MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Western Washington University cross country team punched a pair of tickets to the national championship with a pair of top three finishes at Saturday's West Region Championship at Ash Creek Preserve.

 

The Viking men earned their second consecutive runner-up finish with four All-Region performances in the top 25 and the Western women placed third with a team score of 140 to earn their third consecutive trip to nationals.

 

Both teams will compete in two weeks at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships in Kenosha, Wisconsin. This marks the third consecutive season and 11th time overall since joining the NCAA in 1998 that both the WWU men's and women's cross country teams have qualified for nationals. The WWU women will be making its 12th trip to NCAA nationals and the Viking men will be racing at nationals for the 15th time in program history. Both teams placed in the top 15 last year with the women finishing 11th and men 13th.

 

The men's squad was led by All-West Region top 25 performers sophomore Jonah Billings (8th), junior Jared Alderfer (13th), sophomore Sten Brakstad (17th) and sophomore George Fernandez (23rd).

 

The Viking women placed third in the 28-team field with a team score of 140, trailing regional winner Chico State (40) and Cal Poly Pomona (86), while edging out Biola (163) for the final automatic qualifying spot. Junior Ella Edens (16th), junior Jill Philbin (17th) and senior Alexis Parker (23rd) earned All-West Region honors for their top 25 finish.

 

WWU earned regional runner-up honors for the second consecutive season and third time in the last four years with a team score of 88 to finish just behind regional winner Chico State with 75 points). The West Region rankings heading into the meet resembled the finish with the top five teams matching their ranking. Chico State, WWU and Cal Poly Pomona all earned automatic bids to the NCAA National Championships in Wisconsin. This marks the 15th trip to nationals in program history for the Viking men, fourth consecutive and sixth in the last seven seasons. The team USTFCCCA West Region rankings heading into the regional meet are listed next to the team name below:

 

 

Here is a look at the individual performances by the WWU men at the West Regional Championships, with four of WWU's scoring runners earning All-West Region honors for placing in the top 25 in the 163-compettior field. All seven of Western's competitors set a personal best mark on a 10K course.

 

 

Here is a look at the final team standings with the USTFCCCA West Regional ranking for each team heading into the regional meet. This marks the 12th trip to nationals in program history for the Viking women and fifth in last seven seasons. WWU placed 11th at nationals last season and 14th in 2023.

 

 

 

Here is a look at the individual performances by the WWU women at the NCAA West Regional Championships, with junior Ella Edens (16th) junior Jill Philbin (17th) and senior Alexis Parker (23rd) all earning All-West Region honor for placing in the top 25 in the 193-competitor field:

 

 

The Vikings season continues with the next race at the NCAA Division II National Championships on November 22 at the Wayne E Danehl National Cross Country Course in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Both the WWU men and women earn automatic bids to the 34-team field on each side with the official announcement coming Monday from the NCAA. The complete 2025 WWU Cross Country schedule can be viewed online with links for season results and live coverage at wwuvikings.com/25_XC.

 

The Vikings cemented a pair of automatic berths to the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships that will be held November 22 in Kenosha, WI at the Wayne E Danehl XC Course. This marks the third consecutive season and 11th time overall since joining the NCAA in 1998 that both the WWU men's and women's cross country teams have qualified for nationals. The WWU women will be making its 12th trip to NCAA nationals and the Viking men will be racing at nationals for the 15th time in program history.

 

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 WWU women's regional championship in 2023 was the first by a Viking cross country team with the men's team placing second in 2007, 2009 and 2022.

 

 

Here are some of the details about the 2025 NCAA II West Regional Championships that were held Saturday in Monmouth, Oregon:

 

·         What: 2025 NCAA II West Regional Cross Country Championships

·         When: Saturday, November 8, 2025

·         Where: Ash Creek Preserve on the campus of Western Oregon University

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

·         Live Results

·         Course Maps: Men's 10K | Women's 6K

·         Regional Championships History

 

Both the WWU men's and women's cross country programs have been a mainstay in the regional and national rankings in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) polls all season. The Viking men entered the regional meet ranked No. 13 and the women listed No. 20.

 

• WWU Men: No. 2 in West Region, No. 13 in NCAA II
• WWU Women: No. 4 in West Region, No. 20 in NCAA II

 

Here is a look at the national week-by-week national rankings for the Vikings in 2025:

 

 

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 features four regular-season meets, followed by the GNAC Championships, NCAA II West Regional and the NCAA II Championships. Start times for all meets will be posted online at WWUVikings.com/XC when they are finalized.