By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director
SALEM, Ore. -- The Willamette University cross country teams, which swept the Northwest Conference team titles in 2013 and 2014, are set to continue their history of success during the 2015 season. The Bearcats begin their schedule later today with the Ash Creek Invitational, hosted by Western Oregon University. Action in Monmouth, Oregon, will start at 5 p.m. (PDT).
Willamette has won 22 NWC championships in men's cross country and 10 NWC titles in women's cross country. In addition, the WU women's team has won the West Region championship six times since 2003 and the Bearcat men's team has claimed seven West Region titles since 2003.
Last year, the Willamette women took first place at the West Regional and went on to earn 15th place at the 2014 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships. The Bearcats are ranked #16 in the NCAA Division III Women's Preaseason Poll.
Top returning runners for the WU women's squad include Taylor Ostrander (Sr., Kenai, AK/Kenai Central HS), Olivia Mancl (Jr., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS), Juliet Farnan (Sr., Lafayette, CA/Campolindo HS) and Hannah Bressler (Sr., Oak Harbor, WA/Oak Harbor HS).
Ostrander took first place in the women's race at the 2014 NWC Championships. She won the 6-kilometer race in 22:52.2. Mancl finished second, also in 22:52.2, helping WU attain a 1-2-3-4-6 finish. Farnan was fourth at 22:32.8 and Bressler placed sixth at 22:41.3.
First Team All-NWC honors went to all four runners, as well as to Michaela Freeby ('15), who took third place.
At the NCAA West Regional, Freeby was second in 22:16.6 and Mancl placed third in 22:20.0 to lead WU to the team title with a score of 31. Ostrander earned fifth place in 22:28.5
Farnan took ninth place at the West Regional 22:42.2. Also earning All-West Region honors were Bressler in 12th place, Alyssa Reese (So., Louisville, CO/Monarch HS) in 24th and Hannah Swanson (So., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS) in 34th.
In 2014, the Willamette men's team placed fourth at the West Regional. Yonny Castillo (Parkdale, OR/Hood River Valley HS), who returns this fall for his senior season, placed 10th in the West Region with a time of 25:50.9 and qualified as an individual for the NCAA Championships. He earned All-West Region honors.
A pair of Willamette runners placed second and third at the NWC Championshps to lead the Bearcats to the men's team title. Jacob Shafi (Pleasanton, CA/Amador Valley HS), who is now a senior, took second in 25:48.7 over the 8-kilometer course. Castillo placed third in 25:51.1
Shafi and Castillo received First Team All-NWC accolades. Patrick Loftus (So., Healdsburg, CA/Sonoma Academy) finsihed 12th overall and was named Second Team All-NWC.
Willamette Head Coach Matt McGuirk was named NWC Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2014. He also was chosen NWC Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year and was selected West Region Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year.
Today's Ash Creek Invitational will match the Bearcats against some of the top teams in NCAA Division II, including host Western Oregon University as well as Concordia University (Ore.), Chico State University (Calif.), Academy of Art (Calif.), Fresno Pacific University (Calif.) and Simon Fraser University (Canada). In addition, University of Portland from NCAA Division I will be participating in the meet.
Willamette competes in NCAA Division III. The WU women's team is ranked #16 in NCAA Division III and is #2 in the West Region. The Willamette men's team received votes in the NCAA Division III Preseason Poll and is ranked #3 in the West Region.
