BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University cross country program is riding a wave of momentum heading into the 2023 NCAA II West Regional Championships.

 

The Vikings will race Saturday at regionals at Ash Creek Preserve in Monmouth, Oregon looking to qualify for nationals on November 18 in Joplin, Missouri.

 

Western is coming off a successful GNAC Championships performance with both teams defending their team titles on October 21 in Anchorage, Alaska. The Viking men were led by four All-GNAC performers and a winning performance by junior Kevin McDermott. The Western women were paced by All-GNAC top-10 finishers Ashley Reeck and Ila Davis.

 

Saturday's regional meet will begin at 10 am with the women's 6K and conclude with the men's 10K at 11:15 am. The regional championship is hosted by Western Oregon University.

 

The top three team finishers in both the men's and women's races qualify for the national championships. The WWU women enter regionals with the top team ranking in the West at No. 1 and listed No. 12 nationally in the USTFCCCA Coaches Poll. The men's squad is listed No. 13 nationally and No. 3 in the West.

 

The Viking men will be looking to make a return trip to nationals after placing second at regionals last season and finishing 14th at the national championships at Chambers Bay in University Place. The WWU men's squad has advanced to nationals 12 times, including three in the last four years. The Western women are aiming for their 10th trip to nationals in program history after narrowly missing an at-large qualification spot last year. WWU qualified for nationals in back-to-back years in 2018 (Pittsburgh, PA) and 2019 (Sacramento, CA).

 

Here are some of the details about the 2023 NCAA II West Regionals Championships that will be held Saturday in Monmouth, Oregon:

 

·         What: 2023 NCAA II West Regional Championships

·         When: Saturday, November 4, 2023

·         Where: Ash Creek Preserve, Monmouth, Oregon

·         Time: Women's 6K (10:00 am), Men's 8K (11:15 am)

·         Results: Live Results will be available AthleticTiming.net.

·         Course Maps: Here is a look at the course maps for the West Regional Championships (Women | Men)

·         History: Get updated on WWU's history at the NCAA II Regional Championships

 

The top three finishing teams from each of the eight regional meets receive an automatic spot in the NCAA Championships held November 18 in Joplin, Missouri, with 10 at-large teams also selected to form the 34-team field at nationals. The 10 at-large teams will be announced on NCAA.com on Monday afternoon.

 

Here is a list of who will travel for the Vikings to Monmouth, Oregon for the 2023 NCAA II West Regional Championships. Each team will race seven competitors with the top five finishers forming the team score:

 

 

Both the WWU men's and women's cross country programs hold regional and national rankings in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) polls:

 

• WWU Men: No. 3 in West Region, No. 13 in NCAA II
• WWU Women: No. 1 in West Region, No. 12 in NCAA II

 

Here is a look at the national week-by-week national rankings for the Vikings in 2023:

 

 

Here is a look at how the Vikings men's and women's squads have finished at the NCAA II West Regional Championships since joining the NCAA in 1998. The second-place finish by the men's squad last season tied for the highest finish in program history with the 2007 and 2009 teams. 

 

 

The NCAA National Championships race will be held Saturday, November 18 on the Tom Rutledge XC Course in Joplin, Missouri. Nationals will be hosted by Missouri Southern State University. The women's 6K national championship is scheduled to begin at 10 am CT/8 am PT and the men's 10K will begin at 11:15 am CT/9:15 am PT. The complete 2023 WWU Cross Country schedule can be viewed online at wwuvikings.com/23_XC.

 

The Western Washington University cross country program placed 19 student-athletes on the 2023 Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Academic Team. WWU's 19 selections featured 10 on the women's team and nine on the men's team, with the program total second-most among the 10 conference schools. Senior Andrew Oslin became a four-time winner of the GNAC Academic Award to highlight the men's team selections and Kevin McDermott, Drew Weber, Jalen Javurek, Ethan Bursch and Jeret Gillingham each became three-time academic award winners from the conference. Junior Delphine Maurer was one of nine student-athletes to have a 4.00 GPA to highlight the women's 10 selections and junior Mia Crocker became a three-time selection to the GNAC All-Academic Team. To qualify for academic all-conference, student-athletes must maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.20, must be in at least their second season competing for their team and must have competed on the course during the 2023 campaign. First-year transfers or redshirt freshman are not eligible per GNAC bylaws.

 

Fans can follow WWU Cross Country online at WWUVikings.com/XC, and via social media on Twitter (@WWUTFXC), Instagram (@WWUTFXC) and Facebook (@WWUTFXC).