KENOSHA, Wisc. – The Western Washington University cross country wrapped up another historic season with both the men's and women's teams competing Saturday at the 2025 NCAA Division II National Championships on the Wayne E. Dannehl National XC Course.

 

The Viking men tied for their second-best performance at nationals with a top-10 finish in 9th place and the women placed in the top 20 finishing 18th.

 

Both teams advanced to nationals for the third consecutive season and 11th time in program history since joining the NCAA level in 1998.

 

The Western men entered the national meet ranked No. 12 in the nation, moving up three spots to finish in 9th place for the fifth top-10 finish in 15 trips to nationals. WWU placed 10th in 2008, 4th in 2009, 9th in 2010, 10th in 2011 and 9th in 2025. The Vikings were the top finishing West Region squad, bettering regional champion Chico State which finished 15th.

"Wow - what a day! The guys set an ambitious goal earlier in the year, eyeing a top 10 National finish. Honestly, I thought we might be a ways off," said WWU cross country head coach T.J. Garlatz. "But they kept working and grinding, doing what it took to give us a chance. We went in to the race with a game plan to be assertive, trusting our fitness, and making sure to leave it all out on the course. The boys did just that! I couldn't be more proud of this group of men!"

 

The Viking women made their third consecutive trip to nationals earning a top 20 finish after finishing in 11th place last season. Western's roster featured only one returning runner from last year's top 15 finish.

"It was exciting to see this group running at the national meet after having graduated the core of our past national teams," added Garlatz. "The ladies battled strong throughout. It was a good day on a tough course. We came in ranked 18th and that's where we finished. I'm so proud of their efforts."

 

WWU swept the GNAC team titles for the fourth consecutive season and both earned automatic bids to the 34-team national championship with the men placing 2nd and women 3rd at the regional meet. The Vikings were one of 17 programs nationwide to send both a men's and women's team to nationals in Wisconsin.

 

The Vikings men put together a collective team effort that will go down as one of the best in program history, finishing 9th among the 34-team national championship field with a score of 373.0.

 

Fueled by four runners in the top 100, WWU was the top finishing West Region squad placing well ahead of 15th-place and regional champion Chico State (431 points).

 

On a squad featuring just one senior, junior Jared Alderfer and sophomore Jonah Billings led the way finishing side-by-side in 55th and 56th place, just missing All-America honors (top 45). Sophomores George Fernandez were 86th and 88th, followed by 5th-place scorer senior Logan Werner in 141st place.

 

The 9th-place finish marked the Vikings fifth top-10 placing at nationals and the best finish since also placing 9th in 2010. The Western men made its 15th trip to nationals and fourth consecutive.

 

Wingate won its second national title, returning to the top spot on the podium after winning in 2023 and earning runner-up honors in 2024 and 2022, edging Adams State by nine points with a team score of 62. Colorado School of Mines placed 3rd with 121 points, just ahead of 4th-place Grand Valley State with 122 and Western Colorado rounded out the top five with a score of 162.

 

Senior Kidus Begashaw of Adams State had a strong finish completing the 10K in 29:38.8 to hold off senior Antonin Saint Peyre of Wingate (29:41.8). 

 

Here is a look at the individual performances by the WWU men at the NCAA Championships with the team earning a 9th-place finish with 373 points. WWU's five scoring runners featured four in the top 100 in the 259-competitor field, led by junior Jared Alderfer placing 55th in 30:58.7 and sophomore Jonah Billings right next to him in 56th with a time of 30:59.2. Sophomores George Fernandez (86th, 31:27.6) and Sten Brakstad (88th, 31:28.5) also earned top 100 finishes. 

 

 

The Viking women entered the national meet ranked No. 18 in the nation…and finished 18th at the NCAA National Championships on Saturday with a team score of 470.0. WWU was led by an 83rd-place finish by junior Ella Edens, completing the 6K course in 21:39.9.

 

After winning its fourth consecutive GNAC team title and placing third at the West Regional Championship two weeks ago, WWU placed fourth out of the West Region programs at the national meet behind Chico State (8th), Stanislaus State (12th) and Cal Poly Pomona (16th).

 

Making its 12th trip to nationals (fifth in last seven seasons), the Vikings earned a top 20 finish after placing 11th in 2024.

 

Grand Valley State won its eighth national title returning to the podium after winning last in 2023 recording a team score of 65 to edge out Colorado School of Mines (69) by four points. Wingate (3rd, 131.0), Adams State (4th, 168.0) and Western Colorado (5th, 206.0) rounded out the top five in the 34-team championship field.

 

Junior Tristian Spence of Adams State ran away with the individual title in a time of 20:11.0, six seconds ahead of second-place Grace Strongman of Colorado School of Mines (20:17.0).

Here is a look at the individual performances by the WWU women at the NCAA Championships. Junior Ella Edens led the team with an 83rd place performance finishing the 6K course in 21:39.9, followed by sophomore Sabrina Colbert in 101st place in a time of 21:49.9. 

 

 

The 2025 championships marked the 11th time in program history that both the women's and men's programs raced at the NCAA II National Championships. It was the 11th trip to nationals for the women's program (3rd straight) and 15th trip to nationals for the men (fourth straight). 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 are some of the details about the 2025 NCAA II National Championships that were held at the Wayne E. Dannehl National XC Course in Kenosha, Wisconsin:

 

·         What: 2025 NCAA II Cross Country National Championships

·         When: Saturday, November 22, 2025

·         Where: Kenosha, Wisconsin

·         Course: Wayne E. Dannehl National XC Course 

·         Time: Women's 6K (10 am CT/8 am PT); Men's 10K (11:15 am CT/9:15 am PT)

·         Live Results

·         Meet Info

·         Course Map

·         GNAC History at NCAA Championships

 

Here is a look at the final steam standings for the men's 10K and the women's 6K at the 2025 NCAA Division II National Championships:

 

 

The Vikings have swept the GNAC titles in each of the last four seasons with the WWU men and women winning in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. Dating back to 2019, Western has swept the GNAC Cross Country Championships five times.

 

The 2025 WWU cross country schedule featured four regular-season meets, followed by the GNAC Championships, NCAA II West Regional and the NCAA II Championships. Results and highlights from all meets are posted online at WWUVikings.com/XC.