By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director

SALEM, Ore. -- Runners on the Willamette University men's cross country team will be out to win their fourth consecutive Northwest Conference team title at the 2015 NWC Championships on Saturday, Oct. 31 in Parkland, Washington. Willamette has won 11 NWC titles since 2001, including the past three championships in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Willamette has won a total of 22 NWC team titles in men's cross country.

In 2014, the Bearcats took first place with a score of 41 (2-3-9-12-15). The top two finishers for Willamette are back this season. Jacob Shafi (Sr., Pleasanton, CA/Amador Valley HS) took second place a year ago with a time of 25:48.7 over the 8-kilometer course at Bush's Pasture Park in Salem. Yonny Castillo (Sr., Parkdale, OR/Hood River Valley HS) was third in 25:51.1.

Also returning from last year's championship team is Patrick Loftus (So., Healdsburg, CA/Sonoma Academy). Loftus finished 12th at the 2014 NWC meet.

Other key runners for the Bearcats are Nathan Conrad (Sr., Bothell, WA/Bothell HS), Keith Carlson (Fr., Bainbridge Island, WA//Bainbridge HS) and Hunter Mathies (Sr., Moran, WY/Jackson Hole HS). Conrad placed third at the 41st Annual Charles Bowles Willamette Invitational in 25:05.1. He was 17th at the AAE Invitational in Winneconne, Wisconsin, with a time of 25:01.5.

The Willamette men's team is ranked #32 in the nation in NCAA Division III. The Bearcats are #3 in the West Region rankings. Willamette placed sixth at the Ash Creek Invitational, took second at the Charles Bowles Willamette Invitational, and earned 13th place at the AAE Invitational.

University of Puget Sound looks like Willamette's top foe in this year's race. The Loggers have two of the top runners in the NWC in Tyler Shipley (Sr.) and Geremia Lizier-Zmudzinski (Fr.). Shipley won last year's NWC individual championship in 25:44.8 while competing for Pacific University. He finished first at this year's Willamette Invitational with a time of 24:33.8. Lizier-Zmudzinski was second at the Willamette Invitational in 25:01.0.

Puget Sound is ranked #4 in the West Region. Whitman College holds the #5 ranking, while Linfield College is listed at #7 and Whitworth University follows at #8. Whitman's top finisher in two races this fall was Matt Wotipka (Jr.), who earned 10th place at the Willamette Invitational.

In addition to last year's top three finishers in Shipley, Shafi and Castillo, other top returning runners from the 2014 NWC Championships include T.C. Heydon (Sr.) from Whitman, who placed 10th, Sam Carilli (Sr.) of UPS, who took 11th, and Loftus, who was 12th. Colton Berry (Sr.) of Whitworth placed 13th.

The men's 8-kilometer race at the NWC Championships is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. (PDT). It will follow the women's 6-kilometer race, which is slated to begin at 10 a.m. The top seven finishers in each race will earn First Team All-Northwest Conference honors, while the next seven runners to cross the finish line will receive Second Team All-NWC recognition.