Brent Almand Named as WWU Student-Athlete of the Month for November
(Fulton, Mo., Dec. 4) -- William Woods University Senior cross country runner Brent Almand (The Woodlands, Texas) has been named as the WWU Student-Athlete of the Month for November.
Almand won the American Midwest Conference Championship on November 4th at Forest Park in St. Louis with a winning time of 26:02 and finished 23 seconds ahead of his nearest competitor. His win qualified him for the 2008 NAIA National Championship in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
At the National Championship on November 22nd, Almand ran a personal best time of 25.15 and placed 29th out of a field of 331 runners earning him All-American honors.
In addition to being an outstanding athlete, Almand excels in the classroom earning All-AMC Academic honors majoring in Finance and Economics.
---------------------
Four Owls Compete at Cross Country Nationals
(Kenosha, Wisc., Nov. 22)--Four members of the William Woods University cross country team competed in the NAIA Cross Country National Championships on Saturday at Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The women took the course at 10:30 am. Kristi Palmer finished 72nd out of 327 runners. Palmer finished with a time of 18:47.7. Palmer, a sophomore from Ste. Genevieve, Mo., competed in her second consecutive NAIA National Championship race.
Cheryl Held, a freshman from Wildwood, Mo., finished 111th. Held finished with a time of 19:08.5
Palmer and Held were members of the William Woods cross country team that won the 2008 American Midwest Conference Championship. Palmer was a member of the 2008 All-AMC team, and the 2008 Academic All-AMC team. Held was selected the 2008 AMC Freshman of the Year. She was also named to the All-AMC team.
The men took the course at 11:45 am. Brent Almand finished 29th out of 331 runners. Almand finished with a time of 25:15.8. Almand, a senior from The Woodlands, Tex., competed in his first NAIA Championship race.
Phil Guidry, a senior from Lafayette, La., finished 199th. Guidry finished with a time of 26:58.5. Guidry competed in his first NAIA Championship race.
Almand and Guidry were members of the William Woods cross country team that won the 2008 American Midwest Conference Championship. Almand won the 2008 AMC individual championship and was named the AMC Championship Outstanding Runner. He was also a member of the 2008 All-AMC team, and the 2008 Academic All-AMC team. Guidry was also selected to the 2008 All-AMC and Academic All-AMC squad.
NAIA National Championship Links:
Men's Cross Country National Championships
Women's Cross Country National Championships
--------------------
Four Owls Head to Cross Country Nationals
(FULTON, Mo., Nov. 20)--Four members of the William Woods University cross country team will travel to Kenosha, Wisconsin, on November 22nd to compete in the 2008 NAIA Cross Country Championships. Phil Guidry, Brent Almand, Cheryl Held, and Kristi Palmer qualified for the Championships through their efforts at the American Midwest Conference Championships on November 7th in Forest Park, Missouri.
Complete Story
NAIA National Championship Links:
Men's Cross Country National Championships
Women's Cross Country National Championships
--------------------
AMC Champions
(FOREST PARK, Mo., Nov. 7)--The William Woods University men's cross country team won the American Midwest Conference Cross Country Championships on Friday. The men have now won back-to-back AMC Championships.
The Owls finished first in a field of seven teams. The Owls placed four runners in the top ten.
Brent Almand was the top finisher for the Owls. Almand finished first in a field of 57 runners. He finished with a time of 26:02. Phil Guidry finished 34 seconds behind Almand. Guidry finished third individually.
Top Finishers for the Men’s Cross Country Team
Brent Almand (The Woodlands, Tex.) 1st 26:02
Phil Guidry (Lafayette, La.) 3rd 26:36
Emmanuel Ramirez (Des Plaines, Ill.) 5th 26:56
Keith Jennings (Mexico, Mo.) 9th 28:18
Award Winners
Brent Almand - AMC Championship Outstanding Runner Award
Phil Guidry and Brent Almand - Academic All-AMC.
Almand, Guidry, Ramirez, and Jennings - All-AMC
Brayce Forsha - AMC Men’s Coach of the Year.
Friday marked the first time an individual from William Woods has won the AMC race. Almand and Guidry qualified for the NAIA National Cross Country Championships in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on November 22nd. The team will find out if they will receive an at-large bid to the Championships on Tuesday, November 11th.
--------------------
Owls Finish Fourth at Yellow Jacket Classic
(LAMONI, Iowa, Oct. 25)--The William Woods University men’s cross country team finished fourth out of 17 teams in the Yellow Jacket Classic at Graceland University on Saturday.
Senior Brent Almand (The Woodlands, Tex.) was the top runner for the Owls. Almand finished second in a field of 161. He finished 19 seconds out of first place with a time of 26:14.71.
Senior Phillip Guidry (Lafayette, La.) had a strong finish for William Woods. Guidry finished 14th with a time of 27:32.02. He was 10 seconds shy of finishing in the top ten.
Other results for William Woods:
| Emmanuel Ramirez |
28th |
25:11.47 |
| Justin Simms |
67th |
29:32.80 |
| Michael Nedeau |
69th |
29:37.80 |
| Keith Jennings |
69th |
29:37.80 |
| Felipe Quintanar |
112th |
30:58.93 |
| Dennis Sloan |
130th |
31:43.15 |
Top Five results:
| Finish |
Team |
Total Time |
| 1st |
Lindenwood |
2:16:30.95 |
| 2nd |
Central Methodist |
2:19:58.03 |
| 3rd |
Dana |
2:20:12.38 |
| 4th |
William Woods |
2:21:08.80 |
| 5th |
Mount Mercy |
2:23:56.39 |
The Owls will return to action on November 7th in the American Midwest Conference Cross Country Championships. The Owls are the defending AMC champions, and have finished in the top two the last four AMC Championships.
--------------------
Almand Selected American Midwest Conference Runner of the Week
Release provided by the AMC
(LEBANON, Ill., Oct. 18)--For the third time in 2008, William Woods University standout Brent Almand has been selected as the American Midwest Conference Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week.
Almand, a senior from The Woodlands, Texas, registered a top-10 finish last Saturday at the Border Wars Invitational in Edwardsville, Ill. Almand placed sixth in a field of 190 runners, and was the top NAIA finisher in the race. Almand posted a time of 26:23 on the eight-kilometer course.
Last season, Almand was a member of the AMC All-Conference Cross Country squad.
--------------------
B
rent Almand Named WWU Student-Athlete of the Month for September
(Fulton, Mo., Oct. 10) - William Woods University men's cross country runner Brent Almand has been named as the William Woods University Student-Athlete of the Month for September. Almand a senior from the Woodlands, Texas is having an outstanding season and has already been named American Midwest Conference runner of the week twice.
Almand finished 7th out of 156 runners at the Mule Run at the University of Central Missouri and a 19th place finish out of 270 runners at the Missouri Southern Stampede. Almand's best performance was at the Louisville Classic where he finished 3rd out of 265 runners with a time of 25.32.
Almand currently has the fasted time in the American Midwest Conference by 34 seconds.
---------------
Men’s Cross Country Competes at SIU-Edwardsville(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill., Oct. 11)--The William Woods University men’s cross country team finished 12th out of 16 teams at the Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville Borders Wars on Saturday morning.
Paradise Valley Community College won the meet. Only three NAIA schools competed in the SIU-Edwardsville Border Wars. McKendree University finished 13th, and Hannibal-LaGrange College finished 16th.
Brent Almand was the top finisher for the Owls. Almand finished 6th out of 189 runners. Almand finished with a time of 26:23. Ben Rosario (Bellarmine University) won the event with a time of 25:02.
Emmanuel Ramirez finished just under a minute behind Almand. Ramirez finished 37th with a time of 27:20.
Remaining results:
Phil Guidry - 85th - 28:23
Justin Simms - 151st - 30:50
Michael Nedeau - 154 - 30:59
Dennis Sloan - 165 - 32:05
“This was a difficult course with 4 large inclines,” said Coach Brayce Forsha. “This was by far the toughest course we have run this year.”
The Owls will return to action on October 25th. The Owls will compete in the Yellow Jacket Classic in Lamoni, Iowa.
--------------------
Owls Race in Louisville Classic
(LOUISVILLE, Ky., Oct. 4)--Three members of the William Woods University men's cross country team participated in the Greater Louisville Cross Country Classic in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday.
Brent Almand was top runner for the Owls. Almand finished third out of 272 runners in the Blue Division. Almand finished with a time of 25:32.89. He finished just over 25 seconds behind Andrew Fuller (unattached). His time was also a personal best.
Emmanuel Ramirez and Phil Guidry also competed in the Classic. Ramirez finished 26th with a time 26:32.24. Guidry finished 65th with a time of 27:33.26.
"Brent had the break through race he needs to take the next step in his college career," said coach Brayce Forsha. "He works hard and does all the little things to be a great runner and it paid off on Saturday."
The men's cross country team will return to action on Saturday, October 11th. The will travel to Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.
Almand, a senior from The Woodlands, Texas, was the top Owls' runner to cross the finish line at the Missouri Southern State University meet Saturday in Joplin, Mo. Almand was 19th out of 270 runners over the eight-kilometer course. He posted a time of 26:09 to help William Woods to a 12th place finish.
Saturday's performance comes on the heels of Almand's seventh-place showing Sept. 20 at the Central Missouri Mule Run. Almand was a member of the 2007 AMC Cross Country All-Conference squad.
Brent Almand led the way for WWU. Almand finished 19th in a field of 270. Almand finished the race with a time of 26:09.1. Daniel Kirwa (Harding University) won the race with a time of 24:09.8. Emmanuel Ramirez finished 56th for the Owls. Ramirez finished with a time of 27:19.6.
"Emmanuel ran a very smart race," said William Woods coach Brayce Forsha. "He got out in a good position and really attacked the middle of the race. For us to be successful as a team, we need Emmanuel to continue to improve and close the gap between himself and Brent."
William Woods will return to the course on October 4th at the Louisville Classic in Louisville, Kentucky.
William Woods finished behind five NCAA Division II schools, and one NAIA school. The University of Central Missouri won the event with a score of 68. MidAmerica Nazarene, the only NAIA school to finish ahead of William Woods, finished 6th with a score of 205. The Owls finished one point behind MidAmerica Nazarene with a score of 206. The field consisted of a total of 17 teams.
Brent Almand (The Woodlands, Tex.) was the top runner for William Woods. Almand finished 7th in the race with a time of 21:16.38. Shawn Etzenhouser (Southwest Baptist University) won the race with a time of 20:43.75.
Phillip Guidry (Lafayette, La.) finished 41st in the field of 167 runners. Guidry finished with a time of 22:22:59. Emmanuel Ramirez (Des Plaines, Ill.) finished 50th with a time of 20:34.15. Keith Jennings (Mexico, Mo.) finished 60th with a time of 22:44.86. Felipe Quintanar (Wright City, Mo.) finished 99th with a time of 24:35.49. Dennis Sloan (Alton, Ill.) finished 123rd with a time of 25:51.71. Michael Nedeau (Liberty, Mo.) finished 154th with a time of 28:58.54.
"Overall, I was happy with the effort," said Coach Forsha. "Brent Almand ran very strong. It was good to see him running with the leaders, were he belongs and were I expect him to be every meet. Once we get a couple guys healthy and running were they are capable of, we will be a tough team to beat come conference."
The Owls will return to action on September 20th, at the Missouri Southern University Stampede.
Owls Open 2008 Season