UAA and UAF battle at the 2025 Seawolf Throwdown at Kincaid Park. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
The two northernmost NCAA cross country running teams are prepared to face off on home soil — first on the UAF Running Trails and then at Kincaid Park. The in-state rivals will toe the line over the next two weekends, before seeing how they stack up against their conference and regional foes in the Lower 48.
Tabbed fourth in the GNAC Coaches Preseason Poll, the Seawolves will rely on experience as they aim to maintain their momentum from last season, despite a smaller roster.
Makendra McCarty, a junior from Washington, is the squad’s top returner, following the departure of Alex Otto, graduation of Lilli Lindner and transfer of Ryann Smith to Concordia University Irvine. Last fall, McCarty placed 19th at the GNAC Championships and 66th at West Regionals. She leads the Green and Gold with a 6K personal best of 21:39 from the Mike Johnson XC Classic in Monmouth, Ore., a location the Seawolves are slated to compete at twice this season.
She’s joined by Haines’ Avery Williamson, a graduate student, who placed 29th at the conference meet and 105th at regionals last fall. An established steeplechaser and a well-rounded distance runner, Williamson also went sub-22 in Monmouth before redshirting the indoor and outdoor track seasons.
The Seawolves also return sophomore Gracie Puit and junior Gloria Kiprotich, both of whom placed in the top-40 at the conference meet, before making their regional debuts.
Avery Williamson is poised to cap her final cross country season on a high note. Photo by Urban Enkvist
After donning the green and gold as a prep, Seward’s Juniper Ingalls will rep the same colors as a collegian. A routine top-10 finisher at the state cross country meet, Ingalls will be joined by fellow freshman Leila Stampanoni from Washington.
Other newcomers include transfers Nikiji Dayse and Natalie Allen. Dayse, a senior, brings West Regional experience, having placed 89th to lead Chaminade last fall. Allen, a junior, hails from the Golden State and previously competed for San Diego Mesa College.
The preseason poll predicts the Seawolves will finish fourth at the conference meet — one place lower than their GNAC finish last fall, where they took third behind Western Washington and Seattle Pacific.
Led by All-Region honoree Tabitha Williams, the Nanooks enter the season ranked eighth, but are poised to challenge their standing with a roster packed full of experience.
Williams, a senior, placed 20th at the conference meet and 22nd at regionals last fall. She’ll be joined by returners Fairbanks’ Riga Grubis (West Valley), Olivia Manley (West Valley) and Anya Simard (Monroe Catholic), Anchorage’s Maddie Schuh (South), Juneau’s Ava Newell, Haines’ Camelia Bell, Devyn Townsend, Victoria Meyers and Rory Claussen.
Newcomers include Czechia’s Viktorie Kahounova, who doubles as a skier for the Nanooks, and Sadie Schenk, in addition to a septet of freshmen, highlighted by multi-time state champions Iris Haas of Fort Greely (Delta Junction) and Unalakleet’s Ourea Busk. Anchorage’s Lilian Coy (South) and Abi Howe (West), Sadie Johnson, Mila Moseley and Emma Niedbalski complete the squad.
GNAC Women’s Preseason Poll
| PTS | TEAM | 2025 |
| 100 | Western Washington (10) | 1st |
| 82 | Central Washington | 5th |
| 80 | Simon Fraser | 4th |
| 76 | UAA | 3rd |
| 75 | Seattle Pacific | 2nd |
| 73 | Western Oregon | 7th |
| 60 | Northwest Nazarene | 6th |
| 40 | UAF | 8th |
| 28 | Montana State Billings | 9th |
| 26 | Saint Martin’s | 10th |
First-place votes in parentheses
UAA and UAF clash at the 2025 Seawolf Throwdown at Kincaid Park. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
On the men’s side, a handful of returners are eager to return to the national stage after finishing 16th at NCAAs last fall, achieving their highest finish since 2018. Led by Ben Browning, the Seawolves are currently tied for second in the GNAC with Northwest Nazarene, following the graduation of GNAC champion John Peckham and transfer of fellow All-American Ty Elliott to Tulane.
Browning, a junior from Idaho, placed 13th at the conference meet, 30th at regionals and 129th at nationals.
UAA returns three of its seven athletes who represented at West Regionals, including juniors Sam Roy and Anthony Porter who took 50th and 56th, respectively, following a pair of top-30 finishes at the GNAC Championships. Juneau’s Edgar Vera and fifth-year senior Stephen Zukowski also bring experience.
Other returners include Palmer’s Tobias Buchanan (Colony), Anchorage’s Julio Ramirez (East), Homer’s Lance Seneff, Charlie Hulbert, Henry O’Neal, Anthony Ruiz and Hunter Taddy.
A handful of transfers will look to make a splash for the Seawolves, including senior Charlie Kinslow (NW Missouri State), former Spokane Community College teammates Travis Horn, Anders Nielson and Nate Russell, and upperclassmen Sam Griffin and Ben Peck of the UK.
Freshmen Tages Konecny of Colorado, Jacob Mascheroni of Idaho and Ewen Wilkinson of the UK round out the squad.
“This will be an exciting year for us,” said head coach Ryan McWilliams in a press release. “We have a lot of new faces and some key returners. There is plenty of work to do to live up to and outperform these preseason rankings.
“Everything will ride on how quickly they can gel together and put in the work to become a sum greater than their parts.”
After concluding his freshman season at nationals, Dexter Delaney is primed to keep the ball rolling. Photo by Griffin Forberg/The Stride Report
UAF returns a plethora of athletes to its roster and is prepared to challenge their eighth-place ranking in the preseason poll.
The Nanooks are led by national qualifier and GNAC Freshman of the Year Dexter Delaney, who enters his sophomore season with an illustrious resume. Delaney recorded the highest finishes in men’s program history last fall, while earning All-Conference and All-Region honors, thanks to a pair of top-8 finishes at GNACs and West Regionals. He also became the first male UAF runner in the GNAC era to qualify for the national championship, placing 130th.
Joining Delaney are four others with regional experience: Ian Baker, Juneau’s Nick Iverson, Anchorage’s Blake Hanley (West) and Bethel’s Ned Peters. Other returners include Brady Benedict, Fairbanks’ Curtis Beck (West Valley) and Paxton Ott (Lathrop), Anchorage’s Max Erickson (West), Jaxon Freeman (South) and Ruben Rhodes (West), Jace Peters and Juneau’s Jonathyn Kestel.
Newcomers include Glennallen’s Andrew Severs, Fairbanks’ Logan Reinheller (West Valley), Aiden Niedbalski and Mats Langenkamp of Germany.
The Nanooks are slated to host the Blue & Gold Meet on the UAF Running Trails against UAA on Sept. 5.
GNAC Men’s Preseason Poll
| PTS | TEAM | 2025 |
| 100 | Western Washington (10) | 1st |
| 83 | UAA | 2nd |
| 83 | Northwest Nazarene | 3rd |
| 72 | Western Oregon | 4th |
| 56 | Simon Fraser | 5th |
| 48 | Central Washington | 7th |
| 41 | Seattle Pacific | 6th |
| 34 | UAF | 8th |
| 20 | Saint Martin’s | 9th |
| 13 | Montana State Billings | DNC |
First-place votes in parentheses
