Freeby Wins Regional Title, as Willamette Women Clinch Bid to Nationals

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

CLAREMONT, CALIF. -- Michaela Freeby (Jr., Milwaukie, OR/Rex Putnam HS) from Willamette University won the women's individual championship at the NCAA West Regional on Saturday, Nov. 16, helping the Bearcat women's team earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships.

In the men's race, Parker Bennett (Sr., Sisters, OR/Sisters HS) of Willamette achieved second place with a time of 24:52.14. John Guzman from Occidental College (Calif.) won the men's competition with a time of 24:40.27 over the 8-kilometer course.

Bennett has clinched at least an individual bid to the NCAA Championships. The WU men finished third in the team standings and will find out on Sunday (Nov. 17) if they receive a team at-large bid to the championships.

Freeby took first place in 21:37.66 during the 6-kilometer women's race, as she won by more than 10 seconds. Melissa Skiba from California Lutheran University garnered second place in 21:48.10.

Sara Mostatabi of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Calif.) was third at 22:15.06 and Taylor Ostrander (So., Soldotna, AK/Kenai Central HS) of Willamette was fourth at 22:16.61. Kathryn Flyte from the University of Puget Sound was fifth in 22:20.84.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps won the women's team title with a score of 62. Willamette was second at 82 and Whitworth University was third at 112. Occidental College (Calif.) placed fourth at 144 and Whitman College was fifth at 167. A total of 20 full teams competed in the women's race.

CMS and Willamette earned the two automatic bids from the West Regional into the NCAA Championships. Whitworth, Occidental and Whitman will have to wait until Sunday to see if they receive team at-large bids.

Joining Freeby and Ostrander on the All-West Regon Team from Willamette were Olivia Mancl (Fr., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS) and Annette Marinello (Jr., Corvallis, OR/Philomath HS). Mancl placed ninth overall in 22:37.89 and Marinello was 28th in 23:17.56. The top 35 runners earned All-Region honors.

Following Guzman of Occidental and Bennett from Willamette in the men's race were Zorg Loustalet from CMS in third, Benjamin Girodias of Pomona-Pitzer in fourth and John Fowler from Pomona-Pitzer in fifth. Loustalet completed the race in 24:57.06, while Girodias was timed at 25:01.47 and Fowler finished in 25:11.80.

Pomona-Pitzer won the men's team championship with a score of 71. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps took second at 78 and Willamette was third at 109. Occidental placed fourth at 132 and the University of La Verne (Calif.) was fifth at 149. Eighteen full teams participated in the men's race.

Earning automatic team bids to the NCAA Championships were Pomona-Pitzer and CMS. After team at-large bids are awarded on Sunday, individual berths into the championships will go to the top seven runners in each region from teams that didn't receive automatic or at-large bids.

Bennett was one of four runners on the Bearcat men's team who earned All-West Region honors. The other All-Region selections were Jacob Shafi (So., Pleasanton, CA/Amador Valley HS), Yonny Castillo (So., Parkdale, OR/Hood River Valley HS) and Daniel Swanson (Jr., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS).

Shafi placed 19th with a time of 25:56.31 and Castillo was 23rd in 26:03.84. Swanson took 28th place in 26:13.49.