Palmer graduate earns GNAC honor

By Jeremiah Bartz

Frontiersman

ANCHORAGE — It didn’t take long for Jake Parisien to make an impact at the collegiate level.

Parisien, a Palmer High School graduate and member of the University of Alaska Anchorage cross country running squad, finished second in his first Great North Athletic Conference Championships on Saturday in Yakima, Wash., and was named the GNAC Freshman of the Year following the event.

“I feel he is one of the most talented, if not the most talented, runners to come out of Alaska in a long time,” UAA head coach Michael Friess said on Monday.

Parisien completed the 8-kilometer Apple Ridge Running Course in 25 minutes and 7 seconds, 37 behind teammate Marko Chesto, who finished first in the event. He edged another UAA freshman, Alfred Kangogo, by two seconds, and also finished ahead of UAA freshman David Kiplagat, an All-American who won the GNAC title last season. Kiplagat was sixth.

“He beat some guys Saturday who are very fast,” Friess said of Parisien.

Friess said he feels Parisien is just starting to show his potential as a college runner.

“He’s very talented,” Friess said. “If we keep him focused, taking care of his body and going where he’s going, he’s going to continue to improve.”

The second-place finish at the GNAC Championships is just the latest accomplishment in what has become a very successful running season for the Palmer native.

He started his career with a third-place finish at the UAA Invite, recording a season-best 24:01 in an 8-K. He was fifth in the 10-K Triton Classic in San Diego, Calif., earlier this month. He was 14th with a time of 24:32 in the tough 8-K Sundodger Invite in Seattle last month.

Early next month, Parisien and the Seawolves will return to San Diego to compete in the NCAA Division II West Regionals.

The top three teams in the region event will advance to the Division II National Championships in Slippery Rock, Pa., in late November.

Friess said the West Regional will include a very competitive field, but Parisien is certainly capable of posting a top-10 finish.

Parisien helped UAA win the men’s team title. The Seawolves, who placed four runners in the top six, finished with 24 total points, well ahead of second-place Western Washington’s 53.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.