By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director
SALEM, Ore. -- Led by All-America finishes from Olivia Mancl (Jr., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS) and Taylor Ostrander (Sr., Soldotna, AK/Kenai Central HS), the Willamette University women's cross country team completed an outstanding year by taking 10th place at the 2015 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships. Mancl placed second and Ostrander took 26th.
Also competing for the Bearcats in the 6-kilometer race at the NCAA Championships were Juliet Farnan (Sr., Lafayette, CA/Campolindo HS), Hannah Swanson (So., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS), Ami Boucher (Jr., Concord, CA/Northgate HS), Hannah Bressler (Sr., Oak Harbor, WA/Oak Harbor HS) and Hazel Carr (Fr., Seattle, Wa/The Northwest School). Farnan placed 123rd and Swanson was 162nd.
It was Willamette's third straight top 15 finish. The Bearcats were 12th in 2013 and 15th in 2014.
The NCAA Championships were held at the Lake Breeze Golf Course in Winneconne, Wisconsin. Willamette also competed on the championship course on Oct. 17 at the AAE Invitational, hosted by University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
At the AAE Invitational, the Bearcats achieved a solid second place finish behind Washington University (Mo.). Top runners for Willamette were Mancl in third place, Ostrander in ninth, Swanson in 35th and Farnan in 47th. A total of 414 athletes competed in the race.
Two weeks later, Mancl and Ostrander finished first and second, respectively, at the Northwest Conference Championships, as Willamette took second place in the team standings behind Whitworth University. Mancl and Ostrander earned First Team All-NWC honors. Mancl also was chosen NWC Women's Cross Country Runner of the Year. Swanson, who placed 10th, was named Second Team All-NWC.
The Bearcats won the NCAA West Regional Championship on Nov. 14 in Claremont, Calif. Willamette recorded a team score of 64. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, ranked #1 in the West Region, placed second, while Whitworth, which edged out the Bearcats at the NWC Championships, finished third.
It was Willamette's second consecutive NWC West Regional title and it gave the Bearcats an automatic team bid to the NCAA Championships. Mancl placed second at the Regional, while Ostrander followed in third. Swanson was 18th, Farnan took 20th, Boucher placed 21st and Bressler was 24th. All six runners received All-West Region recognition.
Willamette Head Coach Matt McGuirk was named West Region Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year for the second season in a row. He has received the award six times since 2004.
Another highlight of the season was the 41st Annual Charles Bowles Willamette Invitational, hosted by the Bearcats at Bush's Pasture Park on Oct. 3. The Bearcat women's team took fifth place behind two NCAA Division I teams and two teams from NCAA Division II.
Mancl earned fourth place in the 5-kilometer race with a time of 17:47.9. She moved up Willamette's all-time list from 10th place to seventh place.
The year began with a second place finish for the Bearcats at the Ash Creek Invitational, hosted by Western Oregon University. Willamette trailed only Chico State (Calif.) from NCAA Division II. the Bearcats ended the race in front of NCAA Division I opponent University of Portland and six NCAA Division II teams. Mancl led the Bearcats by claiming fifth place in the individual standings.
Willamette was nationally ranked throughout the season. The Bearcats held their highest ranking of the year at #7 in the Final NCAA Division III Poll, which was released on Nov. 16, five days before the NCAA Championships.
