By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director
SALEM, Ore. -- The Willamette University women's cross country team is ready to defend its title when the 2015 NCAA West Regional is held on Saturday, Nov. 14 in Claremont, Calif. The West Regional will take place on the Pomona-Pitzer campus and will be hosted by Occidental College.
Willamette has a strong team, but there will be at least two or three other contenders for the team title. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Calif.) is ranked #1 in the West Region and won the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title. Whitworth University, which edged the Bearcats for the Northwest Conference team championship on Oct. 31, is ranked #2. Willamette is #3 and Colorado College is #4. In the NCAA Division III National Poll, CMS is ranked #7, Whitworth is #9 and Willamette is #11.
The women's 6-kilometer race is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. (PST). The men's race will follow at 10 a.m.
Set to run for Willamette women's team at the West Regional are Olivia Mancl (Jr., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS), Taylor Ostrander (Sr., Kenai, AK/Kenai Central HS), Hannah Swanson (So., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS), Juliet Farnan (Sr., Lafayette, CA/Campolindo HS), Hannah Bressler (Sr., Oak Harbor, WA/Oak Harbor HS), Ami Boucher (Jr., Concord, CA/Northgate HS), and Hazel Carr (Fr., Seattle, Wa/The Northwest School).
Mancl won the NWC women's individual title at the 2015 NWC Cross Country Championships with a time of 22.19.90. Ostrander completed a 1-2 finish for the Bearcats by taking second in 22:39.50. In 2014, Ostrander placed first and Mancl was second at the NWC Championships.
At the 2014 West Regional, Willamette claimed the team championship with a score of 31 (2-3-5-9-12). Claremont-Mudd-Scripps earned second place with a score of 54, and Whitworth was third at 147.
Michaela Freeby ('15) of Willamette was second in 22:16.6, while Mancl took third in 22:20.0. Ostrander was fifth at 22:28.5.
The individual women's champion last season was Maya Weigel of Pomona-Pitzer with a time of 22:11.1. Weigel, who is a junior this season, will be looking to defend her title.
Bryn McKillop (So.) from CMS, who took sixth, and teammate Caroline Willian (Jr.), who placed 10th, are back for the Athenas. Other returning runners include Julissa Tobias (So.) of Whittier College (Calif.) and Farnan of Willamette. Tobias placed seventh and Farnan was ninth a year ago.
Top runners for Whitworth are Kellyn Roiko (Sr.), Katie McKay (Sr.) and Allison Wood (Jr.). At the 2015 NWC Championships, Roiko was third in 22:42.30, while McKay finished fourth in 22:51.30 and Wood took fifth in 23:02.00.
Willamette has won six NCAA West Regional women's championships. The Bearcats grabbed five consecutive titles from 2003 through 2007.
The top two teams at the West Regional will receive automatic bids to the NCAA Division III National Championships, set for Nov. 21 at the Lake Breeze Golf Course in Winneconne, Wis. Other West Region teams may receive at-large bids, which will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 15.
After all team bids have been awarded, the top seven runners in the West Regional whose teams were not selected for the NCAA Championships will receive individual bids to compete.
