Tacoma, Wash.– The Northwest Conference Cross Country Championships will be held at the Pacific Lutheran Meadows XC Course this coming Saturday, November 1st. The meet will be hosted by the Pacific Lutheran Lutes, with the action beginning at 10 AM with the Men’s 8,000-meter race, followed by the Women’s 6,000-meter race at 11 AM.
Course map and additional championship details can be found on the
PLU Digital Meet Program or on the
Northwest Conference Championship information page.
Men’s Preview
George Fox enters as the defending champion– capturing the previous six NWC Cross Country titles (including a shared championship with Pacific Lutheran in 2018). Once again the preseason favorites, the Bruins look to claim their seventh consecutive title. Senior returner Caden Hildenbrand looks to lead the Bruins, consistently crossing the finish line in first– with a recent effort at the George Oja Invitational with a time of 24:45.70. Hildenbrand is followed closely by teammates Jefferson Smith, Kellin Ruiz, and Ryan Lippert.
The Whitworth men placed second in the Coaches’ preseason poll and will look to give the Bruins a run for their title at this year’s championship. The Pirates placed second at the 2024 NWC Championships and are led by returning junior London Haley. Haley has posted top times this season, recently beating out fellow NWC competition to be the ninth finisher overall and top NWC finisher at the George Oja Invitational (8K, 24:09.9). Haley runs with a strong pack of Whitworth men, senior Isaac Akiyama and junior Alex McIntyre also posting top times for the Pirates.
The Whitman Blues and Lewis & Clark finish out the top four teams in the Coaches’ preseason poll. The Blues placed 3rd overall at the 2024 NWC Championships, and are led by returner Jack McManus. Lewis & Clark men finished fourth, with Quinn Higgins leading the pack throughout this 2025 season– recently posting a NWC top-three finish and PR of 24:39.20 at George Oja.
Puget Sound rounded out the top five teams in the preseason rankings, and are led by Cian Monaghan who recently placed the second fastest NWC time in the George Oja Men’s 8K (24:14.10). The Loggers are followed by Willamette and Pacific (Ore.) – ranked sixth and seventh respectively in the preseason rankings. The Bearcats frontrunner is Thomas Bernadicou– a first year talent out of Menlo Park, California. The Boxers are led by sophomore Peyton Fisher, returning talent from Winston, Oregon.
Rounding out the preseason rankings are the Pacific Lutheran Lutes, looking to prove themselves on their home grounds, and the Linfield Wildcats, fighting from the underdog position. The Lutes are led by Kai Sorenson, while the Wildcats are led by CJ Brindeiro.
Women’s Preview
The George Fox Women enter as the preseason favorite and four-time defending champions, winning the last NWC Cross Country Championship by a 36-point margin. The Bruins are led by graduate transfer Emiliy Foote– who recently broke a 34-year-old program record at the George Oja Invitational with a 6K time of 20:49.50, placing fourth overall, and first for the Bruins. Foote is consistently followed by teammates Hope Bridge, Chloe Cook, and Ree Borchert.
Similar to the men’s side, the Whitworth women look to disrupt the Bruins dominance in the chase for the 2025 NWC Championship title. The Whitworth women ranked second in the Coaches’ preseason poll and claimed the runner-up position in the 2024 NWC Championships. The Pirates recently were led by Lily Jones at the George Oja Invitational, posting a PR in the 6K (21:47.1) and a NWC second place finish. Whitworth will also rely on runners Kezlie Thygessen and Bethany Doggett to earn top points at the championships.
The Willamette Bearcats ranked 3rd in the preseason poll, and are led by young talent. At the recent George Oja Invitational, first year Mia Koernig ran the team’s fastest 6K time, posting a time of 22:27.60. Koernig is followed by senior teammate Anna Bikle and fellow first year Ada Boyd.
Lewis & Clark and Puget Sound enter the competition tied for fourth in the preseason rankings. At the 2024 NWC Championships, Lewis & Clark edged out the Loggers to earn fourth place, Puget Sound placing fifth, respectively. Lewis & Clark are led by Senior Miriam Reside, while the Loggers are led by junior standout Erin Schmidlin.
The Whitman Blues enter the competition ranked 6th in the preseason poll, while the Pacific Boxers and the Pacific Lutheran Lutes are tied for 7th. Whitman women are led by Ella Harrington and Payton Davies, while Pacific returner and 2024 NWC All-Conference runner Megan Feitz leads the pack for the Boxers. The Lutes are led by the Robles sisters– junior Jessalyn Robles and first year Mariel Robles.
Rounding out the rankings in ninth place with a young squad looking to prove themselves are the Linfield Wildcats, led by freshman Mya Budzik and Jasmine Solso.