UAA’s John Peckham and Ty Elliott put on a show at the West Regional Championships.

Peckham, a graduate student, covered the 10-kilometer course in Monmouth, Ore., in a blistering 29 minutes, 36.6 seconds — a pace of 4:45 per mile — to place fourth, punching his ticket to the national championships for the third consecutive season. Elliott, a junior, followed 2.3 seconds back in fifth, while the Seawolf men received an at-large selection to the prestigious meet.

The race was a calculated effort for both Peckham and Elliott, who started in the top 30 and top 50, respectively. Peckham found his way into fifth by the third kilometer, while Elliott trailed just 15 spots back.

After crossing the 5K mark in under 15 minutes, the teammates cemented themselves inside the top 5, holding off challengers for the remainder of the race.

Peckham’s fourth-place finish was an improvement by four spots since last fall, marking the highest finish by a Seawolf since Cole Nash’s runner-up in 2022. His time was also a 68-second personal best.

Elliott, a Grace Christian grad, finished a whopping 43 spots higher than his showing one year ago to qualify for his second national championship. He qualified via team selection in 2023 and placed 228th. His time at regionals was also a personal best by a jaw-dropping 2:16, while averaging faster than his 5K personal best twice.

Perhaps most impressive, Elliott’s performance came after a season supplemented by long hours of cross-training and 100+ miles per week on the bike.

Peckham’s and Elliott’s qualifications signify the 18th consecutive season (2020 meet canceled) that UAA has had a male runner compete for the cross country national championships.

It also marks the first time since UAA placed two male athletes in the top 5 at regionals, after Felix Kemboi (2nd) and Wesley Kirui (5th) in 2018. Additionally, Peckham ran the fastest time by a Seawolf at regionals since the late Henry Cheseto won in 29:29 in 2015, also on the Ash Creek Preserve.

Behind the pair of All-Region Seawolves were Ben Browning in 30th (30:43), Ethan Ackroyd in 37th (31:05), Samuel Roy in 50th (31:20), Anthony Porter in 56th (31:27) and Palmer’s Matthew Rongitsch in 58th (31:29). All seven athletes set personal bests. Rongitsch, a Colony High grad, moved up 51 spots from last fall.

Chico State’s Damian Garcia won the race in 29:26 — the quickest winning time at the regional championships, bettering Cheseto’s mark by 3.4 seconds — while leading the Wildcats to their ninth straight regional crown.

The Seawolves placed fourth with 126 points, behind Chico State (75), Western Washington (88) and Cal Poly Pomona (97). While the latter three snagged the auto-qualifying spots, UAA nabbed an at-large selection. The Seawolves currently rank No. 20 in Division II this season.

This year will also mark the 16th time that the UAA men’s cross country team has qualified for nationals and will make their first appearance since 2023, where they finished 34th.

“If you had told me these men were to do this back in June, I would not have believed you,” said coach Chas Davis in a press release. “But John Peckham and the rest of our leadership believed…and gradually pulled me on that hype train as the season progressed. Goes to show what a difference leadership and culture make, and these men found a way.”

UAF’s Dexter Delaney continued his historic season, finishing seventh in 29:45 to earn All-Region honors while becoming the first male runner for the Nanooks to qualify for the national championships in the GNAC era.

Delaney, like Peckham and Elliott, was razor-sharp with his race plan. The phenom freshman started in the top 20 and moved into seventh by the third kilometer. After going the 5K in under 15 minutes, he jockeyed for position to maintain his top-10 position.

Delaney’s seventh-place showing earned UAF its first men’s All-Region honor and marks the highest men’s individual finish by a Nanook since joining the GNAC in 2001. His time is also the fastest in UAF history by nearly two minutes. Until now, Jani Tulppo’s 38th place from 2007 had stood as the Nanooks’ top finish at West Regionals.

Not to mention, Delaney finished as the top freshman in the field and was the only frosh (male) to garner All-Region honors.

“Dexter (Delaney) continues to redefine what it means to run for the Nanooks,” said coach Conrad Haber. “He took the time to learn from the early season competitions to ensure he would be ready to seize the moment when it arrived. Dexter was patient, trusted his instincts, and executed his race plan to perfection.”

Behind Delaney was Ian Baker in 61st (31:32) — the second-fastest time in program history — Juneau’s Finn Morley in 108th (32:57), Nick Iverson in 119th (33:10) and Clem Taylor-Roth in 130th (33:28), Anchorage’s Blake Hanley (West) in 135th (33:35) and Bethel’s Ned Peters in 140th (33:45). All seven set personal bests, five of which were debutants, while Morley shaved off 62 seconds from his personal best.

The Nanooks finished 18th with 425 points — their highest since placing 12th in 2016.

Seattle Pacific’s Silas Demmert of Sitka placed 75th in a personal-best 32:01, improving by 1:25 and moving up nine spots from 2023. He was the third runner for the Falcons, who took 17th, marking their highest finish since placing 14th in 2018.

In the women’s race, Lucca Duke led the Nanooks with a 14th-place showing, covering the 6-kilometer course in 21:04 to earn All-Region honors.

The sophomore from Anchorage (Steller/West) sliced nearly 30 seconds from her personal best, finishing as the third GNAC athlete and improving by an astounding 64 places since last fall.

Duke gradually moved up from 32nd after the first kilometer and into the top 15 by halfway. She made valiant efforts to challenge the top-10, while extending the Nanooks’ streak of All-Region honors to five straight years.

Also collecting All-Region honors was Tabitha Williams — for the second year in a row — placing 22nd in a personal-best of 21:11 on her 21st birthday, while donning bib No. 121. The junior improved by three spots from last fall and slashed 38 seconds off her personal best.

It also marks the first time UAF has collected All-Region honors in both the men’s and women’s races.

Behind Williams and Duke was Teegan Silva in 148th (23:20), Fairbanks’ Riga Grubis (West Valley) in 154th (23:35), Rory Claussen in 159th (23:43), Anchorage’s Maddie Schuh (South) in 161st (23:50) and Juneau’s Jasmin Holst in 181st (25:24). Six of the women set personal bests, including Holst, who sliced 60 seconds off her time.

The Nanooks finished 19th with 494 points.

UAA’s Alex Otto was the top Seawolf in the field, placing 31st in 21:21. Ryann Smith took 38th (21:25), followed by Makendra McCarty in 66th (21:52), Lilli Lindner in 87th (22:14), Haines’ Avery Williamson in 105th (22:33), Gracie Puit in 118th (22:49) and Gloria Kiprotich in 127th (22:57).

The Seawolves finished 12th with 324 points.

Biola’s Bethany Mapes won the race in 20:29, while Chico State captured the team title with 40 points.

The women’s field proved to be one of the deepest in regional history, as 13 teams averaged sub-22 minutes for their top-5. UAA tallied its fastest top-5 average (21:53) at regionals since 2019 (21:25), though its best average this season (21:38) came at the Mike Johnson Classic, also held on the Ash Creek Preserve.

Seattle Pacific’s Anna Prussian of Sitka placed 64th in 21:51, moving up 19 spots from last fall. The junior was the third runner for the seventh-place Falcons — their best finish at West Regionals since placing fifth in 2019.

At the Midwest Region Championships, Cedarville’s Emily Walsh of Eagle River placed sixth in 21:04 for 6K, in Kenosha, Wis., collecting All-Region honors and helping the Lady Jackets secure an automatic berth to the national championships.

Walsh, a graduate student, came through the first mile in 5:44 to be among the top-25. By the third kilometer (1.8 miles), the Eagle River grad had already moved into the top-10. She would end up passing three more runners before crossing the finish line.

Walsh finished 15 spots higher than last fall, while leading the Lady Jackets to a runner-up finish with 87 points.

Defending region and national champion Lauren Kiley of Grand Valley State won the race in 20:38, leading the Lakers to a sweep of the team titles for the 23rd straight year.

For Walsh, this will be her third trip to the national meet and second in cross country, after placing 42nd last fall. Cedarville currently ranks No. 7 in Division II this season and will look to improve upon its 16th-place showing at nationals in two weeks.

“This is arguably the best team we have ever had and we want to capitalize on that,” said teammate Aubrey Hayes in a press release. “It will take us having some incredible races but our teammates and Coach Bo have confidence in us.”

The NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships will be hosted by UW-Parkside in Kenosha, Wis., on Nov. 22.

Other region performances by Alaskans:

• At the South Central Region Championships, Fort Lewis’ Brady Burrough of Anchorage (South) placed 56th in 32:10 for 10K, crossing the line as the Skyhawks’ fifth runner, as the team took eighth with a 22-second (top-5) spread. Lubbock Christian’s Aiden Zingone of Anchorage (Grace Christian) finished 141st in a personal-best 35:21, as the fifth runner for the Chaparrals. Regis (Colo.) sophomore Madi Gifford of Anchorage (South) finished 135th in a personal-best 24:49 for 6K, crossing the line as the Rangers’ third runner.
• Augustana (S.D.) sophomore Avari Getchell of Haines made her debut at the Central Region Championships, covering the 6K course in a personal-best 23:01 to take 98th. She finished as the Vikings’ sixth runner on the seventh-place team.
• Belmont Abbey’s Miranda Wilkerson of Fairbanks (Monroe Catholic) competed at the Southeast Region Championships. The sophomore finished 157th in 28:25 for 6K, as the fifth runner for the Crusaders.