Transfers have always played a part of college athletics. They are a staple of football and basketball programs, but are far less common in the sport of cross country.

Alaska Anchorage cross country coach Chas Davis has brought in several transfers the last two years to quickly rebuild the program into a conference contender.

"The transfer portal has made it much simpler/easier for teams to improve/rebuild much more rapidly than it used to be without breaking any NCAA rules," said Davis. "Outside of unique/non-traditional situations, any NCAA coach who isn't at least watching the portal probably isn't maximizing their program's recruiting."

The Seawolves were a perennial favorite at the GNAC Championships winning 12 team titles, including seven straight (2010-16).

The program was then hit by three major factors in recent years, large cuts in state funding, the COVID pandemic and the retirement of long-time coach Michael Friese.

The program had a solid number one runner in Cole Nash, but lacked the depth to contend as a team.

Cue the transfer portal.

The NCAA restructured the transfer portal in the spring of 2021 making it much easier for both student-athletes and coaches to use.

"The portal simplifies and streamlines what used to be a confusing, overly complicated process that didn't help anyone and in some ways encouraged tampering," said Davis. "Now everything is much more straight-forward and everyone wins. The student-athlete now has a simple route out of a situation they are dissatisfied with, and the coach has a simpler route to replace that athlete/build their team. Yes, some coaches will claim it encourages student-athletes to choose a quick fix over long term character building while turning student-athletes into free agents after all the work and resources invested in recruiting them to their current school. But that stuff was always happening anyway, now it can just be done in the day-light...reducing back-channeling/tampering & overall stress/unnecessary work. And at the end of the day, a young adult who is unhappy in their current situation probably isn't doing anyone any good - especially their current coach. If the coaches' biggest tool pre-portal of keeping athletes was blocking them and other coaches from being able to communicate & ultimately transfer when the athlete was unhappy or looking for a better fit for grad school, that coach probably needs to evaluate why they're having to essentially "trap" their athlete at their current school. I'd also argue the portal and its accompanying policies/rules have actually effectively given coaches more power than they used to have...not less."

The first transfer the Seawolves got out of the portal was Michael Zapherson in 2022.

"I transferred because I felt my old athletic department didn't believe in us," said Zapherson. "I felt like we had no support which stunted the team's growth as well as my personal progress in the sport."

The change made a noticeable difference as he lowered his personal-best in the 10,000 by over a minute and he qualified for the 2022 NCAA Cross Country National Championships in Seattle finishing 55^th.

John Peckham also transferred to UAA in the fall of 2022 but injuries kept him out of competition for the cross country and indoor track seasons. Once healthy he was able to break the 15 minute barrier in the 5,000 and placed fifth in the 5,000 at the GNAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Peckham, an Oregon high school state champion in cross country, has thrived in his second season as a Seawolf finishing second at the Seawolf Throwdown and winning the Nanook Frontier Clash.

"I transferred because I wanted to be a part of team that could be nationally competitive in cross country," said Peckham. "The biggest difference between UAA and my previous school is how everything that is done at UAA is specifically tailored to you. There is the perfect balance of hard work and having fun."

Not everything is great when you transfer. "It was sad to leave my former teammates and feeling like I was letting people down," said Peckham who is majoring in marketing.

Transfers are matriculating in to the women's program as well.

Nell Baker transferred to UAA in January of 2023 after graduating with a degree in advertising with a minor in marketing.

"As I completed my undergraduate degree I wanted to continue collegiate running and pursue a master's degree in a new place. I picked UAA because the flexibility in academics allowed me to hand pick courses based on my interests and thesis," said Baker, who is pursuing a masters in interdisciplinary studies focused on how the outdoor industry can make outdoor exploration more accessible for women.

Baker, who was mainly a middle-distance runner, moved up in distance after she came to UAA finishing third in the 10,000 at the GNAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

"My main goal for the cross country season is to place well enough at the regional meet to qualify for nationals," said Baker. "For track, I am super interested in diving into the longer distances and hopefully hunting down some PR's in the mile, 5K and 10K."

The COVID pandemic impacted college athletics in numerous ways, including extending the athletic careers of student-athletes.

For three runners on this year's team they had eligibility remaining after completing their undergraduate degrees.

George Payne, Zach Kohler and Wyatt Matyas each grew up east of the Mississippi river and looked at Alaska as a new adventure.

"UAA found me in the transfer portal," said Payne, who grew up and went to school in Tennessee. "When I received the email I thought 'Alaska, wouldn't that be crazy!' After phone calls with (assistant coach) Danielle (Patterson) and Chas I realized that UAA would be a serious option. On my visit the team was very welcoming and open, and I could see they had big team goals. I knew that there was something special here, and I wanted to come and be a part of it."

"I finished my degree in chemistry with a minor in biology at Saint Francis and was looking for a graduate school to pursue an MBA as well as a new running opportunity to use my remaining eligibility," said Kohler, who grew up in Pennsylvania. "I chose UAA because after my visit I knew I would be surrounded by a great group of teammates and coaching staff. I also couldn't turn down an opportunity to spend two years in Alaska."

Wyatt, who hails from New York, shared the same sentiments as George and Zach. He earned a degree in environmental engineering from the University of Vermont and is in the geological sciences masters program at Alaska Anchorage.

"I picked UAA because I wanted to send it to Alaska!" said Wyatt. "UAA is situated in an amazing location to study geology. The athletic department here clearly cares about their student-athletes and there is a great team culture on the cross country team."

Talent isn't the only thing that transfers bring to a team.

"Besides being able to rebuild a program faster, I've really appreciated the mature perspective our transfers have brought," said Davis. "All of our men's transfers have come from smaller/mid-major DI programs. They arrive having a much better sense of 'how this works' while being appreciative of the new opportunity – and they have helped our younger athletes understand 'how this works' at the same time."

With an influx of new blood to the program, a common goal is shared, make it to nationals as a team.

The team showed that that goal is more of a reality after it finished just 14 points behind Western Washington at the Bill Roe Classic at the end of September and finished behind the Vikings again at the Lewis Crossover.

The Seawolves will have the home course advantage when it looks to pull the upset over Western Washington, who has won two of the last three GNAC titles, and win its first GNAC team title since 2018.

UAA will be hosting the GNAC Championships at Kincaid Park on Oct. 21^st for just the second time in school history after hosting the inaugural championship in 2001. 

The team will then compete at the NCAA West Regional where they hope to achieve their goal of qualifying as a team for the NCAA National Championships in Joplin, Mo.

"We have a shot to be nationally ranked soon for the first time since 2019 and have a solid chance to qualify for nationals for the first time since 2018," said Davis. "Zero chance this happens without all five of those transfers. Regardless of how the rest of the season plays out, we are worlds away from the program we started with two years ago. And unlikely it happens without Cole Nash being the leader every coach wishes for."