A dream four years in the making finally came to fruition for the Nanooks.

Two days after placing fourth at West Regionals, the UAF women received an at-large bid to compete at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, marking their first team appearance since 2011.

Joining the Nanooks at the big dance will be UAA’s John Peckham along with Alaska’s Kaleb Beloy of CSU-Pueblo and Brooke Miller of Colorado Mesa, while Western Washington’s Sophie Wright and Cedarville’s Emily Walsh auto-qualified at regionals via team placement.

The combination of speed, talent and tenacity has proven perfect for the northernmost NCAA team this season.

After outdueling the Seawolves in a pair of in-state competitions, the Nanooks placed third at the Bill Roe Classic and sixth at the Lewis Crossover, before claiming runner-up at the GNAC Championships. Since the latter two meets were contested in the seven-week window through the regional championships, the performances were considered by the selection committee for at-large qualification.

Aside from regionals, arguably the most crucial performance came at the Lewis Crossover in Romeoville, Ill., where the Nanooks bettered Western Washington and Biola who went on to take second and third at West Regionals, automatically qualifying for the national meet. This was likely one of the factors that helped build the case for an at-large berth.

Whether a combination of luck or skill played into the hands of the Nanooks, UAF has undoubtedly skyrocketed over the past four years.

The resurgence has largely been led by Fairbanks’ Kendall Kramer and Rosie Fordham of Australia, who first entered the equation in 2019 and 2020 with former teammate Naomi Bailey of Fairbanks. Kramer and Bailey were multi-time state champions and Gatorade Cross Country Athletes of the Year while at West Valley.

The trio took the Nanooks to new heights, first qualifying for nationals during their freshman campaign, then capturing the GNAC and Regional titles the following three years, earning conference and regional accolades under the guidance of coaches, Eliska Albrigsten and Conrad Haber.

At the national meet in 2022, Kramer became the first Nanook to earn All-American honors in cross country with an eighth-place showing — the highest finish at the national championships in program history. She followed up the feat last fall earning another All-American in 23rd alongside Fordham, who also achieved the honors in 36th.

But despite all of the achievements, the Nanooks remained with one box unchecked: qualify as a team.

Now that Kramer and Fordham are in their final season of eligibility, there was no better time for the Nanooks to rise to the occasion.

The nationals-bound Nanooks include debutants Tabitha Williams, Katharine Brigham, Anchorage’s Lucca Duke, Teegan Silva and Fairbanks’ Riga Grubis, in addition to four-time qualifiers Kramer and Fordham.

UAA’s John Peckham is also making a return to the big dance, after placing 198th last fall.

The junior was selected for his second trip to the national meet, following his eighth-place showing at West Regionals against a loaded field.

Earlier in the season, Peckham won the Seawolf Throwdown and placed runner-up at the Blue and Gold Meet. He finished 25th at the Bill Roe Classic, before placing fifth at the GNAC Championships.

Peckham’s strong performances at the conference and regional meets provided leverage, as he defeated competitors who placed ahead of him during the regular season.

“Couldn’t have happened to a more deserving guy,” said coach Chas Davis in a press release. “He never let a broken foot keep him down last April when his track season ended, and you could tell that guy was on a mission ever since.”

Peckham’s qualification marks the 17th consecutive season (2020 meet canceled) that UAA has had a male runner compete at the cross country national championships.

In the South Central Region, Anchorage’s Kaleb Beloy and Homer’s Brooke Miller received at-large berths through their team’s performances.

Beloy, a senior at CSU-Pueblo, competed with confidence at the regional meet and moved up eight places from last season to finish 34th, despite a snow-covered course. He was the fourth scorer for the ThunderWolves who placed fifth out of 24 teams. Beloy will make his second-straight trip to the championships after placing 67th last fall.

Miller, a sophomore at Colorado Mesa, made the most of her regional debut, placing 88th and providing a buffer for the team score. While she primarily competes at the 800-meter distance, Miller’s contributions on the cross country course have already paid off as she will head to her first national meet.

After placing seventh at the RMAC Championships, the Mavericks finished ninth in a deep regional field, qualifying for the national meet for the first time since 2014.

The NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships will be held in two weeks in Sacramento, Calif. on Nov. 23.