Zoë Strickland | Managing Editor
On Oct. 21, Wolves cross country headed to Bellingham, Washington to compete in the GNAC Championships.
The men’s cross country team, currently number 12 in the NCAA DII rankings, took home two trophies — their first team title, as well as a first-place 8,000-meter trophy for senior David Ribich.
The team win is the first GNAC Championship win in Western history — it also beat a seven-year winning streak from University of Alaska Anchorage. The Wolves came close to a win 10 years ago, but ultimately ended up in second place.
Ribich, currently GNAC Athlete of the Year, won the 8,000-meter with a time of 24:54.82, coming in 0:48.83 seconds in front of Edwin Kangogo from University of Alaska Anchorage.
Western junior Dustin Nading placed eighth in the same event with a time of 25:32.76. Wolves Tyler Jones, Parker Marson and Justin Crosswhite came in at 11th, 12th and 13th, rounding out the top 15 spots in the event.
The cumulative scores of the men’s team resulted in the 51-point win for the Wolves.
Senior Kennedy Rufener took the lead for Western’s women’s cross country, placing seventh in the women’s 6,000-meter run. Rufener finished with a time of 22:07.73.
The second Wolf to place was senior Suzanne Van De Grift, who came in 21st with 22:53.51.
The Wolves stay in Monmouth for the next cross country event. The NCAA West Regional meet is slated for Nov. 4 at the Ash Creek Preserve.
Contact the author at journalmanaging@wou.edu
