newsminer.com

FAIRBANKS — The carrot dangles off the Alaska Nanooks’ cross country schedule: Hawaii Pacific University Invitational, Honolulu, Oct. 11.

“If there’s anything that’s going to get people geared up to run, a trip to Hawaii’s gotta do it,” senior captain Chris Eversman of Salcha said Tuesday. “Hopefully that gets people fired up.”

While earning a coveted spot for that trip is sure to provide motivation, the Nanooks have more immediate matters, and they only have to travel across campus for them. Their season-opening two-meet Interior Invitational starts today at the West Ridge Trails against Humboldt State, with the men running 8 kilometers beginning at 5 p.m., followed the women going 6K at 5:45.

“This is the only chance people will have to come see the team before we’re heading off to California, Hawaii, Washington, our tour of the Western states,” Eversman said.

The meet continues Saturday at Birch Hill Recreation Area with 4K races (women at 9 a.m., men at 9:30 a.m.).

Spectators will be seeing plenty of new faces running for Alaska this season, as four local high schools — Eielson, North Pole, West Valley and Lathrop — will be represented, as will places like Montana, Washington, Michigan, Sweden and Norway.

The women return with a core of upperclassmen from a year ago — Aurelia Korthauer, Elisabeth Habermann, Anna Coulter and the newly married Julia (Coulter) Pierson — and German newcomer Theresia Schnurr is the top candidate to grab the fifth scoring spot.

Last season, the women’s team finished a disappointing ninth (of 10) at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships. The runners have set a goal of placing fifth or better this season.

“It’ll be tough, but it’s certainly achievable based on that top five group that we have,” fifth-year coach Scott Jerome said.

If the Nanook women are to make that jump, they’ll need to run past a couple of highly touted teams in a stacked GNAC this year. Six GNAC squads are ranked in the top 10 of the NCAA Division II West Region poll, led by Seattle Pacific University at No. 1.

Last year, the men proved a top-five finish was possible, placing a program-best fifth at GNACs. A big challenge, though, is that four of their five scorers — including senior Jani Tulppo in 15th — are gone, and only Eversman, junior Ray Sabo and sophomore Einar Often are back from last year’s travel squad.

“When you lose four top guys, you’re looking for a lot of people to step up and fill some big shoes,” Jerome said.

In addition to graduating seniors Marius Korthauer and Vahur Teppan, promising freshman Zach McGill and running recruit Michael Dunahoe of Anchorage left because Fairbanks wasn’t the right fit for them, Jerome said.

But Sabo, from Whitehorse, Yukon, (71st at GNACs last year) and Norwegian orienteer Often (62nd at GNACs) look to improve, while it remains to be seen what newcomers Mitchell Chandler (Chatteroy, Wash.), Matthew Scerbak (Ann Arbor, Mich.), Erik Soderstrom (As, Sweden) and Oyvind Watterdal (Notteroy, Norway) are capable of. The men’s team is 16 members strong, but only seven get to go to Hawaii or on the other trips.

“I don’t really consider the season too much of a rebuilding season,” Eversman said. “I feel like we can improve upon what we did last year, or at least match (it).”

With the Nanooks striving to peak at the GNACs on Oct. 25 and the NCAA West Region Championships Nov. 8 in La Jolla, Calif., the Interior Invitational may provide a glimpse of the team’s potential but is hardly a do-or-die competition.

“This is an early meet,” Jerome said. “It’s just to get the jitters out, just to see how things are going to go and make sure people are healthy,” Jerome said.

Another Interior Invitational

There’s another Interior Invitational on Saturday morning at Birch Hill involving runners from middle school age to adults.

That series of races, hosted by Lathrop High School, begins at 10 a.m. with an open middle school 2.5K for boys, followed by the girls at 10:30 a.m.

Next are the high school races — by far the largest event with about 300 runners from across the state expected to participate. The girls 5K begins at 11 a.m. with the boys starting at 11:45 a.m.

“It’s going to be big,” Lathrop assistant coach Chad Carroll said Wednesday. “I think 12 teams right now will be represented. It’s the biggest (Interior Invitational) ever.”

Along with local teams, prep runners from Houston, Tanana, Cantwell, Colony and even Dillingham are registered, Carroll said.

The running festival concludes with a community 5K event at 12:30 p.m.