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

SALEM, ORE. -- The Willamette University women's cross country team is ranked #34 this week in the NCAA Division III Poll released by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Wednesday, Oct. 3. Both the Willamette women's team and the Bearcat men's team are ranked #3 in the West Region.

Willamette achieved the top finish by an NCAA Division III team at the 38th Annual Charles Bowles Classic his past weekend. The Bearcats took fifth place in the men's Cardinal 8K Race and achieved sixth place in the women's Cardinal 8K Race.

Leading the men's National Poll this week was North Central College (Ill.), which remained in the #1 spot and continued to receive all eight first place votes and 280 points. Haverford College (Pa.) stayed in the #2 position with 272 points, while Washington University (Mo.) held its position at #3 with 264 points.

SUNY Geneseo (N.Y.) was selected for the #4 ranking with 252 points. Bates College (Maine) followed at #5 with 251 points. Last week, SUNY Geneseo and Bates were tied for the #4 position. Willamette, listed at #33 a week ago, dropped out of the Top 35, but continued to receive votes in the poll.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Calif.) stayed in place as the #1 team in the men's West Region rankings. Pomona-Pitzer (Calif.) remained at #2, and Willamette continued to maintain the #3 spot. The University of Puget Sound moved up from #5 to #4, while Whitworth University dropped one spot to #5.

Willamette, Puget Sound and Whitworth led four Northwest Conference men's teams ranked in the West Region. Also listed this week was George Fox University, which advanced one spot to #8.

At the top of the women's National Poll was Williams College (Mass.), which retained the #1 spot for the second week in a row with all eight first place votes and 280 points. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) remained at #2 with 268 points.

Middlebury College (Vt.) moved up one spot into a tie for #3 with 254 points. Also tied for #3 was Johns Hopkins University, which advanced three spots from #6 last week. Washington University (Mo.) fell two spots to #5 with 252 points. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps missed the top five by one point sy 251, after falling from fifth place a week ago to sixth place this week.

Despite falling one spot in the national rankings, the CMS women's team retained the #1 spot in the West Region. Lewis & Clark College stayed at #2 and Willamette remained at #3. Linfield College advanced from #5 to #4. Pomona-Pitzer dropped one position into the #5 ranking.

The NWC was well represented in the women's West Region rankings. In addition to Lewis & Clark, Willamette and Linfield, other NWC teams in the rankings were Whitworth at #6 and Whitman College at #8

Willamette will participate in two events this weekend. On Friday, Oct. 12, the Bearcats will run at the Mike Hodges Invitational at Clackamas Community College in Oregon City, Ore. On Saturday, Oct. 13, Willamette will compete at the Brooks Invitational in Winneconne, Wis. The event will be hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.