By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- The Willamette University men's and women's cross country teams will run at the 2022 Northwest Conference Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Oct. 29 at Killarney West Golf Course in Hillsboro, Oregon. The women's 6-kilometer race will start at 10 a.m. (PDT), with the men's 8-kilometer race set for 11 a.m.

Running for the Willamette women's team will be Anna Bikle (Fy., Woodside, CA/Half Moon Bay HS), JJ Chatham (Fy., Jackson, Wyoming/Jackson Hole HS), Melissa Duncan (Jr., Canyon Country, CA/Canyon HS), Leila Fischer (Jr., Wenatchee, WA/Wenatchee HS), Zoe Heino (Fy., Portland, OR/Mountainside HS), Grace Kosmicki (Fy., Pocatello, ID/Highland HS), Leilani Luu (Fy., Colorado Springs, CO/Pine Creek HS), and Aven Roberts (Fy., Missoula, MT/Hellgate HS).

Competing in the men's race for Willamette are Jay Chew (Fy., Elk Grove, CA/Laguna Creek HS), Ian Curtis (Sr., Eugene, OR/South Eugene HS), Joshua Evans (So., Lafayette, CA/Acalanes HS), Milo Greenberg (Jr., Seattle, WA/The Northwest School), William Hennum (So., Philomath, OR/Liberty HS, NV), and Gilbert Sanchez Torres (Fy., Citrus Heights, CA/Bella Vista HS).

Where Willamette's top five finishers conclude each race will determine the Bearcats' team scores. All nine NWC colleges and universities will be represented in both races. In 2021, George Fox won both team titles, as the women's team won with a score of 40 for a 31-point margin over Pacific University and the men's team won with a score of 53 for a one-point win over Pacific Lutheran University. Madelyn Buckley from Whitworth, who was second last year, is the top returning competitor in the women's race, while Ryan Stracke of Pacific Lutheran is back to defend his individual title in the men's race.