Willamette Cross Country Teams Earn All-Academic Honors from USTFCCCA

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

SALEM, ORE. -- The Willamette University men's and women's cross country teams have received national recognition for their academic success form the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) as both squads have earned All-Academic status for the 2014 season.

A total of 211 womens cross country teams and 152 men's cross country teams in NCAA Division III were selected for the All-Academic award. Each squad had to earn at least a 3.1 cumulative team grade point average and have at least five runners compete at five meets in order to achieve All-Academic status.

The Bearcat women's team attained a 3.45 cumulative team GPA. Athletes running on the Willamette men's team registered a 3.26 cumulative team GPA.

Scholar Team of the Year honors went to the Johns Hopkins University (Md.) women's team and to the North Central College (Ill.) men's team. Each year, the award goes to the teams earning All-Academic status that place highest at the NCAA Championships.

The Johns Hopkins women's team won the NCAA title and earned a 3.31 GPA. North Central's men took first place at the NCAA Championships and recorded a 3.24 GPA.

Among Division III conferences, the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) led the way with 12 women's teams selected. All nine Northwest Conference women's teams earned All-Academic status, placing the NWC in a four-way tie for second.

Eight NWC men's teams also achieved All-Academic status, as the conference earned part of a two-way tie for second. The MIAC had nine men's team with All-Academic status.

Willamette's men won the 2012 NWC Championship in convincing fashion, with five runners finishing in the top 14. Willamette's women placed second at the NWC Championships for the second year in a row. The Bearcat women earned third placed at the NCAA West Region Championships, and received an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships.

The Bearcat women's team won the NWC team title with a 1-2-3-4-6 finish, led by individual champion Taylor Ostrander (Jr., Kenai, AK/Kenai Central HS). Olivia Mancl (So., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS) was second and Michaela Freeby (Sr., Milwaukie, OR/Rex Putnam HS) took third. Juliet Farnan (Jr., Lafayette, CA/Campolindo HS) was fourth and Hannah Bressler (Jr., Oak Harbor, WA/Oak Harbor HS) was sixth.

At the West Regional, the WU women achieved first place with a score of 31. Freeby was second, with Ostrander in third place and Mancl in fifth. The Bearcats earned 15th place at the NCAA Championships. Mancl was Willamette's top finisher in 48th place.

Willamette's men also took first place at the NWC Championships. Jacob Shafi (Jr., Pleasanton, CA/Amador Valley HS) led the Bearcats in second place. WU achieved fourth place at the West Regional, with Yonny Castillo (Jr., Parkdale, OR/Hood River Valley) earning 10th place. Castillo received an individual bid to the NCAA Championships and placed 191st out of 280 runners.

Head Coach Matt McGuirk was chosen Northwest Conference Men's and Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year. He also was selected as the West Region Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year.