By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University runner Olivia Mancl (Jr., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS) has been chosen as the Northwest Conference Women's Cross Country Student-Athlete of the Week for her efforts at the AAE Invitational in Winnneconne, Wisconsin, on Saturday, Oct. 17.

Mancl took third place in the prestigious meet, as she earned a personal record time of 21:17.23 over the 6-kilometer course. The NCAA Division III women's race featured 414 runners. Mancl lowered her personal record by 30.82 seconds. She moved from ninth into third on Willamette's all-time list for 6K races.

With Mancl leading the way, Willamette placed second in the team standings, trailing only 5th-ranked University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, which won the title. The Bearcats, ranked #14 last week, finished in front of 10 nationally-ranked teams, including #9 St. Lawrence University (N.Y.), #10 Hope College (Mich.) and #13 University of Chicago (Ill.).

The Bearcats will compete again on Saturday, Oct. 31 at the 2015 Northwest Conference Championships in Parkland, Washington. Action is set to get underway at 10 a.m. (PDT).