WAVERLY, IOWA -- The Willamette University cross country teams are ready for the NCAA Division III Championships, set for Saturday, Nov. 20 at Wartburg College. Willamette will field a complete men's team and will be represented by two runners in the women's race. The men's championship course will cover 8 kilometers, while the women's race will be 6 kilometers in length.
Seven runners and one alternate have made the trip to Iowa for the Bearcat men's team. The list includes Stefan Redfield (Sr., Sisters, OR/Sisters HS), Leo Castillo (Jr., Parkdale, OR/Hood River Valley HS), Kevin Aubol (So., Ellensburg, WA/Ellensburg HS), Ryan McLaughlin (Sr., Milwaukie, OR/Milwaukie HS), Ben Donovan (Jr., Minneapolis, MN/South HS), Nicholas Rebol (Sr., Cottonwood, CA/Red Bluff Union HS), Nate Smith (Sr., Colorado Springs, CO/Air Academy HS) and Parker Bennett (Fr., Sisters, OR/Sisters HS).
Redfield took second place at the West Regional with a time of 25:30.10 for the 8-kilometer course. Willamette hosted the West Regional on Saturday, Nov. 13 at Bush's Pasture Park. Castillo achieved seventh place in the West Regional by reaching the finish line in 25:44.00. Aubol placed eighth after finishing the course in 25:46.86.
The Bearcats won the West Regional men's team championship with a score of 63. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps was second in the team standings with a score of 65. It was Willamette's seventh West Regional titles in the past nine years. The Bearcat men's team will be competing at the NCAA Championships for the 10th consecutive season.
Willamette women's team members Kimber Mattox (So., Bend, OR/Bend HS/Cornel Univ.) and Theresa Edwards (So., Tapps, WA/Bonney Lake HS) received at-large bids to compete in the NCAA Championships as individuals. Mattox placed seventh at the West Regional, as she achieved a time of 22:37.11, and Edwards was 13th with a time of 23:00.68.
A total of 32 men's teams and 32 women's teams will compete for national team titles this weekend. Each race will feature approximately 280 runners. The men's race will get underway at 11 a.m. (CST)/9 a.m. (PST), while the women's race will begin at 12 p.m. (CST)/10 a.m. (PST).
Leo Castillo won the NWC men's individual title and placed seventh at the West Regional.
