Ballard HS alum Bridget Berg leads Humboldt State to NCAA cross country berth...

KAHUKU, Hawaii--Ballard High School alum Bridget Berg (left/photo courtesy Humboldt State University) finished fifth as the Humboldt State senior helped lead the Jacks to a third place team finish in the NCAA Division II West Regional championships at Kahuku Golf Club Saturday morning.

Berg, who finished second at last year's NCAA West Regionals in Spokane Valley and won the California Collegiate Athletic Association individual title two weeks ago, covered the 6k course in 21:42, as Alaska Anchorage's Susan Tanui took the individual crown in 21:19.

Chico State won the team title with 51 points, followed by GNAC champ Alaska Anchorage with 56 and Humboldt State with 120.

The Seattle Pacific Falcons grabbed the fifth and final automatic spot to the NCAA Division II championships in Joplin, Missouri in two weeks, scoring 157 points, just three points behind fourth place Cal State Stanislaus.

Western Washington's bid for a fifth straight trip to nationals was snapped as they finished seventh with 274 points, with Central Washington tenth at 335 points.

Katie Thralls raced to an 11^th-place finish in a time of 22:08, and Katie Morris was 26th in 22:44 to lead the Falcons.

Rounding out SPU's scorers were Robyn Zeidler in 27th at 22:44, McKayla Fricker in 36th at 23:00, and Jasmine Johnson in 63rd in 23:30.

Sophomore Katelyn Steen led the way for Western Washington with a 28th place finish in 22:45.

For Central Washington, senior Kelsey Kreft led the way for the Wildcats, finishing 34th in 22:54.

In the men's 10k race, Western Washington's Dak Riek finished fifth in 32:10, to help the Vikings to a third place team finish and its sixth straight trip to nationals.

Like the women's team race, Chico State and GNAC champ Alaska Anchorage went 1-2, with Chico edging out UAA 38-46, with Western a solid third at 82 points.

Seattle Pacific, which had an outside chance of qualifying for the nationals, finished a disappointing 11th with 323 points, and Central Washington was 18th with 491 points.

UAA's GNAC champ Micah Chelimo took the individual title, cruising through the 10k course in 31:58.

The Vikings had three other runners receive all-region recognition by finishing among the top 25. They were Tyler Cannon in 15th in 32:55; Chip Jackson 16th in 32:56; and Dylan Peterson 24th in 33:14.

Rounding out Western's five scorers was Kyle Johnson, who was 26th in 33:21.

Seattle Pacific was led by Jordan Wolfe in 35th, running 33:54, and Central Washington was led by Ryan Eidsmoe in 91st place in 35:31.

Complete results of the NCAA Division II West Region Cross Country Championships are available here.

NOTE:  The sports information offices of Hawaii Pacific, Western Washington, Seattle Pacific, and Humboldt State University contributed to this report.