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

SALEM, ORE. -- The Willamette University cross country teams are among the top contenders at the NCAA Division III West Region Cross Country Championships, which the Bearcats will host at Bush's Pasture Park on Saturday, Nov. 15. The men's 8-kilometer race will begin at 10 a.m. (PST), with the women's 6-kilometer race slated for 11 a.m.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Calif.) is the defending West Region champion in women's cross country. The defending West Region champion in men's cross country is Pomona-Pitzer (Calif.). Willamette was second a year ago in the women's standings and took third place in the men's standings.

Michaela Freeby (Sr., Milwaukie, OR/Rex Putnam HS) of Willamette is the defending women's individual champion. John Guzman Aguilar from Occidental College (Calif.) won the 2013 men's individual title.

The top two teams in each race will earn automatic bids to the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships on Nov. 22. Additional teams may be chosen for at-large bids on Sunday, Nov. 16.

Also qualifying for the NCAA Championships will be the top seven individuals in each race from teams that are not selected. Wilmington College (Ohio) will host the championships at The Golf Center at King's Island in Mason, Ohio.

Mens 8-Kilometer Race

Three of the men's teams are nationally ranked in the most recent NCAA Division III Poll released by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Claremont-Mudd-Scripps is ranked #20, with Willamette at #31 and Pomona-Pitzer at #32.

In addition to their national rankings, CMS is listed at #1 in the West Region rankings, while Willamette is #2 and Pomona-Pitzer is #3.

Last year, those three teams recorded the top spots at the West Region Championships, as Pomona-Pitzer earned first place with a score of 71. CMS was second at 78 and Willamette was third at 109.

This year, they will likely battle again for the two automatic berths into the NCAA Championships. Other top teams in the West Region include University of Puget Sound, ranked #4, and Whitman College, ranked #5.

Nine of the top 10 finishers in last year's West Region competition are back. Guzman Aguilar of Occidental will defend his title, which he won in 24:40.27. CMS returns Zorg Loustalet, who placed third, while Pomona-Pitzer features Benjamin Girodias, who was fourth, and John Fowler, who earned fifth place.

Guzman Aguilar will be joined by Occidental teammate Colin Smith, who finished sixth a year ago. Tyler Shipley of Pacific University is back after taking seventh place in 2013. Also returning from the top 10 are Nick Hall of Colorado College (8th), Scott Oseguera from University of Redlands (9th) and Bryan Hayes from University of Laverne (10th).

In addition to Loustalet, the Stags of CMS return Sam Pitcavage, who took 15th place in 2013. Pomona-Pitzer's roster includes Pryor Stroud, who placed 24th.

Willamette's Parker Bennett was second last year, but graduated this past spring. The top returning competitor for the Bearcats is Jacob Shafi (Jr., Pleasanton, CA/Amador Valley HS), who finished 19th. Yonny Castillo (Jr., Parkdale, OR/Hood River Valley) took 23rd last season.

During recent conference championship races, Willamette took first place in the Northwest Conference, while Claremont-Mudd-Scripps won the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) title and Colorado College won the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) crown.

Shipley won the NWC individual title, with Shafi in second place and Castillo in third. Colin Domonoske form Whitman took fourth and David Santillan of Puget Sound was fifth.

At the SCIAC Championships, Guzman Aguilar was first, and was followed by Loustalet and Fowler. Girodias placed fourth and James Kinney of Pomona-Pitzer was fifth. Hall won the SCAC individual title, while teammate Ryan Bing was third.

Womens 6-Kilometer Race

The women's race features three teams that are nationally ranked in the NCAA Division III Poll. Willamette holds the #9 ranking, while Claremont-Mudd-Scripps is #16 and Whitworth University is #32.

Willamette is ranked #1 in the West Region. CMS is listed at #2 and Whitworth is ranked #3. Puget Sound is #4 in the West Region and Whitman is #5.

At last year's West Region Championships, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps claimed first place with a score of 62. Willamette achieved second place at 81 and Whitworth took third at 112.

Half of the top 10 runners from last season's race graduated, but the other five runners have returned. Freeby of Willamette will defend her individual championship, which she won in 21:37.66. Sarah Mostatabi from CMS finished third a year ago, while Taylor Ostrander (Jr., Kenai, AK/Kenai Central HS) of Willamette was fourth.

Other athletes who returned after earning a top 10 result are Evie Borchard from the University of California-Santa Cruz, who was eighth in 2013, and Olivia Mancl (So., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS) from Willamette, who placed ninth.

Freeby, Ostrander and Mancl will lead Willamette's efforts, as the Bearcats seek their first West Region title since 2007. CMS will rely on Mostatabi and several young runners to remain among the contenders.

Top runners for Whitworth include Amanda Blankenship, who was 14th at last year's West Regional, and Kellyn Roiko, who took 15th. Christina Williams also returns for the Pirates after placing 21st in 2013.

Willamette recently won the Northwest Conference team title with a near-perfect score of 16. Whitworth finished second in the NWC with a score of 59.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps placed first at the SCIAC Championships, while Pomona-Pitzer was second. Colorado College earned first place at the SCAC Championships.

Ostrander won the women's individual championship in the NWC, finishing with the same time as Mancl, who placed second. Freeby was third and Juliet Farnan (Jr., Lafayette, CA/Campolindo HS) was fourth. Roiko from Whitworth achieved fifth place.

Della Lyle from Redlands claimed the SCIAC individual title. She was followed by Maya Weigel of Pomona-Pitzer in second and Andrea Ramirez from La Verne in third. Mostatabi of CMS placed fourth and Carmen Mejia of CMS was fifth. Rebecca Lavietes from Colorado College attained second place at the SCAC championships.