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

SALEM, ORE. -- Willamette University runner Yonny Castillo (Jr., Parkdale, OR/Hood River Valley) has officially received an individual at-large berth into the men's race at the 2014 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships, set for Saturday, Nov. 22 in Mason, Ohio. Castillo was one of seven individuals who earned at-large berths from the West Region.

The selection of Castillo was expected after he placed 10th in the West Regional, hosted by the Bearcats at Bush's Pasture Park on Saturday, Nov. 15. The top seven runners from each region whose teams did not qualify for the championships received individual at-large bids.

Three of the runners in front of Castillo on Saturday were from Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Calif.), which won the West Regional team title, and three were from Pomona-Pitzer (Calif.), which placed second. CMS and Pomona-Pitzer each earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.

The Willamette women's team, which won the West Regional championship for the Bearcats, received an automatic bid to compete at the NCAA Championships. Also earning an automatic team bid from the women's competition was Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.

Wilmington College (Ohio) is hosting the NCAA Championships. The races will be held at The Golf Center at King's Island.

A total of 16 women's team and 16 men's teams received automatic bids to the championships. An additional 16 women's teams and 16 men's teams received at-large bids. Last year, the Willamette women placed 12th overall, while Michaela Freeby (Sr., Milwaukie, OR/Rex Putnam HS) earned All-America honors by placing eighth in the championship race.

In Saturday's West Regional, Freeby led a 2-3-5-9-12 finish for the Bearcats. Olivia Mancl (So., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS) placed third, Taylor Ostrander (Jr., Kenai, AK/Kenai Central HS) was fifth, Juliet Farnan (Jr., Lafayette, CA/Campolindo HS) took ninth and Hannah Bressler (Jr., Oak Harbor, WA/Oak Harbor HS) was 12th.

Freeby's time was 22:16.6 over the 6-kilometer course. Mancl was timed at 22.20.0 and Ostrander achieved a time of 22:28.5. Castillo completed the men's 8-kilometer course in 25:52.0.

The West Region did not receive any at-large team bids to the championships. Individual at-large bids for the men's championship race went to Castillo, John Guzman Agular and Colin Smith from from Occidental College (Calif.), David Santillan from University of Puget Sound, Aditya Bhagavathi of Caltech, Ruben Solorza of Whittier College and Bryan Hayes from University of La Verne (Calif.)

Individual at-large bids from the West Region for the women's championship wee Maya Weigel of Pomona-Pitzer, Della Lyle and Lauren Roberts from University of Redlands, Julissa Tobias of Whittier, Katie Alioto from University of California-Santa Cruz, Andrea Ramirez from La Verne and Rebecca Lavietes from Colorado College.

Guzman Aguilar won the West Region men's championship on Saturday with a time of 25:16.0. Weigel achieved the West Region women's title in 22:11.1.