaskan time.
But along the way, the Seawolves have excelled. Marko Cheseto (pictured) leads the men’s team should win the regional title in two weeks.. But the key to the men’s No. 8 ranking could be the return of Alaskan and 2008 All-American Jake Parisien and the transfer of Yonatan Yilma. Two Kenyans and three Alaskans form the core of UAA’s No. 4 women’s program.
In perhaps their best meet of the season, Cheseto and Miriam Kipng’eno won the individual races at the highly competitive Willamette Invite in Oregon. Both are the teams to beat in the Great Northwest Conference. (At the conclusion of last season, I woulda picked W. Washington and Seattle Pacific.) They’ll tangle with Western Region foe Chico State at regionals; don’t be surprised if UAA sweeps all four trophies.

Note: Photo from goseawolves.com

Anchorage's Cheseto finally breaks 14

Perhaps this season's most-consistent 5,000 performer is Marko Cheseto of Alaska-Anchorage. Running solo at the front, he just got under 14 minutes in Occidental, Calif. This is about 15 seconds faster than his season debut. But he's getting faster each time: 14:13 (March 12), 14:06 (March 26), 14:00 (April 16)...

Daniel Kirwa's quest for a repeat double win in Charlotte got iffier, after Adams State's Edwin Cruz moved ahead of him on the 5,000 list, after a 14:07 effort in Eugene. But, as an astute reader pointed out, Kirwa will likely shimmy in, owing to the fact that some 5,000 provisional qualifiers will only run the 1,500. Could that be Ryan McNiff (Adams State) and Mack McLain (Colorado Mines)?

West: Chico, mon

One year after losing their individual national champ to the "pros," Chico State has reloaded.

Buoyed by Humboldt State transfer Jimmy Elam, who has traded top finishes with Beau Gradone-Rogers.

The team kicked around some more D1 pretenders at Irvine, Calif., and Willamette, Ore. meets this season.

Chico can't be complacent, though. Western Washington and Alaska-Anchorage won't be far behind.

While Anchorage's Marko Cheseto and Micah Chelimo are my picks for the individual crown, WWU has gotten the better measure of them this year.

And if Anchorage's fourth- and fifth-man blues are acute, Western Oregon emerge with tickets to Evansville.

Week 1: Performances of the week

Individual: Alaska-Anchorage newcomer Micah Chelimo put the smackdown on the small field at the Anchorage-Abliene Christian dual last Saturday. To wit: He nearly put 30 seconds in Abilene's Chleophas Tanui over 5 km; Tanui finished fourth in the 10,000 at San Angelo in May.

Both squads held out runners, so it is tough to tell what the team prognosis is for each. But look for Chelimo to figure in the top 10 individuals in Evansville.

Team: It's really, really hard to pick only one individual performance at The Vigil in Alamosa last Saturday. Four Adams State runners under 25 minutes on that course, which is pancake flat, yet at 7,600 feet, is amazing. Some alumni and I were talking that we rarely recall anyone dipping under 25 -- let alone a teammate. Adams State is certainly running well early. If they continue and avoid the injury bug, it could be quite a season for them.

Honorable mentions: Michael Crouch (Queens) rocks the field at Appy State. Colorado Mines shakes off summer rust and turns in strong performance against Denver Metro-area rival.

Week 1: Adams perfect over Western; new stud leads Anchorage, tops Abilene (sort of)

6:15 p.m.: No. 1 Adams State perfect scored long-time rival (and No. 2) Western State, with the Mountaineers apparently off to a traditional slow start. Reuben Mwei led the sweep; the only mild surprise was that soph Edwin Cruz was the No. 5 guy and sub-14 minute performer Florian Theophile had an off day.

Western ran Donnan, Pennel and Rasmussen, but two would-be top 5 runners (Irishman David Flynn and Jesse Chettle) were listed as "unattached."

Ah, the gamesmanship begins!

Alaska-Anchorage easily defeated a second-tier Abilene Christian squad Saturday, 22-33.

Abilene left its horses at home. Cleophas Tanui made the trip, while Daniel Maina and Amos Sang stayed home. New recruit Spencer Lynn finished sixth.

The big story was the performance of new Anchorage recruit Micah Chelimo, who eased to a 26 second win on what was advertised as a four-mile course. (You can't go wrong with a surname like Chelimo.) And Anchorage was without multi-All America performer Marko Cheseto.

Queens (N.C.) junior Michael Crouch cruised to a win at Appalachian State on Friday. Queens' second through fifth runner crossed within 19 seconds of each other, but the No. 6 D2 team lost to Florida State. North Carolina was third.

Central region power Colorado Mineswon the Colorado-Colorado Springs Rust Buster Invite, edging Air Force. Ben Zywicki won by .3 seconds. Metro State (Colo.) was a close third.

3:56 p.m. Sunday: Harding's Daniel Kirwa was second at the Memphis Twilight meet, 12 seconds behind Mississippi's Barnabas Kirui. The team finished well back in sixth, but may be deeper later.

Later this week: Performance of the weekend

Meet of the Week: The Vigil

It's hard to ignore a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup, so for the first week of the 2009 NCAA Division II cross country season, the Joe I. Vigil Invite is my "meet of the week."

Having run it four times myself (although 'twasn't called that way back when), it doesn't always turn into a knock-down, drag-out race. Adams State or Western State may hold runners out, top runners have yet to emerge and oftentimes everybody is just a bit rusty.

But we'll be able to tell something.

Adams State has amazing depth: national champ and 3:39 and 13:35 performer Aaron Braun; steeple champ Reuben Mwei (13:53 best for 5,000m); Brian Medigovich (3:42 and 13:40); Florian Theophile (13:59); Luke Cragg (14:05); and Ryan McNiff (14:19). I have no idea who is running best these days, but I wouldn't be surprised at the emergency of outdoor conference 10k champ Edwin Cruz. (All times are performances from last year.)

Western might not appear as deep on paper with Iain Donnan (13:53), Tyler Pennel (13:54) and Sean Brown (30:16), but Loren Ahonen and Tyler Rasmussen add depth, as do recent additions Glenn Watts (9:00 steeple) and David Flynn. I wonder, too, if redshirt frosh Cordell Baker is ready to make some noise.

I can almost smell the dust and cottonwoods of Alamosa.

Other meets to watch:

Queens (N.C.) -- led by the outdoor 1,500 champ Micheal Crouch -- races at Appalachian State, where they may see D1 competition. Florida State and Clemson were there last year. I have a hunch that Coach Scott Simmons is constructing a squad that will surprise people in Evansville.

No. 15 Alaska Anchorage hosts No. 4 Abilene Christian in the shadow of the Chugach Mountains. It's the Seawolves sole home meet, so they should be ready. Last year, they hosted (and beat) Atlantic Region power Edinboro. It'll kind of be a intra-country rivalry, as Anchorage's tough Kenyans (Cheseto, Kangogo and Rottich) take on Abliene's tough-er Kenyans (Maina, Sang and Tanui). Strangely, the school Web site lists the race as a 5k.

Colorado Mines (No. 3 in Central Region) and Metro State (No. 6) tangle at the aptly named Rust Buster Invite hosted by Colorado-Colorado Springs. Sub-30 minute performer Ben Zywicki leads Mines, while Metro has four 3:50-or-faster metric milers. This should give a good indication of a team ready step up in the Central Region, should Adams and/or Western falter.

Late addition: Harding opens at the Memphis Twilight. A first chance to look at my fave for the individual title, Daniel Kirwa, a double winner in San Angelo. Interesting fact: Start time is 9:20 p.m., in obvious deference to the heat.

Pre-season notes: Abilene to Alaska; Adams State needs a meet; Western State won't leave CO in '09

In my quick review of regional D2 cross powers, I have to say the most-interesting early-season meet will be the Sept. 5 race at Alaska-Anchorage.

Abliene Christian will bring its high-powered (and mostly Kenyan) lineup northwards, creating a matchup against Alaska-Anchorage's up-and-coming lineup.

ACU returns only two of their top five from last year's fourth-place squad in Slippery Rock; Anchorage returns three of its top five. While I think Anchorage won't quite compete for a national title this fall in Evansville (they were 11th last year). But they're led by seventh-place finisher Marko Cheseto (and 5k and 10k All-American performer outdoors) and perhaps have a surprise up their racing flats. Mark it on your calendar.

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While I have discussed a supposed controversy over a tantilyzing Adams State-Oregon race, the fact remains that ASC needs a meet or two to fill out their schedule. According to ascgrizzlies.com, they don't race for five weeks after Sept. 19, a situation I'm sure they want to fix -- and perhaps already have.

_____

Meanwhile, ASC's rival Western State won't leave the state of Colorado during its 2009 regular season campaign. I'll be curious to see how that works out, but the Mountaineers are nearly always ready when it counts.

5,000 fave? Donnan of Western State

As I look back on my picks, I realize I have picked an Adams State runner to win every distance event. Until now. Aaron Braun is the best runner in the meet, hands down. But I like Western State's Iain Donnan over 5,000 meters. The junior Mountaineer is focussing exclusively (like teammate Tyler Pennel) on the distance, while Braun will have only 2 1/2 hours' rest. Of course, if anyone can do it, it would be Braun. It's too bad Micheal Crouch (Queens, N.C.) didn't choose this race, which would've been his best chance to win a national title.

1. Iain Donnan (Western State)
   
2. Amos Sang (Abilene Christian)
   
3. Aaron Braun (Adams State)
   

All-Americans: Marko Cheseto (Alaska-Anchorage), Luke Cragg (Adams State), Pennel, Florian Theophile (Adams State)

Remember, the first final is the men's 10,000 meters tomorrow night. At that time, I'll ignore my prognostications and pretend I knew the winner all along! 

Steeplechase: Chebon-Mwei will win again

Daniel Maina (Abilene Christian) is last year's champ. Reuben Chebon-Mwei (Adams State) outpaced him at this year's Penn Relays. I figure the men's steeplechase title should come down to these two -- and Chebon-Mwei gets the nod, mostly based on the Penn performance (both will likely run the 5,000 final 3 1/2 hours later). But anything can happen, and that's where Alaska-Anchorage's David Kiplagat comes in.

1. Reuben Chebon-Mwei (Adams State)

2. Daniel Maina (Abilene Christian)

3. David Kiplagat (Alaska-Anchorage)

All-Americans: Loren Ahonen (Western State); Nate Preston (Wayne State, Neb.); Matt Schneider (Wayne State, Neb.)

Adams State's Medigovich will win the 10,000

OK, so I'm starting with the 10,000, which is the first distance final of the D2 national championships in San Angelo, Tex.

In many ways, this race has the most wide-open field. No one has run a stratospheric time (although Chris Clark of California (Pa.) has a sterling best time), and most of the top contenders are doubling in the 5,000. But, hey, if I'm winning the 10k with eight laps to go, who cares about my second event.

I think Medigovich will take it because he's got the best finishing speed of the bunch. I think.

So, without further ado, the top three:

1. Brian Medigovich (Adams State)
   
2. Chris Clark (California, Pa.)
   
3. Daniel Kirwa (Harding)
   

All-Americans: Marko Cheseto (Alaska-Anchorage); Luke Cragg (Adams State); Amos Sang (Abilene Christian); Jeff Weiss (Slippery Rock); Ben Zywicki (Colorado Mines).

Great Northwest

So the spectre of swine flu (yep, I'm calling it "swine") cancels -- not postpones, not delays -- the Great Northwest Athletic Conference meet scheduled in Monmouth, Ore. Most notably, this affects Alaska-Anchorage distance runners. Looks like those athletes will compete at nearby Pacific University's Pacific Twilight meet. 

What other meets might feel the "pandemic impact?"

Relays?

The 100th Drake Relays (check out a cool history here) and the "Penn Relay Carnival" get underway this week. 

Mankato State will field 4 x 1600m and 4x 800m squads at Drake, but for D2 distance runners, it's more about individual efforts, according to the start lists I've seen.

Looking at the latest D2 performance list (which, incidentally, has some big omissions, like some sub-14 minute performances by Adams State), it's too bad Alaska-Anchorage couldn't get a 4x800m squad out to Philly. Looks like they have three sub 1:52 performers, with a 3:50 performer (Alfred Kangogo) as a possible fourth leg? That's a long flight, though.

Tonight's the big night at SAC

A few noteworthy performances at the first night of Mt. SAC Relays: A sub-9 minute steeplechase by Western State's Loren Ahonen, and two 10K's nearly under 29 minutes by Marko Cheseto of Alaska-Anchorage and Chris Clark of California (Pa.). Look for Cheseto and Clark to duke it out for the D2 crown; both were in the top 9 at cross nats.
I'm pretty sure I know at least a portion of Clark's success: Cal coach Daniel Caulfield, ex-Adams Stater and standout Irish middle distance runner.
Cheseto could be a factor in the fall, too. (Clark was a senior last fall.)