JOPLIN, Mo. – The Western Washington University women's cross country capped its historic 2023 season with a top 15 finish at the NCAA II Championships on the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course.

 

The Vikings added a 14th-place finish at nationals to recent season accomplishments of winning the West Regional and GNAC team titles. WWU recorded a score of 420 with a pair of runners finishing in the top 60, led by All-American Ashley Reeck placing 30th individually in a personal-best time of 20:35.3. Sophomore Ila Davis also turned in a PR performance on the 6K course on the campus of Missouri State Southern University finishing 53rd in 20:56.4

Reeck's top 30 finish marked the best placing by a WWU women's runner at nationals since a 26th-place All-American effort by Taylor Guenther in 2015. The top 45 individual finshers receive All-America honors from the USTFCCCA.

 

The trip to nationals was the 10th in program history and first since placing 17th in 2019. The 14th-place finish is the highest since a 6th-place finish on the same course in 2015.

 

WWU entered nationals ranked No. 11 in the nation after taking the team title at the West Regional Championships November 4 in Monmouth, Oregon. At nationals on Saturday, WWU finished just behind West Regional foe Chico State (406 points).

 

Grand Valley State won its eighth NCAA team title with 59 points, followed by perennial national powers Adams State (86), Colorado School of Mines (121), Western Colorado (150) and Winona State (219). Lindsay Cunningham won the individual title in a time of 19:30.1.

 

The Viking men followed the women's top-15 finish placing 16th nationally with a team score of 488, led by a 73rd-place finish by junior Ryan Clough and senior Andrew Oslin (88th) and junior Kevin McDermott (90th) also placing in the top 100.

 

Here is a look at the individual performances by the WWU women at the NCAA Championships. Sophomore Ashley Reeck earned USTFCCCA All-America honors for placing in the top 45 individually in 30th place. Reeck (20:35.3) and Ila Davis (20:56.4) both cracked the 21-minute mark to set personal-best times on a 6k course:

 

 

The 2023 championships marked the ninth time in program history that both the women's and men's programs raced at the NCAA II National Championships. It was the 10th trip to nationals for the women's program and first since going in back-to-back years in 2018 (Pittsburgh, PA) and 2019 (Sacramento, CA). The at-large selection for the men marks the 13th trip to nationals and second consecutive year after placing 14th last season at Chambers Bay. Here is a look at WWU's prior finishes at the NCAA West Regional and NCAA II National Championships since joining the NCAA in 1998:

 

 

Here is a look at WWU's team finishes from the 2023 cross country season: