Bennett Places 97th at NCAA National Cross Country Championships

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

TERRE HAUTE, IND. -- Parker Bennett (Jr., Sisters, OR/Sisters HS) from Willamette University placed 97th out of 280 runners in the men's 8-kilometer race at the 2012 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 17 at the LaVern Gibson Course. Bennett achieved a time of 25:41.0.

The Willamette women's team placed 32nd in the team standings. Michaela Freeby (So., Milwaukie, OR/Rex Putnam HS) led the Bearcats in 142nd place out of 277 runners. Freeby's time for the 6-kilometer race was 23:01.3. She placed 100th among scorers.

Also contributing to Willamette's team score were Juliet Farnan (Fr., Lafayette, CA/Campolindo HS), Amanda Tamanaha (Sr., Honolulu, HI/Saint Andrews Priory School), Theresa Edwards (Sr., Lake Tapps, WA/Bonney Lake HS) and Annette Marinello (So., Corvallis, OR/Philomath HS).

Farnan completed the race in 23:27.2 to take 198th place. Tamanaha registered a time of 23:30.9 and placed 209th, while Edwards was timed at 23:57.5 for 240th place. Marinello earned a time of 24:11.5 and finished 255th.

Willamette's women earned an at-large team bid to the NCAA Championships after taking third place at the NCAA West Regional. Bennett competed in the men's championship race after receiving an individual at-large bid following his sixth place finish at the West Regional.

North Central College (Illinois) won the men's team title with a score of 167. Calvin College (Mich.) and Haverford College (Pa.) tied for second place at 188 and the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse finished fourth at 190.

Washington University (Mo.) placed fifth at 226. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, which won the West Region title last weekend, claimed 11th place.

Tim Nelson from the University of Wisconsin-Stout won the men's individual championship with a time of 24:26.8. Nelson finished fourth at the 2011 NCAA Championships. This year, he won by eight seconds, with Bobby Over from Allegheny College (Pa.) taking second place in 24:34.8.

Grant Wintheiser from St. Olaf College (Minn.) placed third at 24:35.7 and Kevin Sparks from Washington (Mo.) was fourth at 24:37.0. Tully Hannan of Bates College (Maine) was fifth at 24:39.9.

The women's team championship was earned by Johns Hopkins University (Md.) with a score of 158. Wartburg College (Iowa) finished second at 221. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, which claimed the West Region title last Saturday, achieved third place at 233. Williams College (Mass.) was fourth at 266 and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire was fifth at 272.

Christy Cazzola from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh attain the women's individual title with a time of 20:53.3. Cazzola placed second at the 2011 NCAA Championships. On Saturday, she won by 16.6 seconds.

Alison Steinbrunner from Ohio Northern University recorded second place at 21:08.9. Keri Lambert from Amherst College (Mass.) took third place in 21:13.0. Addie Tousley of Middlebury College (Vt.) finished fourth in 21:14.7 and Emma Lee of St. Olaf placed fifth at 21:19.6.

The NCAA Championships ended a solid season for the Bearcats.

Willamette won the Northwest Conference men's team championship for the ninth time since 2001. Bennett earned the NWC men's individual title. Matt McGuirk was chosen NWC Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year for the eighth time since 2001.

The Bearcat women's team placed second at the NWC Championships. Freeby achieved third place in the individual standings.

At the NCAA West Region Championships hosted by the Bearcats, WU claimed third place in the women's standings and fourth place in the men's standings. Bennett placed sixth in the men's 8-kilometer race and Freeby finished ninth in the women's 6-kilometer race.