Rosie Fordham had the race of her life Saturday at the West Region Cross Country Championships.

The UAF senior used a scorching final kilometer to blow away the field in the 6-K race at Amend Park in Billings, Mont., clocking a jaw-dropping 19 minutes, 52 seconds — a pace of 5:19 per mile — and punching her ticket to the national championships for the fourth consecutive season.

While Fordham is no stranger to frontrunning, she filed behind the early leaders as SPU’s Annika Esvelt took out the race in a brisk 5:05 first mile.

With minimal hills and favorable weather, the course conditions were optimal for fast times.

But no one could anticipate just how fast the times would go.

Not even Fordham.

“I came into the straightaway and saw 19:40 on the clock, and that was crazy — insane,” Fordham told GNACSports. “I thought if I could run maybe 20:30 today that would be cool.”

“To have a 19 next to my name, I don’t really believe it.”

Fordham pulled away from teammate Kendall Kramer of Fairbanks — the three-time reigning GNAC champion and defending West Region champion — with one kilometer to go. Fordham never looked back, notching her first region title and third consecutive for the Nanooks.

“(Kramer) has pushed me so much, and for the past two years, I have been biding my time thinking maybe one day I could have a kick that could rival her,” Fordham told GNACSports. “She runs the middle section so well and I struggle with that. I thought if I could stay with her there, I could close and take the win.”

The title marks a back-to-back-to-back effort by the ‘Nooks after Kramer claimed the win last fall and Naomi Bailey secured the win in 2022 in a momentous 1-2 finish with Kramer. Since the GNAC’s formation in 2001, the conference has claimed 16 regional titles on the women’s side, ten of which represented UAA or UAF.

Fordham’s time of 19:52 — a personal best by 47 seconds — is the quickest winning mark at the regional championships, bettering SPU’s Jessica Pixler’s time by 0.22 seconds set in 2007, marking just the second time a GNAC runner has gone sub-20 at regionals.

Kramer finished runner-up in 20:06, slashing 22 seconds from her previous best, and qualifying for the national meet for the fourth-straight season. Her placements of 1st (2023), 2nd (2022 & 2024) and 5th (2021) at the region championships are the lowest combined on the women’s side since Pixler’s historic quadruple victories (2006-09).

Not to mention, Kramer has assembled one of the strongest seasons in the nation, placing either first or second in all six competitions. Her only losses against Division II competition were to Fordham and Colorado School of Mines’ Jenna Ramsey-Rutledge, whom she will rematch in two weeks.

UAF’s Tabitha Williams placed 25th in 21:50 to earn all-region honors, setting a 44-second personal best, while Katharine Brigham placed 50th (22:18) and Anchorage’s Lucca Duke placed 78th (22:51) in her region debut. Teegan Silva (99th) and Fairbanks’ Riga Grubis (181st) rounded out the squad.

The Nanooks placed fourth out of 28 teams with 154 points, tying their highest regional finish in program history from 2011. While the team was one spot outside of auto-qualifying for the national championships, they are in a prime position to receive an at-large bid, based on their performances throughout the season.

“It was an awesome day for the women’s program and an absolute pleasure to watch Rosie (Fordham) and Kendall (Kramer) go to work during their last regional championship,” said coach Conrad Haber in a press release. “Each athlete executed their respective race plans and found ways to maximize their effort during a mentally and physically challenging competition.”

Palmer’s Sophie Wright helped Western Washington return to the national championships for the second consecutive season, as the Vikings finished runner-up with 115 points — 11 points behind Chico State. The senior placed 47th (22:16), crossing the line as her team’s sixth runner.

UAA’s Nell Baker placed 15th in 21:31, improving by ten spots since last fall and collecting her second All-West Region honor, alongside teammate Alex Otto who placed 20th (21:38) in her region debut. Ryann Smith placed 48th (22:17), followed by Lilli Lindner in 62nd (22:31) and Haines’ Avery Williamson in 65th (22:33) who moved up 27 spots from last season. Makendra McCarty (91st) and Delaney Draeger (136th) rounded out the squad.

The Seawolves placed sixth with 207 points — their highest finish since placing fourth in 2019.

Seattle Pacific’s Anna Prussian of Sitka placed 83rd (22:57), setting a personal best by 14 seconds and moving up five places from last season. The sophomore crossed the line as her team’s fifth runner, as the Falcons finished 10th.

On the men’s side, UAA’s John Peckham led the Seawolves with an eighth-place finish, covering the 10-kilometer course in 30:44. The junior set a personal best by 33 seconds and improved by 22 spots from his showing last season, earning his first all-region honors. The feat is particularly impressive after Peckham missed much of the outdoor season due to a broken foot.

Also earning all-region honors was Zach Grams, a grad transfer who placed 21st (31:16) in his region debut. Anchorage’s Ty Elliott placed 48th (31:54), moving up 23 places from last season and slicing 48 seconds from his personal best. Sam Roy placed 88th (32:51), while Juneau’s Edgar Vera finished 108th (33:28) in his region debut. Palmer’s Matt Rongitsch (109th) and Patrick Doty (127th) rounded out the squad.

The Seawolves finished 10th out of 22 teams with 271 points.

UAF’s Ben Browning led the Nanooks with a 77th-place in 32:29 — the highest finish since Eagle River’s Jacob Walsh placed 62nd in 2019. Ben Dohlby finished 106th (33:25), followed by Juneau’s Finn Morley in 120th (34:00), Juneau’s Clem Taylor-Roth in 126th (34:16), Koen Ross in 133rd (34:39) and Jace Peters in 138th (34:57).

The Nanooks finished 19th with 553 points — their highest finish since placing 12th in 2016.

Seattle Pacific’s Silas Demmert of Sitka placed 107th in 33:26.

At the South Central Region Championships, a handful of Alaskan athletes were in the field, competing in a snow-covered Denver, Colo.

The inclement conditions forced the start time to be pushed until the afternoon, while much of the course featured a few inches of snow.

CSU-Pueblo’s Kaleb Beloy of Anchorage was the top Alaskan in the field, placing 34th and covering the 10-kilometer course in 32:34. The senior moved up eight places from last season and was the fourth scorer for the ThunderWolves who placed fifth out of 24 teams.

Fort Lewis’ Brady Burrough finished just four places behind Beloy — his former South Anchorage teammate — placing 39th in 32:57. The junior finished as his team’s third runner, helping the Skyhawks to an eighth-place showing. Also competing for the Skyhawks was Sitka’s Skyler McIntyre, who made his South Central Region debut after competing in the West Region for UAA back in 2019. The junior finished 81st in 34:19 as his team’s sixth runner.

Colorado Mesa’s Brooke Miller of Homer placed 88th in her region debut, covering the six-kilometer course in 24:53. The sophomore who primarily competes on the track in the 800-meter race where she holds the program record (2:09.79), laced up for a distance 7.5 times further for just the third time in her career. Miller helped the Mavericks place ninth out of 25 teams, as her team’s seventh runner.

Regis Colorado’s Madi Gifford of Anchorage placed 162nd in her region debut. The freshman finished as her team’s fourth runner, while the Rangers finished 22nd.

At the Southeast Region Championships held in Spartanburg, S.C., Belmont Abbey’s Miranda Wilkerson of Fairbanks placed 137th. The freshman finished as her team’s fifth runner, while the Crusaders finished 18th out of 26 teams.

Joining Fordham, Kramer and Wright at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships for the first time will be Eagle River’s Emily Walsh.

The Cedarville senior made the most of her debut at the Midwest Region Championships, held in Romeoville, Ill. Walsh covered the six-kilometer course in 21:56, placing 21st and collecting all-region honors. The senior finished as her team’s second runner, helping the Yellow Jackets place third out of 27 teams.

After a storied career at Eagle River High, Walsh made an immediate impact for Cedarville, lowering her times and placing at the GMAC Championships during her first outdoor season. However, it would be almost two years until Walsh returned to competing.

Now, Walsh has become stronger than ever, helping Cedarville reach the national championships for the fourth straight season.

But this time, the senior will be on the starting line.

One last time.