Bearcat Women's Cross Country Moves Up to #7 in NCAA Division III Poll
By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director
SALEM, Ore. -- The Willamette University women's cross country team has moved up to #7 in the final 2015 NCAA Division III National Coaches Poll as released by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Willamette advanced four spots from #11 after winning the NCAA West Regional Championship.
Johns Hopkins University (Md.) remained the #1 team in the women's national rankings with all eight first place votes and 256 points. Williams College (Mass.) also held its position as the #2 team with 248 points. Washington University (Mo.) moved up from #4 to #3 in the final poll with 237.
Tufts University (Mass.) also advanced one spot to #4 this week with 234 points. Middlebury College (Vt.) jumped three spots to #5 with 217.
SUNY Geneseo (N.Y.) continued to hold the #6 ranking and received 215 points. Willamette was #7 with 208 points. Massachusetts Institute of Technology fell five positions to #8 with 202 points. Rounding out the top 10 were SUNY Oneonta (N.Y). at #9 with 187 and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Calif.) at #10 with 185. SUNY Oneonta leaped six spots, while CMS dropped three.
Willamette's women won their second straight NCAA West Regional title. Olivia Mancl (Jr., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS) placed second in the individual standings and Taylor Ostrander (Sr., Kenai, AK/Kenai Central HS) took third.
Also earning All-West Region honors by placing in the top 35 were Hannah Swanson (So., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS) in 18th place, Juliet Farnan (Sr., Lafayette, CA/Campolindo HS) in 20th place, Ami Boucher (Jr., Concord, CA/Northgate HS) in 21st place and Hannah Bressler (Sr., Oak Harbor, WA/Oak Harbor HS) in 24th.
Automatic team bids to the NCAA Championships from the West Regional went to Willamette and to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, which took second place. Whitworth University, which placed third, received an at-large team bid.
The NCAA Championships are set for Saturday, Nov. 21 at the Lake Breeze Golf Course in Winneconne, Wisconsin. Action is set to get underway with the women's 6-kilometer race at 11 a.m. CST/9 a.m. PST. The men's 8-kilometer race is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. CST/10 a.m. PST.
A total of 32 teams and up to 280 athletes will compete at this year's championship meet. Willamette's women finished in 15th place at the 2014 NCAA Championships.