Willamette Women Finish 15th at NCAA Cross Country Championships

By Timothy Walsh, Athletics Communications Writer

MASON, OHIO -- Willamette University's women's cross country team concluded an outstanding season on Saturday, Nov. 22, achieving a 15th place team finish at the 2014 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships, hosted by Wilmington College at the King's Island Golf Center.

Olivia Mancl (So., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS), was the Bearcats' top finisher on the day,placing 48th in the women's 6-kilometer race with a time of 22:42.6. Taylor Ostrander(Jr., Soldotna, AK/Kenai Central HS) finished in 64th with a time of 22:56.8.

Also contributing to Willamette's team score were Hannah Bressler (Jr., Oak Harbor, WA/Oak Harbor HS), Juliet Farnan (Jr., Lafayette, CA/Campolindo HS) and Michaela Freeby (Sr., Milwaukie, OR/Rex Putnam HS).

Bressler completed the race in 23:29.0 to take 132nd place. Farnan registered a time of 23:36.6 and placed 152nd, while Freeby was timed at 23:42.0 for 169th place.

Willamette's women earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships after winning the 2014 NCAA West Regional.At the regional competition, the Bearcats placed three runners in the top five, as Freeby, Mancl, Ostrander, Farnan and Bressler finished 2-3-5-9-12.

Johns Hopkins University (Md.) won the women's team national championship for the third consecutive year with a score of 87. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology finished second at 112. St. Lawrence University (N.Y.) achieved third place at 138. Washington University (Mo.) finished fourth at 180, while the State University of New York - Geneseo placed fifth with a score of 212.

Amy Regan from the Stevens Institute of Technology (N.J.) attained the women's individual title with a time of 20:51.9. Regan placed 6th at the 2013 NCAA Championships, before winning by 7.2 seconds this year.

Lucy Cheadle from Washington recorded second place at 20:58.7. Cassandra Vince from Calvin College (Mich.) took third place in 21:30.2. Ruth Steinke of Carleton College (Minn.) finished fourth in 21:37.9, and Emma Shunk of Wheaton College (Ill.) placed fifth at 21:45.3.

In the men's 8-kilometer race, Yonny Castillo (Jr., Parkdale, OR/Hood River Valley HS) represented Willamette afterreceiving an individual bid to the NCAA Championships. Castillo, who finished 10th at the West Regional, placed 191st in his NCAA Championships debut, completing the course in 25:50.9.

North Central College (Ill.) won its second men's team title in three years with a score of 130, edging defending national champion St. Olaf College (Minn.), who scored 143. The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse took third place at 188, while Washington and Colby College (Maine) finished tied for fourth at 192.

Grant Wintheiser from St. Olaf won the men's individual championship with a time of 23:44.9. Wintheiser finished third at both the 2012 and 2013 NCAA Championships. This year, he won by 6.4 seconds, with Colin Cotton from Williams College (Mass.) taking second place in 23:51.3.

Josh Thorson from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire placed third at 23:57.1, and Spencer Wenck from MIT was fourth at 23:58.6. Ian Lamere of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville was fifth at 24:01.1.

The NCAA Championships ended an outstanding season for the Willamette cross country program.

In addition to the women's team's success at the West Regional competition, the Bearcats swept both the men's and women's Northwest Conference team championships for the second year in a row. It was the Willamette men's 22nd overall team championship and their 11th since 2001. The Bearcat women's title was their 10th since 2000.

Head coach Matt McGuirk was chosen NWC Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year, NWC Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year, and West Region Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year.

It was McGuirk's 10th NWC Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year award, fifth NWC Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year award, and fifth West Region Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year award.