Cross-country and ski teams celebrate season
April 23, 2013
Jamie Foland
907-474-6807
In celebration of the individual and team successes during the 2012-13 season, the Alaska Nanooks men's and women's cross country and ski teams held an ice cream social and handed out the individual awards on Sunday evening.
Also adding to the end-of-season highlights was the announcement of three individual academic awards and two team honors awarded by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
Redshirt freshman Ross MacDougall (Astoria, Ore./Foreign Languages) swept the men's cross country team awards as the Most Improved Runner and Teammate of the Year. MacDougall also garnered USTFCCCA All-Academic Team recognition.
Two women's team members and juniors Alyson McPhetres (Chugiak, Alaska/Spanish and Geological Engineering) and Raphaela Sieber (Vöhrenbach, Germany/Business Administration) represented the Nanooks on the women's list.
Both teams were awarded All-Academic status, maintaining a 3.0 grade-point average or better. The women's team had the 17th highest overall team GPA among NCAA Division II schools with a 3.6, also the best among Great Northwest Athletic Conference schools.
The honorees were all among the top third of finishers at the 2012 NCAA Cross Country Regional and maintained a 3.25 grade-point average or better in at least 12 credits during the fall semester.
McPhetres collected two Nanook team honors as the women's Most Improved Runner and Most Improved Skier. Her younger sister and sophomore Kryston (Chugiak, Alaska/Emergency Management) was named the women's cross country Teammate of the Year, while senior Crystal Pitney (Fairbanks, Alaska/Business Administration) won the same award for the women's ski team.
The men's ski team awards went to seniors Ian Wilkinson (Fairbanks, Alaska/Art) and Lex Treinen (Anchorage, Alaska/Northern Studies), who were named the Most Improved Skier and Teammate of the Year, respectively.
All four teams' Most Valuable Runner and Scholar Athletes will be announced at the 2013 Alaska Nanooks All-Sports Banquet, being held on Friday, May 3 at 6 p.m. at the Westmark Hotel. Tickets are available for purchase online for $35 each.
Men's Cross Country Team Awards
Most Improved: Ross MacDougall
Teammate of the Year: Ross MacDougall (Voted on by the athletes)
Women's Cross Country Team Awards
Most Improved: Alyson McPhetres
Teammate of the Year: Kryston McPhetres (Voted on by the athletes)
Men's Skiing Team Awards
Most Improved: Ian Wilkinson
Teammate of the Year: Lex Treinen (Voted on by the athletes)
Women's Skiing Team Awards
Most Improved: Alyson McPhetres
Teammate of the Year: Crystal Pitney (Voted on by the athletes)