It took five years, but Seattle Pacific’s cross country runner Annika Esvelt not only achieved her goal of making the NCAA’s Division II championship but also had the best finish by a Falcon in 15 years.
Esvelt, a fifth-year senior, concluded her SPU cross country career by finishing fourth in the six-kilometer run with a career-best 20:34.5 on Saturday, Nov. 23, on the Arcade Creek Cross Country Course in Sacramento, California.
“It was extremely muddy, but it was just really fun,” Esvelt said. “I wanted to have my best race ever because it was my last one [for cross country] and I wanted to make the most of it.”
Esvelt’s previous best was 20:47.72 when she finished sixth in the NCAA West Regionals on Oct. 26.
“I just wanted to be in the top 40 and get a PR, and I got both of those, so I’m super thrilled with it,” Esvelt said. “Part of me knew I could be way better than the top 40, but if the entire field has a good day, that’s 80 people [to compete with], so I knew I was going to have to fight for it.”
This was Seattle Pacific’s first top-10 finish at nationals since 2009 when Falcons Hall of Famer Jessica Pixler won third place at 20:22.6 in her third consecutive trip to the championship. Since then, the highest-placing SPU runner was Dania Holmberg, who placed 21st in 2019 at 20:48.8.
Since her college debut at the 2021 Ash Creek Invitational’s four-kilometer course on Sept. 10 (third-place finish at 14:12.3), Esvelt has remained a top runner for the Falcons.
Esvelt finished 22nd at the 2021 NCAA West Regionals (23:56.60), 89th in the 2022 NCAA Division II Pre-Nationals (23:03.90), 18th at the 2022 GNAC Championships (22:14.50), and she placed third in both the 2023 and 2024 GNAC Championships at 21:04.50 and 21:02.3 respectively.
Eric Hansen, the assistant head coach for cross country, applauded Esvelt for accomplishing what she had set out for and more.
“It’s the best feeling because she has worked so hard,” Hansen said. “She’s already put her name in the mix for being one of the best runners in the country for Division 2 with finishes at national meets on the track. To finally add this one to her resume’ is pretty cool. She’s finally able to say that she is just as great a cross country runner as she is a track runner.”
