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

SALEM, ORE. -- As the Bearcats prepare for the NCAA Championships this weekend, the Willamette University women's cross country team is ranked #9 in the NCAA Division III Poll released by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The Bearcat women won the West Region title at Bush's Pasture Park on Saturday, Nov. 15.

Johns Hopkins University (Md.) remained #1 in the women's National Poll with all eight first place votes and 256 points. Massachusetts Institute of Technology moved up two spots into the #2 position with 245 points. St. Lawrence University (N.Y.) fell one spot to #3 with 241 points.

SUNY Geneseo (N.Y.) and Middlebury College (Vt.) shared the #4 ranking, as each received 227 points. Washington University (Mo.) jumped from #7 up to #6 and received 214 points in the poll. Williams College (Mass.) slipped one position to #7 with 205 points.

Calvin College (Mich.) stayed at #8 with 200 points and Willamette held at #9 with 196 points. Oberlin College (Ohio) advanced from #11 into the #10 spot with 175 points. The rankings included only the 32 teams that qualified for the NCAA Championships.

In addition to Willamette, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps represented the West Region with the #18 ranking in the women's National Poll. CMS fell two spots from the previous poll.

North Central College (Ill.) kept the #1 ranking in the men's National Poll with all eight first place votes and 256 points. St. Olaf College (Minn.) advanced from #3 into the #2 position with 246 points. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire fell a spot to #3 with 240 points, while University of Wisconsin-La Crosse moved up one spot to #4 with 231 points.

Likewise, Colby College (Maine) jumped form #6 to #5 and received 221 points. St. Lawrence improved by one position to #6 with 213 points, and Amherst College (Mass.) made a large jump from #16 up to #7 with 200 points.

Holding the #8 spot was Massachusetts Institute of Technology with 191. Loras College (Iowa) and Williams were tied for #9 with 177 points.

In the final West Region Rankings released on Nov. 4, Willamette's women were ranked #1. The Willamette men's team was ranked #2.

The Bearcat women's team received an automatic berth into the NCAA Championships, set for Saturday, Nov. 22 in Mason, Ohio. Yonny Castillo (Jr., Parkdale, OR/Hood River Valley) earned an individual at-large berth to compete in the men's race. The event will be held at The Golf Center at King's Island and will be hosted by Wilmington College (Ohio).

At the West Regional, Willamette placed five runners in the top 12 of the women's competition. Michael Freeby (Sr., Milwaukie, OR/Rex Putnam HS) placed second and Olivia Mancl (So., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS) was third in the 6-kilometer race.Taylor Ostrander (Jr., Kenai, AK/Kenai Central HS) took fifth place.

Juliet Farnan (Jr., Lafayette, CA/Campolindo HS) was ninth and Hannah Bressler (Jr., Oak Harbor, WA/Oak Harbor HS) finished 12th. Castillo was 10th in the men's 8-kilometer race.