Cross Country: Willamette Men And Women Favored to Win NWC Cross Country Championships

The Bearcat men are ranked 15th in the NCAA Division III national coaches poll while the Willamette women are ranked 10th in the Division III national poll and have won the NWC crown five out of the last six years, including the past four.

Salem-News.com Sports

TACOMA, Wash. - The 2006 Northwest Conference Cross Country Championships will be held Saturday, at University Golf Course on the Pacific Lutheran University campus. This year marks the first time that the conference meet has been held on the PLU campus.

Previously, PLU has hosted the event at Fort Steilacoom Park in Lakewood, most recently in 2002.

The men's 8000-meter race is scheduled to start at 10:00 AM with the women's 6000-meter competition beginning at 11:00 AM. An awards ceremony will follow at the conclusion of the women's race.

The course record for the women is 21:58.8 set by Julie Lauterbach of Whitworth at the 2006 PLU Invitational. Linfield's Harrison Wilson holds the men's course record of 25:14.5, also set at the PLU Invitational this year.

Willamette should be the team to beat this year in both the men's and women's divisions. The Bearcat men are ranked 15th in the NCAA Division III national coaches poll and have won conference titles five years running. In addition, the Bearcats return five of their 10 varsity runners from conference last year, including Ian Batch, who finished fourth.

The Willamette women are ranked 10th in the Division III national poll and have won the NWC crown five out of the last six years, including the past four. The Bearcat women return five of their 10 runners as well, including last year's runner-up, Sarah Zerzan.

Whitworth, Puget Sound and Linfield should challenge Willamette for the men’s team title. Puget Sound, which has placed second in conference the past four years, returns seven runners, but the Loggers will have to replace 2005 NWC runner-up Frank Prince, who graduated. Whitworth will also be hurt with the graduation of Doug Blackburn who placed third in conference last year.

There will be a number of runners in the hunt for the men’s individual title.

Kellen Peters of Pacific has run the fastest 8000 meters this season with a time of 24:58 at the Sundodger Invitational on Sept. 16th.

Puget Sound's Trevor Hanlin and Dan Pollard should both be in the mix along with Linfield's Harrison Wilson, George Fox's Jake Moe and Willamette's Batch.

Since the first Northwest Conference men’s race in 1963, Willamette has won 16 championships with seven of those coming from 1976-1982. Pacific Lutheran is second with 12 titles, followed by Lewis and Clark with six, Puget Sound with four, Whitman with three, and Linfield and Whitworth with two each.

Willamette should receive competition on the women's side from Puget Sound, which is currently ranked 25th in the nation. Led by junior Brittany Hodgson, the Loggers were only one spot behind the Bearcats at the Willamette Invitational on Sept. 30th. Other top teams are George Fox, Lewis & Clark, Whitman and Whitworth.

All have competed well this season and are looking to place in the top three.

Individually, Willamette's Zerzan is looking tough to beat after posting a 5000-meter time of 16:25 at the Mike Hodges Invitational on Oct. 14th.

Zerzan placed 25th last year at the national meet to earn All-America status.

Tamma Carleton from Lewis & Clark, who placed third in the 2005 championship meet, looks like a solid number two after remaining undefeated against NWC opponents all season, with the exception of one race against Zerzan.

Whitworth's Lauterbach, fifth at the 2005 NWC meet, and Linfield's Joanna Murphy, sixth last year, are other top returnees.

Puget Sound's Brittany Hodgson and Pacific’s Shana Shosky should also be in the lead pack.

The first women’s Northwest Conference meet was held in 1977, and Pacific Lutheran has won the most team titles with 13, including 11 in a row from 1981-92.

Willamette has the second most with five, all of them coming in the last six years.

Linfield won four straight from 1977-80, and Puget Sound also has four, including three in a row in the late 1990s.

Whitman has three championship trophies, all of them coming in the 1990s.

Adding comments to these stories has been disabled. View the current sports stories Salem-News Sports