HILLSBORO, Ore. – Following a 2020-21 athletic season and academic year like no other, women’s cross country returns to the Northwest Conference (NWC) beginning Wednesday, September 1. All nine teams are set to return to action in 2021 after the official NWC cross country season was cancelled for the Fall of 2020.
Pacific (Ore.) has been selected as the Northwest Conference frontrunner for the 2021 season, as voted on by conference head coaches. The Boxers earned 52 points and four first-place votes. Whitman ranks second in the poll with 48 points and two first-place votes.
George Fox (2 first-place votes) and Lewis & Clark each received 47
th points to tie for 3
rd. Whitworth takes the fifth spot on the list with 39 points, while Pacific Lutheran received 36 points and one first-place vote to rank them sixth. Willamette (22 pts.), Puget Sound (21 pts.) and Linfield (12 pts) round out the poll.
Linfield will host the NWC Championship Saturday, October 30
th.
Below are key returners and players to watch from each team as well as statistical highlights and NWC accolades from 2019.
KEY RETURNERS/PLAYERS TO WATCH
George Fox
Jessica Neal | JR | 2019: Qualified for NCAA DIII West Region Cross Country Championships… PR of 24:20.6 (6k) at NWC Championships… PR of 20:10.2 (5k) at Willamette Invitational… PR of 16:35.2 (4k) at Ash Creek Invitational
Brenna Sclair | SO | 2019: Qualified for NCAA DIII West Region Cross Country Championships… PR of 24:20.6 (6k) at NWC Championships… PR of 20:10.2 (5k) at Willamette Invitational… PR of 16:35.2 (4k) at Ash Creek Invitational
Ashlee VanDenTop | SR | 2019: Qualified for NCAA DIII West Region Cross Country Championships… PR of 19:38.5 (5k) at Willamette Invitational
Lewis & Clark
Hanna Callinan | JR | 2019: Ran her best-ever time (25:59.3) at the NWC on Nov. 2... Ran her fastest 5K time (22:20.5) at the Charles Bowles Willamette Invitational on Oct. 5... Competed in her first-ever collegiate race at the Ash Creek Invitational on Sept. 6
Adalynn Griesser | SR | 2019: Had her best-ever showing with a top-50 place (50th) at the NWC on Nov. 2... Improved by nearly three minutes over her freshman time at the NWC Championships ... Set a new all-time best (24:10.4) at the Lewis & Clark Invite on Oct. 19... Her time is the 45th-fastest all-time at Lewis & Clark... Recorded her best-ever 5K time (20:14.6) at the Charles Bowles Willamette Invitational on Oct. 5
Madeline Swanberg | JR| 2019: Placed seventh overall at the NWC Championships on Nov. 2 ... Placed in the top 10 in four of her seven events on the season... Set an all-time best (22:57.60) at the PLU Invitational on Sept. 21... Earned her fastest 5K time (15:37.2) at the Ash Creek Invitational on Sept. 6 |
2019 NWC Freshman of the Year, 2019 First-Team All-NWC
Linfield
Ashley Ambrose | SR | 2019: Raced to a time of 16:50.9 at the Ash Creek Festival… Finished 38th with a season-best time of 20:18.5 at the Joe Harrier Classic 4K… Recorded a time of 19:58 in the 5K at the Charles Bowles Invitational
Amber Chaffee | JR | 2019: Raced to a time of 24:16.7 in the 4K at the Joe Harrier Classic… Season best time of 22:34.4 in the 6K came at the Warner Pacific XC Classic… Recorded a time of 20:12.8 at the Charles Bowles Invitational 5K
Makayla Erickson | JR | 2019: Raced to a time of 16:42.4 in the 4K at the Ash Creek County Festival… Recorded a time of 19:59.2 at the Charles Bowles Invitational 5K… Season best time in the 6K at the Warner Pacific XC Classic, 21:01.8
Pacific
Elizabeth Bradley | SO | 2019: 42nd (24:23.4) at the Northwest Conference Championships (Nov. 2, 2019)… 109th (26:31.6) at the Lewis and Clark Invitational (Oct. 19, 2019)… 98th (20:10.7) at the 45th Charles Bowles Willamette Invite (Oct. 5, 2019)… 71st (25:29.0 - 6k) at the Western Oregon Sundowner Invite (Sept. 20, 2019)… 64th (16:36.2 - 4k) at the 2nd Annual Viking Rust Buster (Sep. 7, 2019)
Eliza Irish | JR | 2019: 57th (24:33.6) at the NCAA DIII West Regional Championships (Nov. 16, 2019)… 16th (23:33.9) at the Northwest Conference Championships (Nov. 2, 2019)… 35th (23:56) at the Lewis and Clark Invitational (Oct. 19, 2019)… 73rd (19:44.4) at the 45th Charles Bowles Willamette Invite (Oct. 5, 2019)… 55th (24:55.30 - 6k) at the Western Oregon Sundowner Invite (Sept. 20, 2019)… 45th (15:42.70 - 4k) at the 2nd Annual Viking Rust Buster (Sep. 7, 2019)… 9th (16:30.0) at the Linfield Harrier Classic (Aug. 30, 2019)
Kara Putman | JR | 2019: 47th (24:16.6) at the NCAA DIII West Regional Championships (Nov. 16, 2019)… 5th (22:51.2) at the Northwest Conference Championships (Nov. 2, 2019)… 20th (23:30.2) at the Lewis and Clark Invitational (Oct. 19, 2019)… 47th (19:18.9) at the 45th Charles Bowles Willamette Invite (Oct. 5, 2019)… 46th (24:32.60 - 6k) at the Western Oregon Sundowner Invite (Sept. 20, 2019)… 42nd (15:32.4 - 4k) at the 2nd Annual Viking Rust Buster (Sep. 7, 2019)… 7th (16:20.5) at the Linfield Harrier Classic (Aug. 30, 2019) |
2019 First-Team All-NWC
Pacific Lutheran
Sulin Degollado | JR | 2019: Competed in six races for the Lutes… Ran a season-best time of 23:27.4 at the NWC and competed at the West Regional|
2019 Second-Team All-NWC
Alicia Krivanek | SR |2019: Competed in six races for the Lutes… Ran a season-best time of 23:38.9 at the Lewis & Clark Invite and competed in the West Regional
Joan Park | SR | 2019: Competed in five races for the Lutes… Ran a season-best time of 25:03.4 at the West Regional
Puget Sound
Hannah Cottnair | SR | 2019: 4-year letter winner
Alanna Volk | SR | 2019: 4-year letter winner
Whitman
Sophia Bigio | SR | 2019: Competed in six races... Top finish was in the NWC Championships (24:16, 39th)... Competed at NCAA Regional (25:10, 85th)
Julie Hess | SR | 2019: Competed in five races... Best finish was at the PLU Invitational (24:10, 23rd)... NWC Championships (24:52, 57th)
Chloe Michaels | SR | 2019: Competed in six races... Best finish was in the NWC Championships (23:13, 11th) |
2019 Second-Team All-NWC
Whitworth
Becky George | SO | 2019: Competed in six races… Competed at NCAA Regional (22:23.4, 6
th)… Placed 2
nd at the NWC Championships |
2019 First-Team All-NWC
Mary Neder | SO | 2019: Competed in seven races… Competed at NCAA Regional (25:13.5, 87th)… Placed 56
th at the NWC Championships
Krystal Roberts | SR | 2019: Competed in seven races… Competed at NCAA Regional (24:10.4, 43
rd)… Placed 9
th at the NWC Championships |
2019 Second-Team All-NWC
Willamette
April Holland | JR | 2019: Took 23rd place at the 2019 Ash Creek Invitational... Placed 54th out of 187 runners at the Carleton Invitational in Minnesota... Earned her best 5K time of 19:52.3 at the Charles Bowles Willamette Invitational and registered her top 6K time of 24:25.4 at the NWC Championships
Molly Murphy-Brown | SR | 2019: Ran in six meets in the fall of 2019, including the NWC Championships and the NCAA West Regional... Achieved a career-best 6K time of 24:24.3 at the NWC Meet... Registered a top 5K time of 19:19.2 as WU's top finisher at the Charles Bowles Willamette Invitational
Audrey Piacsek | SR | 2019: She was 18th at the NWC Championships and competed at the NCAA West Regional... Set a career 5K best at the Charles Bowles Willamette Invitational
(Points awarded on an 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. Coaches could not vote for their own teams; numbers in parentheses indicate first place votes)
| Team |
Pts. |
2019 NWC Finish |
| Pacific (Ore.) (4) |
52 |
2nd |
| Whitman (2) |
48 |
1st |
| GFU (2) |
47 |
9th |
| Lewis & Clark |
47 |
3rd |
| Whitworth |
39 |
4th |
| PLU (1) |
36 |
6th |
| Willamette |
22 |
5th |
| UPS |
21 |
8th |
| Linfield |
12 |
7th |
For the complete 2021 NWC women's cross country schedule, click
here.